Planning An International Event | 10 Things To Consider
Sometimes International event planning can feel daunting, with the difficult nature of trying to understand other cultures and the distance putting new pressures on the event.
With our own expertise managing global events, we know exactly which areas can be the most challenging and the common pitfalls that can be experienced, but we also have the advice to make it that bit easier to take on.
No matter whether it’s your first time planning an international event, or if you just need some advice for how to improve, we’re here to guide all the professional event planners out there to succeed with brilliant global event planning.
Table Of Contents:
- Choose the Right Location
- Work with Local Suppliers
- Plan for Shipping and Customs
- Budget for Currency Exchange and Taxes
- Tech and Connectivity
- Prioritise Cultural Experience
- Our Experience Global Event Planning In Saudi Arabia
- Consider Your Local Audience
- Think About Time Zones
- Build Relationships with Local Authorities
- Prepare for Unexpected Challenges
- What International Events Have Taught Us – Lessons Learned
- Let Us Help With Your International Event Planning
Choose the Right Location
One of the most crucial decisions you can make when it comes to international event logistics is the location you’re going to be hosting.
It affects attendance, logistics, budget and the entire experience.
When you’re putting together your plans, you must consider key elements like the access via airports and public transport, and the VISA requirements for your attendees.
It’s also crucial to look at the political climate and reputation of the country, ensuring you don’t get placed in the middle of any natural disasters or unsafe scenarios.
The cost efficiency is a large factor too, with flights, hotels, food, and more quickly adding up, but some areas like Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia may be more affordable than Western Europe.
With our experience managing an event in Saudi Arabia, we know exactly what details are needed to consider when it comes to planning an international event.
Particularly, we considered how Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, with the Government even projecting to increase household spending on entertainment and cultural activities.
Not only that, but Saudi Arabia offers immense potential to build new professional relationships in the Middle East, making it a prime destination for us when it comes to planning out this Horror Festival.
This event management expertise is key for planning the right location, considering all the factors and benefits of hosting your event abroad and how you’re hoping to reap the rewards from it.
Work with Local Suppliers
Partnering with local suppliers isn’t just practical, but it’s a guaranteed way to save on costs, consider sustainability and also elevate the guest experience with cultural consideration.
One of the biggest benefits of working locally for global event planning is cost saving, avoiding shipping and import duties, reducing the need to fly in vendors, and often includes local taxes or rates.
You’re also guaranteed a much more culturally considered experience, from regional cuisine or traditional entertainment, these suppliers know the area and are key to delivering a truly authentic event.
By making use of local suppliers in Saudi Arabia, as well as shipping in bespoke elements that couldn’t be done elsewhere, we maximised The Horror Festival to have the most impact.
Plan for Shipping and Customs
When your event requires bringing anything across borders, you need to get ahead of yourself with proactive planning and strategy to minimise delay, cost and complications.
The best way to succeed is to start at least 2-3 months in advance, as well as researching customs regulations for each country involved, not just your destination.
Choosing a logistics partner that’s experienced with event-specific shipping and temporary imports will also make the entire process much easier, streamlining paperwork, duties/taxes, timelines and emergencies. An experienced event company can also help bridge this gap.
Using a Carnet (event passport) can be a great benefit too, allowing you to temporarily import goods without paying duties, perfect for bringing home items that can be reused.
You’ll also need to get ahead of yourself with backup plans and thoughtful research to adapt on the fly, overall planning the whole thing in immense detail.
Budget for Currency Exchange and Taxes
A crucial, often underestimated part of international event planning is currency exchange and taxes.
Many of your international event logistics will hinge on this, as exchange rates are constantly changing.
International wire transfers often come with transfer fees, currency conversion charges and bank surcharges on both ends.
Many countries also charge VAT on goods and services, with extra service charges, tourism taxes or event-specific levies.
With that in mind, you should build in a currency buffer to your budget for any unexpected fees, as well as centralise payments to one platform to consolidate currency exchange and reduce transaction fees.
Working with an event services company like ours will also save you the hassle of figuring it all out yourself, as our expertise gives us the knowledge to save money and do it all right.
Tech and Connectivity
Technology has had a big impact on the events industry in recent years, completely changing every aspect of how things are done and how events are put on.
From registration systems to presentations to hybrid potential, there are many key ways that tech and connectivity play a part in your event.
Particularly when dealing with international corporate events, internet speed and hybrid hosting are a must-have for attendees who can’t make it in person.
With a reliable streaming set-up, you’ll be able to reach eyes across the globe.
Hiring local A/V and IT teams will also minimise the potential of things going wrong, setting up a backup plan for potential failures.
There are plenty of great tech products that can also help with the whole process, from planning tools to wearable event tech; there’s never been a better way to monitor every detail of planning.
You can even track the success of your event in much greater detail by utilising technology to the fullest.
Event managers might also want to consider how they can best utilise AI for their events, helping with research, planning and gathering feedback.
Prioritise Cultural Experience
It’s important for your event to feel rooted in its destination, giving meaning to the global location.
By prioritising cultural experience, you’re sure to deepen guest engagement, offering them new experiences and delivering more of a journey than a block of information sent their way.
Honouring local customs also shows thoughtfulness or awareness to your local partners and attendees, allowing deeper networking with those abroad.
Whether it’s done through authentic cuisine, design, entertainment or even workshops, there are an abundance of ways you can give your guests a truly immersive event experience.
Our Experience in Global Event Planning In Saudi Arabia
As global event planners, we know how to get things done, and one of our biggest jobs to date was orchestrating a groundbreaking three-month Horror Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Marking the nation’s first large-scale Halloween-themed event, we aimed to deliver an immersive and interactive horror experience to thousands of attendees.
