You might be thinking, “It's October. Do I really need to be thinking about my holiday party already?” The best answer we can give you is “YES!” As a live event production company, we know what it takes to plan an event from beginning to end, and if you want to ensure you have the best possible outcome, you’re going to want to get ahead of the curve and start planning your holiday party now!

Holiday events, especially in the corporate world, are essential for businesses that want to promote themselves to new and returning customers and more importantly, show their employees how much they care and appreciate them. These team-building events can get complicated quickly, from figuring out the logistics to the actual run of the event. Give yourself the gift of time and we know you’ll reap the benefits. 

Here are a few advantages of planning your holiday event well in advance:

LARGER POOL OF VENUE OPTIONS

A perhaps obvious, yet very important reason to start your holiday event planning early is you have more venue options. We’ve all been there: you wait a little too late, and by the time you search for a venue, you find that the best ones are already booked months in advance. You then have to settle on a venue that doesn’t highlight your event and is “fine” at best. The holiday season is a busy one, so you can count on event venues filling up quickly. No matter what type of event you’re planning on hosting, you can be sure that other event production companies need similar venues as you, so you have to work quickly and start early if you want that iconic venue!

With the venue as a central part of any event, it has a lot of weight when determining the success of the event. Use this list to help you find the perfect venue for your holiday party. It will help you quickly rule out venues that don’t fit and allow you to focus on those that have the greatest potential.

• The cost

• The location & weather

• The date & time available

• The capacity of guests

• The style or potential for transformation

• Layout

• Catering

• Services & facilities (parking, kitchen, security, licenses, etc.)

Don’t scramble for a space at the last second and make compromises that you wouldn’t otherwise even consider. Get started on finding your perfect venue and let Wizard Studios work their magic. We can transform any venue with our many capabilities. Take a look at our blog article, “Give Your Event Space a Total Makeover” and see how we do it!

book THE ENTERTAINMENT OF YOUR DREAMS

Much like securing the venue, booking your entertainment is just as important to do well ahead of time. As soon as you set your holiday event date, make a down payment and book your entertainment right away! Due to so many cancellations and postponed events and concerts during the past few years, there is now an increase in bookings within a shorter amount of time. This means a growing shortage of available dates, especially on weekends. Entertainers and booking agents want to deliver as much as possible, but don’t expect to be able to book anyone last minute. The reality is, there is a high demand for top-tier entertainers, but there is certainly not enough of them to always meet that demand. So if you don't book early, you are left to choose from less desirable performers. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the show will be subpar, but if you have your heart set on someone in particular, it’s really important that you confirm your entertainment long before your event takes place. 

Take a look at our blog, “Booking Entertainment in 2022: Everything You Need to Know” for some extra help!

CONTRACT THE BEST VENDORS

Contracting vendors can similarly be more difficult if you lead it to the last minute. If you have your heart set on certain vendors in particular, or if you want to ensure you have the best possible vendors available, you have to contact and contract them early! Think of finding vendors, like how colleges offer early admission. Each reputable school wants first dibs on the brightest and most promising students, so they will all try to get their offers in first. How does Notre Dame always seem to get so many recruits? It’s simply because they send out scouts to start recruiting early! It works the same for vendors. If you haven’t planned the logistics of your event yet, you can’t recruit vendors early, so you must start early on the planning! 

If you start early with the planning of your holiday party, you will be less rushed to make quick decisions. Make the smart choices that are best for your event and support vendors that align with your company and mission. Here are some things to consider:

• Price

• Quality

• Reliability

• Communication

• Financially stable

• Capacity

Incorporating more diversity in your event vendor base is crucial for business and social responsibility, and we encourage you to do so! Here are “4 Ways to Support Diverse Vendors”.

LOWER PRICES

If we haven’t convinced you yet to start early on your holiday party planning, we think this might just do it. Even if you’re planning to host an event during a peak season, like the winter holidays, booking far in advance for the venue, entertainment, and vendors will likely cost less than it would if you waited until closer to the time. The closer you get to your event date, the more expensive all the services and supplies become. Finding vendors, caterers, and entertainment will become not only more difficult but much more expensive too. 

LEVERAGE PRODUCTION CAPACITY

Wizard Studios is an event production company and we love the opportunity to work with new and old clients. If you’d like to work with us, or any event production company for that matter, it is best to get started on the event early. With the holiday season being so busy for everyone, it is very difficult to squeeze in extra events last minute. If you want to ensure that an event production company has the capacity to take on your holiday event, it is in your best interest to start the ball rolling far ahead of time. This way, we can help you come up with a coherent plan for your event that will make everything go smoothly. We’ll help fine-tune all the details of your event from beginning to end. If you want a custom fabrication unique to your event, our designers and artisans need the time to create and build your showstopper! A good event production company expects the best but prepares for the worst. Starting ahead of time will prepare us for any obstacles or challenges. 

Working with an event production company, like Wizard Studios is a sure way to elevate your event, and we don’t want you to miss out on that opportunity. Get started on your holiday event planning and contact the event experts at Wizard Studios today!