2024 is almost over, and I can’t even believe I’m writing this! As you start wrapping up your events for this year, it’s tempting to take a little vacation, a long nap, or a hiatus and decompress. I’m here to tell you: Don’t let that critical time for feedback and ideation go to waste!

Planning a large conference, annual programming, or event management for a fundraising event can sometimes feel like a daunting task, especially when you have the holidays looking you in the face and have to juggle multiple priorities, or you just need an end-of-year break.

Take it from a planner: Doing a little work now will save you a ton of time and stress in your event planning and event management tasks in the long run.

On average, a conference, meeting, or convention takes 6-24 months to plan and prepare for, which for those of you who have Spring 2025 events only leaves you a few more months to get back on track (and do the math on your upcoming vacation plans, let alone everyone else’s.

You may be thinking “It’s the end of 2024, and it’s been a wild and unpredictable year. Things are undoubtedly going to change between now and my event.”

And, what if things do change between now and the event?

Things change in moments and instants. As with many milestones in life, if your plan is to wait until your circumstances are absolutely perfect to start planning an event or trade show, chances are you will probably get stuck in analysis paralysis mode, or lose valuable momentum while you’re stuck in the strategy phase.

I’m here to give you actionable steps with my 2025 Event Strategy Checklist below to create your initial event strategy so that you can get your 2025 event and programming calendars back on track.

ASSESS THE SITUATION - WHAT HAS AND HASN’T WORKED AT PREVIOUS EVENTS

The first action in planning your 2025 business strategy is to take a step back and evaluate what worked and what didn’t work in your past events, campaigns, communications, and partnerships. Evaluating the result of an event can come in a couple of different forms, but we’ll talk about a few of our favorites.

One of the most effective forms is a survey tool that you can use throughout your event planning process, including onsite and post-event. You can use thoughtfully curated questions (Both qualitative and quantitative),  to find out what your key stakeholders valued at your event. (Ask me about Airtable Surveys, if you want your post-event survey creation to get a heck of a lot easier!)

In an ideal world, you would have surveyed each stakeholder (that means your staff, board, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, vendors, and attendees) from your previous events. The data is valuable whether they were virtual, hybrid, or live events. However, we know that for many of you, surveys are not always an option, so another way to learn about your attendees' sentiments is through small-group feedback sessions or focus groups, or one-on-one meetings with key figures in your event. This can even be done onsite in an informal way, with mini interviews and B-roll collected in real-time, from attendees and participants on the event floor.

*Important Note: Remember to do a post-event survey every time so you can gauge your event’s performance against stakeholder expectations.

BE A GOAL-GETTER WHEN PLANNING EVENT DEADLINES

Once you have taken time to reflect on your past events, you’ll want to create some measurable goals for the future (we’re talking 2025, 2026, and beyond). Taking from what you have learned in your evaluations, you can analyze your high-level goals for each department and how they can relate back to your event strategy. Make sure each of these goals is specific, achievable, measurable, and actionable. Also, make sure you have a way to track those goals. These should guide you throughout the year and allow your event to have a specific objective or objectives in mind. 

In events, goals will always vary between stakeholders, including internal stakeholders. It’s important to balance them all and figure out how to create wins for as many people and departments as possible.

TALK MONEY WHEN IT COMES TO EVENT BUDGETS

Oh, the budget. That word alone can stress leaders out, especially given the inflation of the last few years. It goes without saying, it MUST be discussed before planning an event. Here are some tips to help you comfortably allocate your event budget:

• Define all of your potential tools (i.e. project management tools, event management software, advertising, etc.) and what they will cost. Look into annual vs monthly subscription costs, extensions, and freemium tools where possible.

• Focus on selecting tools that align with your goals (i.e. If you want to host a fundraiser, it would be wise to look into channels like ClickBid, AuctionFrogs, OneCause or similar software), keeping in mind the results from your stakeholder surveys.

• Don’t forget physical costs like venue rental, food and beverage, tents and heat lamps, printing for signage and name tags, staff travel, attendee travel, AV, live-streaming solutions, and more. Ideally, work with an event expert who can help you break down your big dream into actionable steps and costs.

• Now, look at which costs can be covered by either ticket sales or sponsorship. Create your event revenue strategy.

PS. Want to learn how to create an amazing event on a budget? Learn more here and let’s connect and plan your next event!

BOOK THE MEETINGS WITH ALL EVENT STAKEHOLDERS

We have said it once, and we will say it again… keep your sponsors’ goals top of mind. It is not only important to please your attendees, but all of your stakeholders. Just like your attendees, there will be certain expectations that they have for your event, and if you don’t reach their expectations--or worse, don’t consult them about their expectations before creating an event--you will have a disaster on your hands. Start scheduling those conversations now, before the holidays hit. Even if your meetings don’t take place until the New Year, it gives you time to do research, develop that relationship, and get a feel for the current landscape at their organizations.

BECOME OBSESSED WITH YOUR EVENT AUDIENCE

Imagine spending all day cooking the most delicious homemade pasta for a dinner party, just to find out that the guests you will be hosting are all gluten intolerant and will not be able to eat anything at your party. That would be pretty pointless, right? Creating an entire event without considering your target audience's preferences is the same concept. You may have created an event that was ‘good on paper,’, but if it is not an event that your specific audience enjoys, you have completely missed the point! So before you can start to plan your event, dive into what your customer enjoys, what they find valuable, and what would make a ‘wow’ moment for them. This can be done through a combination of many points above, but working with an excellent marketing partner is a wonderful place to start.

Ready to get your 2025 event strategy created, but you’re not sure how to take the first step? Schedule a one-hour event planning consulting “Catalyst” call with Beth! These consulting hours are designed for anyone who needs actionable, real-time advice about an event, pop-up, trade show, or overall experiential strategy. We can develop your event strategy, create a draft of your event budget, or review your stale sponsorship deck, together.

Need more help? Download my Ultimate Event Planning Guide!