You've got a great idea for an event...  So, when do you need to start formally planning the event?  That's definitely a loaded question, I'll answer with "it depends."

It depends how accessible potential attendees are to actually show up and participate in your event.  A small group that meets weekly that wants to have a family retreat with the ten families in their group can plan on a much shorter term than a convention that needs to the interest of church leaders who then need to draw the interest of church members.

Sharing and Followup

When the day of your event comes and everyone is arriving and registering, you want to make sure you capitalize on the buzz that you’ve created with social networking.

Promotion & Marketing

These two words are the key to any successful event.  Without promotion and marketing, how will people know about your event?  How do you attract new attendees or get current attendees excited about the programs?  Who is this speaker or band? What is the desired outcome of this retreat?

Using social media to promote your event doesn't have to be as intimidating or overwhelming as it sounds.  Today it's easier than ever to utilize sites like Facebook, YouTube, Skype, and others to create that much-needed buzz for your retreat.

Lately I have been working with several groups on boosting the attendance of one of their upcoming events.  For a time, I think a meeting planner could get away with relying on the "if you build it... they will come" idea, more times than not, this only works if you're building a baseball stadium in over the top of several acres of Iowan farm land.  Just because you're having an event for a group within your church doesn't mean that everyone is going to immediately sign up and bring all their friends along.  If you need to boost registration for an upcoming event I have a couple recommendations.