Hello everyone. The Christmas has come and gone. It is time to wind
down. Hope you had a great time celebrating the Yuletide?
This week I want to talk about the Christmas event. Christmas is an
event that holds on the 25th of December every year. The date of the
event is fixed and it is never changes, so what is the big deal in preparing
for Christmas? The big deal really has to do with all the other activities that
are billed to happen within and around the Christmas.
Human beings by nature are procrastinators. Despite that the
celebration of the Christmas event occurs on a fixed date annually, many a time,
you still find that some things are delayed until it becomes a rush hour
activity. My advice, towards the preparation for next year’s Christmas event.
Start now and don’t wait for that last minute bookings.
Here are a few guidelines on some of the programs that may shape any Christmas
preparation.
1.
Religious Activities: These comes tops as the controlling activities
of the Christmas. Churches and other affiliated organisations organise a series
of activities during this period. Top among them is the Carol of 9 Lessons. To
ensure success, now is the time to start working towards the next carol. Churches
also do a lot decorations during the Christmas. I was disappointed some time
ago during one of the church services I attended. The decoration was still ongoing
while the church service is in sessions. A lot of things could have been
responsible for the last minute decorations but it is clear pointer to poor
planning. The planning for the next year starts now. This is the time to select
the decorator, the decoration design, the venue for the next carol, the dressing
for the choir, the program of events, etc. When the time draws near, all you
need to do are rehearsals and double checks.
2.
Gift Items: Christmas is the season of giving and exchange of
gifts. Corporate organisations also use this period to step up their marking
communication activities through giving out of branded gift items. Producing
corporate gifts is a straight forward process however it requires early
preparation to produce high quality items. Anyone who wants to produce a Christmas
gift item must start thinking about it from the beginning of the year. Think
about the artwork that will be used for branding, the type of gift item, the
time to start production, the budget, the production duration, etc. Of course
there are so many other factors that you may consider in choosing a suitable
gift item but that will be subject of another post. Late preparations have led
to delays and disappointments for many organisations. Starting now to choose
your vendors and making financial commitment will save you a lot of heartache
when the time comes.
3.
Get together: Many organisations, Associations, groups, friends,
etc. have one type of get together planned for the Christmas. It could be a
party, funfair, beach outing, games, retreat, etc. Starting early to plan for
these activities is very good. It will make the event planners and service
provider to schedule their calendars properly and avoid rush jobs. Early preparation
enables you to get your budget approved, it may also get you some discounts in
area of bookings for venue, rentals, decorations, etc. So begin early to map
out the activities you want to happen during the Christmas. Select your event
planner and service providers and make some financial commitment. This will
enable the all the stakeholders to block their calendars properly and avoid
clashes.
4.
Decorations: Some Corporations and High Networth Individuals love
to decorate their premises or the environment during festivities. Christmas
festivity is one event that attracts so much decorations. Here again, early
preparations gives you a head start. Many of the items that are required for
decorations may need to be imported if not found in the local market. This must
be considered and booked ahead otherwise you will be forced to make do with
whatever that is available if your order came at a time when it will be too
late to get your desired designs imported. Booking of a decorator of choice is
also important to forestall any last minute hitches,
5.
Shows: Many corporate organisations and event planners own
shows that run during the Christmas event. Are you one of those show owners?
This is the time to start working towards your next show? Perform some event
intelligence to find out other shows billed around the same time with your own.
Determine if their occurrence will have impact on your attendance. Use the
knowledge gathered to position your show properly. One more thing to consider
is the financials. Do you have enough funds to finance the show? Do you need
Sponsors? How will you get your revenue? Will there be ticketing? Or will it be
sponsor paid free attendance? Will people be served food and drinks? Or will
service vendors be commissioned to sell food and drinks at the venue? These are
pertinent questions that needs to be resolved to ensure that the shows runs
smoothly. Again early preparations sets the tone for a successful event.
Choosing and committing the service vendors early will eliminate delays and minimize
last minute disappointments
6.
Marketing Activities: Many Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
companies choose their marketing activities to happen during the Christmas
event. Usually they produce a lot of giveaway gift items for these occasions.
Because of the number of activities competing for attention during the
Christmas, it becomes important to plan well ahead of time to ensure success in
terms of attendance and achieving other set targets.
7.
Traditional or Cultural Functions: Because the Christmas season represents a
time for home coming for many people, it has become customary to fix many
functions such as House warming, Wine Carrying, Burials, Remembrances, masquerade
Festivals, etc. during this period. Whichever activity you are planning around
the Christmas, think about the event planners and service provider/vendors that
you will need during the period. Starting early to choose and commit a service
professional is a step in the right direction.
I will leave it at this for the week. Next week, I will talk about
something else. Kindly feel free to send me your feedbacks and comment.
Have a wonderful week ahead and Happy New Year 2016 in advance.
Cheers
No comments:
Post a Comment