Because you’re in the event planning industry, you’ve likely become a genius at all things time management. You’re savvy about saving seconds and a master at making the most of every minute. You're mindful of using your time wisely. And you know that it’s timing that allows you to prepare and stay ahead of unexpected event planning hiccups. Now, as we start into the heat of the New York summer, you may not realize that it's also the perfect time of year to start thinking about those wintery holiday parties. For anyone on your prospect list with the responsibility of laying out the itinerary for the corporate holiday events, company parties, and year-end celebrations, they should be hearing from you in the coming weeks. Here are just a few strategic reasons why you, as a New York event planner, should be engaging your holiday party prospects now.
1. Get Ahead of Potential Vendor Considerations
Some corporations have an in-depth vetting process for all new vendors. And if event planners wait too long, they’ll miss the entry phases of those opportunities. By reaching out to your corporate event planning contacts and prospects now, you’ll be giving yourself and them enough time to prepare for those requests for proposal. Make sure you don’t miss a holiday party event because you didn’t make the vendor RFP cutoff date. Get ahead by reaching out now and use the added time to build a dynamic presentation that will dazzle your decision makers and help you land more event planning deals.
2. Demonstrate Your Ability to Plan Ahead
Most people aren’t thinking about Christmas or New Year's Eve in July. But it’s not all that uncommon to start seeing holiday promotions as early as the first week of October. Demonstrate your ability to plan ahead by engaging your holiday party clients now. Remind them that the summer weeks fly by quickly, and making pillar decisions about the venue, entertainment, themes, and catering are easier now than waiting until October or November. They’ll appreciate your timing and planning skills, along with any early bird booking discounts you might be able to score, as well.
3. Allow for Plenty of Time to Iron Out the Budgets
Corporate event planners have budget constraints and target spending to consider. Reaching out to your holiday party clients now will help you determine what those upcoming budgets may be and provide you with enough time to find solutions to fit them. It also reminds those corporate contacts to be mindful of spending, as well. And if some of your event planning involves extending those budgets, getting in the room with your clients and prospects early will allow them more time to plan for additional funding if necessary.
4. Top of Mind Awareness in Your Favor
You don’t have to start planning a holiday party event in July in its entirety. But there are benefits of raising awareness now, including keeping your name fresh on your client prospects’ minds. Stay relevant to your decision-maker contacts and get in the room now to remind them of your value. Even if they’re not quite ready to start making arrangements for the December holiday parties, they’ll be sure to call you first when they are ready, only because you’ve tapped into the top-of-mind awareness. If your email is at the top of their inbox and your business card on top of the pile, you'll be top-of-mind.
5. Venues Book Quickly
New York event planners know just how quickly the best venues book up for popular dates. There’s a reason why weddings book more than a year in advance. That same logic applies to your holiday party clients. It may be July, but it’s also the six-month mark to most event dates for those corporate festivities and year-end celebrations. Contact your prospects and remind them how quickly venues book. You can offer a few suggestions for this year’s potential venues and get the ball rolling with planning before the best hotspots are taken.
6. Get the Best Talent Early
In addition to the lead time needed to book the best venues, you can use the same reasoning for contacting your holiday party clients now with regard to booking talent. DJ services, live bands, and top performers are all in high demand. And they’ll all tell you that certain weekends in November and December book up fast. Reach out to your holiday party clients now and ask for a quick meeting to discuss booking entertainment. It will ensure they get the performers they want, along with you solidifying the deal.
7. Avoid the Stresses of Last-Minute Planning
Because, as a New York event planner, you’re keenly aware of time management, another reason to reach out to your holiday party clients now is sheer preparation. You can avoid the added stresses of last-minute planning when you can get the ball rolling earlier. And the more time you have to plan these corporate events and year-end celebrations, the more time you’ll have to be creative and master the details. The sooner you can begin your processes; the more brilliant the event will be.
You may be poolside and enjoying the summer fun. But don’t forget that summer is an ideal time of year to start reaching out to your holiday party clients. Get those year-end events booked now and on your schedule. You’ll need all the extra planning time you can get to ensure the best and most impressive engagement results. And those clients will appreciate your attention to timing and details, with their best interest in mind.
For more suggestions about getting in the room and following up with your top event prospects, check out some of the other event planner-related topics in our wildly popular blog series. And don’t forget that The Event Planner Expo 2022 is coming up in October. Now’s also the time to reach out about securing your sponsorships and booking exhibitor booths for this incredible events industry event. Contact our team now to check remaining availability. You won’t want to miss our 10-year anniversary celebration this year – it’s going to be the best Expo yet!
