From our point of view, the earlier the better! Not because we're trying to pressure you. But because the calendar fills up in patterns that catch people out every year. The best actors and facilitators get booked up well in advance, and last minute bookings usually command a premium because they know you're desperate.
The seasonal reality
October, November, and December are chaos. Everyone wants their Christmas party or end-of-year team event at the same time. If you're planning something for Q4, you need to be booking in July or August.
By September, the good dates are gone. By October, we're squeezing people into whatever's left.
January and February are quieter (and are actually great for team-building events - getting people over the post Christmas slump works wonders). March picks up again (end of financial year events). Summer is hit and miss depending on holiday schedules.
Group size matters
A single event of up to 30 people is the most flexible thing we run. Outside peak season we can often arrange one at fairly short notice, sometimes with only 3-4 weeks to spare.
Bigger teams need more lead time. We handle larger groups by splitting them across separate sessions, so instead of finding one slot we're lining up several that work for both your teams and our actors. The more sessions you need, the earlier we need to start, because those slots take longer to line up, especially in peak season.
Peak season is the exception either way. Whether it's one event or several, aim for roughly 12 weeks when you're booking into the Q4 rush.
What happens if you leave it late
Sometimes it works out. We've pulled together events in two weeks when schedules align.
More often, you end up with limited date options. Maybe a Tuesday afternoon instead of the Friday evening you wanted. Maybe a narrower choice of start times than you'd prefer.
Worst case, we're fully booked and can't help at all. That's rubbish for everyone.
The practical advice
As soon as you know you want to do something, get in touch. Even if you don't have the details nailed down.
We can hold provisional dates while you sort out guest numbers. If you can pay a deposit, even better, as it lets us hold your date properly and start booking actors around it. A confirmed deposit means we can commit those bookings with confidence, rather than working from a vague promise and hoping the date is still free later. That's better than waiting until everything's confirmed and finding out your preferred date went three weeks ago.
Send us a message with your rough dates and group size. We'll tell you what's possible.