We provided comprehensive services, including event management, design, production, and logistics, ensuring the seamless execution of the event from concept to completion.
The project involved designing unique horror-themed sets and props, which were initially constructed in the UK and then transported and reassembled in Saudi Arabia.
A significant aspect of the initiative was the training of over 400 local staff members, contributing to the development of the Saudi events workforce and supporting the local economy.
The festival featured a variety of scare attractions and entertainment sourced globally, all tailored to create a cohesive narrative across different zones within the event.
Despite logistical challenges, such as international shipping and on-site construction, the event was a resounding success, with high attendee engagement and positive social media buzz.
The client’s satisfaction and the festival’s popularity underscored the effectiveness of meticulous planning, cultural collaboration, and innovative design in delivering a memorable international event.
Consider Your Local Audience
An international event isn’t just about bringing your global brand or message abroad, it’s also about meeting people where they are.
By considering the local audience, you’re being strategic, reaching new people and making sure your message lands.
With that in mind, it’s important to keep in mind cultural norms and expectations, whether it be greetings, dress codes, gender roles and more, making it important to choose a destination that reflects your values.
You’ll also want to tailor your programming to resonate with local values or current conversations, or at least tie into those themes.
Providing multilingual materials, signage and more will also ensure that your guests feel welcome and included throughout.
With our work in Saudi Arabia, it was key to consider the cultural differences, language barriers, the audience and local talent that would resonate.
By keeping all those details in mind, we could put on a truly successful event.
Think About Time Zones
When you’re planning an international event, time zones matter more than you think.
From juggling clocks and calendars across continents to live streaming content, scheduling team calls or setting deadlines, it’s important to make sure everything is correct so turnout is high and sessions aren’t missed.
With that in mind, you’ll want to plan key elements of your event, or calls before it, at times that work for your most integral countries.
Any marketing also needs to consider the timeframes, making sure that guests arrive at the right times and don’t miss out.
Vendors will need to be booked correctly, too, potentially causing catastrophic issues if there are any miscommunications.
Build Relationships with Local Authorities
Local authorities can be powerful allies when it comes to navigating regulations, gaining credibility and utilising local resources for your large scale conference event.
Whether it be city councils, permitting offices, tourism boards or something else, they’re key to guiding you through local laws and safety requirements.
Police and emergency services will often also need to be informed in crowd control, traffic management or on-site medical support for your event too.
Local tourism boards may offer event promotion, travel discounts, venue referrals, or grants to help with your event, too, reaching local audiences.
Prepare for Unexpected Challenges
When it comes to global event planning, it’s almost guaranteed that something will stray from your plans.
No matter how detailed your plans are, unexpected challenges will always pop up, but the most successful events will be ready for them.
You can expect challenges in any number of ways, from:
- Travel Disruptions
- Weather Changes
- Vendor or Supply Issues
- Tech Failures
- Health and Safety
- Cultural or Political Sensitivities
But this doesn’t have to stop your event from being a huge success, as contingency plans are a great way to plan for backups in every area where things could go wrong.
Building buffer time is also perfect for any potential delays, allowing for extra setup and takedown opportunities.
Insurance and emergency contacts will come in key for any unforeseen issues too!
By planning all possible issues and ways to solve them, your event will still be a hit.
What International Events Have Taught Us – Lessons Learned
With our expertise in managing, planning and producing events abroad, we’ve learned a lot.
Here are some of our key takeaways over the years:
- Always Build In Extra Time for Logistics: Having buffer time is integral for any potential delays or managing last-minute client requests
- Local Knowledge is Gold: Partnering with local vendors, government agencies, or even translators can help you avoid cultural missteps, speed up approvals, and reduce costs. In Saudi Arabia, local support made it possible to react quickly to sudden changes in the brief.
- Cultural Sensitivity is Non-Negotiable: Religious holidays, dress codes, and even show content needs careful review. Research early and stay flexible with your creativity.
- Communication is Everything: Language barriers, time zones, and differing working styles can quickly lead to misalignment.
- Pre-Plan Contingencies for Client Changes: Clients often evolve their ideas mid-project, and when you’re thousands of miles away, scrambling isn’t an option. For the Horror Festival, we had backup plans for props and talent ready to go at short notice.
- Hybrid Options are Worth Considering: With international audiences, it’s wise to consider streaming elements or hybrid formats. It can broaden your reach and give more flexibility if travel restrictions or budgets shift.
- Navigating Red Tape Requires Patience: Paperwork, permits, and policies differ widely. From securing visas for talent to meeting safety standards, international events often move more slowly due to bureaucracy — plan for this upfront.
- You Might Need to Refine Your Offering: Not every service translates perfectly across borders. Be ready to adapt your offering based on market needs. In Saudi Arabia, we tailored our services to match the country’s Vision 2030 goals.
- Networking is Your Foot in the Door: Most international work doesn’t come from cold emails — it comes from relationships. Building a network in new markets takes time, but it’s the most powerful investment you can make.
- Expect the Unexpected — And Stay Calm: International events are a test of flexibility. Time zones, weather, politics, and client expectations shift constantly. The teams that thrive are the ones who stay calm, communicative, and creative under pressure.
Let Us Help With Your International Event Planning
As experts in the industry, we’re here to tackle all the daunting international event logistics for you, and let you host an incredible international event with ease.
From managing events, small and large, including our extensive work in Saudi Arabia, we’re the ones you’ll want to contact to ensure your event is a success.
Don’t hesitate to reach out for any enquiries, and to start the process of one of the best events you’ve ever hosted!
Get in touch today!
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