5 Reasons Winter Events Beat Summer Parties

If you're planning a special event, there's a number of reasons you might want to consider booking it during winter instead of spring or summer. Here's why.

1. Better attendance
The peak Australian entertaining season is in spring and summer, which means many more corporate special corporate special events are scheduled between September through February than from March to August, with the least busy month on the corporate calendar being July, followed by June.

Some VIP guests receive so many summer party invitations they have to prioritise which events they can go during peak season, but in the low season, there are fewer functions being planned.

This can mean they're more motivated and more likely to go to the few that do occur - at the very least to feel they're "getting out of the house"!

Surprisingly, when you compare the cold weather, rain and early darkness of a winter event, compared to the warmth and long nights of a summer event, there is more commitment given to a winter event simply because you have to make a bigger effort to attend. Compare that to knowing you can easily go to another event the following night or week in summer.

A winter event can mean a higher chance of full attendance rate.

2. It's often cheaper to arrange
Because summer is the peak entertaining season, venues use demand to restrict supply through pricing which means they'll charge more for minimum spends - or require higher minimum guest numbers - because they know everyone needs to find an available venue around the same time.

Since winter events are less common, venues often provide special discounted offers for function bookings from June through August to maintain capacity and staff numbers.

3. They'll think it's Christmas
If you think back to last summer you may have been invited to functions from several times a month up to several times every week. You may have double-booked yourself a couple of times; you may even have suffered party fatigue!

It is far less common to have a full social diary in winter. Therefore a winter event will be something to look forward to and book. Why not consider a Yuletide or Christmas in July event?

4. Attracts more attention
If your product launch, store opening, expo, festival or corporate event requires press coverage, it is easier to gain during winter where there is less event competition.

Whether you have a professional PR agency liaising with the consumer and/or trade press, or you're inviting Instagram influencers, they're more likely to be able to attend your winter function as they have fewer events competing for their attention and attendance.

They can also provide your winter event with more coverage as there is less competition for stories and images.

5. Less expectations
When VIP guests start to suffer party fatigue during the peak entertaining season, they get very choosy about whose events they'll spend time and money on tickets, outfits, grooming, transport and even accommodation to attend. This means you have to make a lot more effort to impress party-weary attendees.

However, winter events are less common and so it becomes a pleasure to have something to look forward to. Because events are few and far between, your guests are not comparing it to a party they attended the previous night or week. Just getting off the couch is a nice change! 

While guests still expect to have a good time, you don't necessarily have to provide as much over-the-top Instagrammable decor and entertainment as with peak summer entertaining season events.

Enjoyed this? See the advantages and disadvantages of planning events in spring, summer, autumn and winter.