CHALLENGE EVENTS BLOG

Before you ask, no I haven't lost a year!

Although time seems to be going so quickly it wouldn't be surprising if I had.

What I have been doing this week is putting the initial ideas in place for a Summer 2027 challenge event.

Yes, I do mean 2027.

I'll explain later why I've started this early. But, it got me wondering how your longer term challenge event plans are coming along?

I know you're probably busy thinking about 2026 events at the moment, but I just wanted to send a reminder that, if you're planning (or would like to plan) your own events you should give yourself 12 - 18 months to plan effectively and maximise the potential.

That's 12 months to:

Develop your strategic plan

Make sure all the right systems and processes are in place

Get the necessary permissions

Line up all your resources

Develop your marketing strategy and collateral

Create your fundraising plan and resources

And at least 6 months to:

Promote your event

Fill your event spaces

Support participants

Maximise fundraising

There can of course be some overlap here, but the more time you can give yourself the better, especially when you're juggling so many other things.

So, my project plan for the 2027 Summer challenge event will look (very roughly) like this:

October - December 2025: Strategic planning and market research, budgeting and marketing plan

February - June 2026: Permissions and support (i.e. partners and sponsorship), resources (including human resources) and systems and processes (i.e. website, marketing materials etc)

July 2026 - Soft launch

August - December 2026: Getting ready for promotion and start getting sign ups (customer journey, tickets sales platforms etc)

February - June 2027: Final preparations, promotion, ticket sales, customer journey and fundraising support

June 2027: EVENT

So, if you want some help to map out what your 2027 challenge event planning might look like, don't forget I'm here to help and you can book a free call with me here.

If you're working on 2026 events and need some help making sure everything is in place, or just need some advice, get in touch.

Tracey