Strategy
Part of How do you build an event marketing strategy that works?
Nine steps to build an event marketing ninety day plan
Follow nine event marketing steps to set an objective, choose events, select platforms and agency support, plan promotion, and review results over 90 days.
What to take away
- Most teams treat the ninety days as a booking window and end up with a calendar of events that no single objective supports.
- The plan should fix one commercial objective first, then work backwards to the events, channels and budget that serve it.
- Email promotion sits under the Information Commissioner's Office rules, so consent and opt-out handling belong in the plan from week one, not at the send.
- Read performance at day 30, day 60 and day 90 so you can change the last third instead of writing a post-mortem.
Start with the objective, not the calendar
The common mistake is to build the plan around the events you already know about. Set one objective for the quarter instead, such as qualified pipeline from a named sector.
Testable vs vague objective
Testable objective
- Example
- 40 meetings, ops directors
- Sector
- English manufacturing
- Day 90 test
- Count meetings booked
- Filters choices
- Yes
Vague goal
- Example
- Raise awareness
- Sector
- Unnamed
- Day 90 test
- Cannot be tested
- Filters choices
- No
Write it in a form you can test at day 90. "Book 40 meetings with operations directors in English manufacturing" gives the plan something to filter choices against.
The wider event marketing strategy and planning guide for 2027 sets the annual frame this quarter sits inside.
Days 1 to 30: fix the frame
- Write the single quarterly objective and the number that proves it worked.
- List every event option open to you, including conferences and round tables.
- Score each option out of five for audience fit, cost per attendee and time to deliver, and cut anything below 12.
- Confirm the shortlist against the objective, even if a stand is already pencilled in.
- Set the budget in pounds, separating fees, production, travel and staff time.
Worked example: if venue fees are £700, production is £500, travel is £500, staff time is 40 hours at £50 an hour (£2,000), and promotion is £300, the event budget is £4,000.
A smaller calendar you can staff properly beats five events run at half strength.
Days 1 to 30: fix the frame
- Write quarterly objective and proof number
- List every event option open to you
- Score audience fit, cost, time
- Cut anything not serving objective
- Set budget in pounds by category
Eventbrite's guidance on creating conferences your attendees will love covers programme and attendee experience choices.
Days 31 to 60: build the promotion engine
Promotion is where most plans slip. Decide who receives which message, on what channel, and who owns the send.
- Choose platforms and agency support to fit the event. Eventbrite supports event listings and registration, LinkedIn can promote professional events, and Microsoft's event and video tools can support digital or hybrid delivery. If you need external event-marketing expertise, compare relevant work and scope from UK agencies such as Jack Morton, DRPG and TRO against your audience, format and team capacity.
The Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) Direct marketing guidance covers electronic mail marketing under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR), alongside relevant UK GDPR requirements. It sets out consent, soft opt-in and opt-out expectations. Check your list before the first invitation.
What belongs in the promotion calendar
- Build the promotion calendar. Map each send to a segment, owner, channel and date. Use email via your CRM, Eventbrite, LinkedIn and partner newsletters. Include reminders and follow-up. Reuse a checklist with five fields: segment, owner, send date, asset ready, follow-up booked.
What to leave out and what to reuse
Skip channels you cannot staff for the full quarter. One well-run channel beats three abandoned ones. Leave out paid social without daily comment cover, and direct mail you cannot track. Put dropped channels on a stop list with the reason.
Days 61 to 90: deliver and read the numbers
- Protect one hour a week to track the numbers: Track registrations, attendance rate, meetings booked and cost per meeting.
Where you run digital or hybrid elements, Microsoft's documentation for its event and video content tools covers the technical setup for recorded and streamed sessions.
The event marketing strategy framework in England shows how objectives, audiences and channels connect before you scale spend.
- Review at day 30, day 60 and day 90. At day 90, write one page stating the objective number, what you achieved, and which two changes you would make.
Common questions
How many events should a ninety day plan cover?
Usually one flagship event plus two or three smaller sessions. The count follows the budget: one flagship plus two smaller sessions typically costs about three times a single round table once stand space, travel and staff days are counted. The right number is what you can staff properly.
Does the plan need legal sign-off?
Not full sign-off, but someone should confirm your email lists and consent records meet the ICO guidance before the first invitation is sent.
When should we review performance?
At day 30, decide whether to cut or confirm each event. At day 60, decide whether to change channels, message or spend. At day 90, decide which two changes to keep for the next quarter. The day 60 review is the useful one, because there is still time to change the last month.
What if an event is cancelled?
Keep a reserve option scored in the first thirty days. Substituting a round table for a cancelled conference is far easier when the alternative is already costed.
