16 August 2022

The Rise Of Short Lead Times

A key discussion in the events industry at the moment is the rise of the short lead times to organise events, with many of my fellow events professionals flagging it as a noticeable change this year.

For me personally, it has definitely been a change. I recently organised an awards’ dinner at The Londoner from start to finish in four weeks at the beginning of July and also two 70th anniversary celebrations at The Serpentine in two months, which were extremely logistically detailed due to the one-hour access time we had to put in an exhibition. Each event was great and went really well, but the time frames did bring added pressure to the team, there’s no doubt.

I feel this rise of demanding timelines is a result of the uncertain years we have had, and people are reluctant to plan too far ahead – understandably so.

People, myself included, are wary of planning too much into the future, as recent history has shown, anything can happen and with the growing concerns and uncertainty surrounding rising living costs, the country’s leadership and the constant strain on resources, people are holding back.

This is common for both corporate and private events. We are getting quite a lot of Christmas enquiries, but they are definitely coming in later than usual and even though people and companies seem happy to spend the money, they are more invested in the curation of their events than ever.

One thing I have spoken about before is the desire to create experiences and memories and this is what, I feel, people have traded for physical things as we were without companionship and camaraderie for so long. As an events’ professional, it is my role to create magic and bespoke experiences with the client at the heart, so it is imperative for me to really get to know my clients, their needs and their desires more than ever to ensure I bring their visions to life.

This takes experience and I have definitely had to call on my years of knowledge and contacts to deliver seamless events in a shorter time. And I have to say, it’s been challenging at times.

We are in a state of flux somewhat. On one hand, I am so ecstatic to be busy again, but I have to marry this up with realistic expectations and, in light of the short lead time demands, really assess if this is something I can, and want, to deliver to the quality that I expect of myself. There is no point scrabbling around to deliver an event below par and I refuse to do it so, at times, it is a fine line of saying yes and no to some events in order to protect my integrity.

In time, I hope the timeframes will extend a little more, but I am aware they may not. Events professionals, like me, are delivering despite the challenges, and this way of working could soon be the norm, so we have to be prepared for that and enlist the processes and help needed to ensure we can meet demand without risking our own work ethic and self-care.

It is an interesting topic, and I would love to hear your experiences too. Are they similar to mine?