Whether you are organising a community fundraiser, market, workshop, concert, business event, family activity, charity event or something completely different, one of the biggest challenges is making sure enough people know it is happening.
There are plenty of ways to promote an event in Eastbourne, but one of the simplest things an organiser can do is start early.
The sooner you add your event, the more opportunity we have to help people discover it.
That does not mean every event added to thebestof Eastbourne will automatically appear in every newsletter, social post or promotional campaign. What it does mean is that an event we know about well in advance has much more opportunity to be considered when we are planning what to promote.
People do not all decide what they are doing at the last minute.
Families plan weekends. Friends organise nights out. Visitors look for things to do before arriving in Eastbourne. Some events require tickets or advance booking.
If your event is only promoted shortly before it takes place, you are relying on finding people who both see it and still have space in their diary.
Adding it earlier gives people more time to discover it.
It can also give search engines more time to find and understand the event page before the event actually happens.
A good event listing should answer the obvious questions.
Include:
A strong image helps too, particularly when the event is being shared elsewhere.
Think about what somebody seeing your event for the first time would need to know before deciding whether it is worth attending.
Simply telling somebody that an event exists is not always enough.
Explain what they can expect.
A craft fair might have independent makers and gift ideas. A business event might offer networking or practical advice. A family event may have activities specifically suitable for younger children.
You do not need a huge description. You need enough information to make somebody think, that sounds like something I'd enjoy.
Adding your event to thebestof Eastbourne gets it into our local What's On ecosystem.
From there, events can potentially become useful when we are preparing:
Not every event will be selected for additional promotion and we would rather be clear about that than promise something we cannot guarantee.
But we cannot consider an event that has not been added yet.
An event submitted several weeks ahead naturally gives us much more to work with than one submitted the evening before it happens.
Some periods of the year attract a large number of competing events.
Halloween, bonfire season, Christmas and New Year's Eve are obvious examples.
People actively search for things to do around these dates and often start making plans surprisingly early.
If you already know the important details, there is little benefit in keeping your event hidden until the last minute.
thebestof Eastbourne's What's On guide brings local events together so residents and visitors can discover more of what is happening in and around the area.
If you are organising something, add it as soon as you have enough confirmed information to publish it.
The longer it is there, the more opportunity people have to discover it and the more opportunity we have to potentially support its promotion.
