Recurring calendars and multi-event programmes
How to prioritise events on a shared calendar
Your secretariat runs five or six events a year, and several of them want the same people in the same month.
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The short answer
Prioritise on four tests: is the date fixed by someone else, what is lost if the event slips, how much lead time it needs, and how many scarce people it draws on. Score each event, sort them into three tiers, and let the tier decide who is covered first when weeks collide.
Prioritisation only sets the order of attention. Splitting people across events is a separate step in event portfolio resource allocation, and clashes between specific dates are handled in event date conflict analysis.
Four tests that rank an event
- Fixed date: an annual general meeting that the constitution ties to a month, or a conference booked around a regulator's calendar, cannot move. A members' networking evening usually can.
- Cost of slipping: what is lost if the event moves by a month, such as a speaker who will not be free again, a deposit that is forfeited or a member renewal cycle that depends on it.
- Lead time: how many weeks of planning the event needs before the first public announcement. A two-day conference needs far more than a one-hour webinar.
- People it draws on: how many of your scarce roles, such as the programme owner, the finance approver or the on-site lead, it needs and for how many weeks.
Turn the scores into three tiers
Score each test from 1 to 3 and add them up. The totals matter less than the tier the event lands in, because the tier is what you use when two events ask for the same person.
| Tier | Typical profile | What it gets |
|---|---|---|
| A: protect | Fixed date, high cost of slipping, long lead time. | Named owner and backup first, decisions scheduled early, never the event that gives way. |
| B: plan around | Flexible by a few weeks, moderate lead time. | Planned once Tier A workloads are on the calendar. Can shift a week or two to avoid a clash. |
| C: fit in | Short lead time, easy to move, low cost of slipping. | Uses spare capacity. First to be combined, shortened, moved or dropped when the year is overloaded. |
A sequence for doing it in one sitting
- List every event for the next twelve months, including small ones such as the committee dinner or a member briefing.
- Ask the decision owner for each event to confirm whether the date is really fixed and by whom.
- Score the four tests and assign a tier. Where the owner and the secretariat disagree, record both views.
- Mark the weeks where two Tier A events overlap. Those are the conversations that need a decision, not a spreadsheet.
- Agree who may move a Tier B or C event and who must be told. Put the result on the calendar before any dates are announced.
Traps to watch for
- Treating every event as Tier A because each owner feels strongly about theirs. Limit Tier A to events that fail the fixed-date or slipping test.
- Ranking by event size alone. A small closed-door roundtable with a fixed regulator date can outrank a large open seminar.
- Leaving out the recurring tail: the report, the survey and the thank-you work after each event still draw on the same people.
- Scoring once and never revisiting. Re-score after each event and whenever a date changes.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional association ranks its year
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
Persatuan Fiktif Pengurus Logistik runs five events with a secretariat of three. The annual conference and the annual general meeting both fall in the same fortnight of October because the meeting must follow the financial year-end, so both look like Tier A.
Scoring shows the conference can move by three weeks without a penalty, while the meeting cannot move at all. The conference becomes Tier B, the meeting stays Tier A, and the secretariat opens the conference dates with the venue before the meeting notice is issued.
| Event | Fixed date | Cost of slipping | Lead time | People drawn | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual general meeting | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | A |
| Annual conference | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | B |
| Regional member briefing | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | C |
| Young professionals evening | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | C |
| Year-end awards dinner | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | B |
Use this yourself
Event calendar prioritisation sheet
Copy one block per event. Score each test 1 to 3, total them and write the tier. Keep the comments column for disagreements.
- Event name and month:
- Decision owner:
- Fixed date? (3 = fixed by someone else, 1 = freely movable). Who fixes it:
- Cost of slipping one month? (3 = high). What is lost:
- Lead time needed before announcement, in weeks (3 = long, 1 = short):
- Scarce people drawn on, and for how many weeks:
- Total score and tier (A protect / B plan around / C fit in):
- Who may move or merge this event, and who must be told:
- Review date for re-scoring:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You have five or fewer events and one person who sees the whole calendar.
- Owners accept a tier decision made by the chair or secretariat head.
- Most dates are flexible by a few weeks.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several committees each claim Tier A for their own event.
- The same two or three people are named on every event and nobody has set the order of attention.
- Dates have already been announced and a clash is discovered afterwards.
Need someone to hold the calendar order?
When tiers keep being argued rather than applied, a recurring programme manager can keep the scoring current, bring clashes to the decision owner with options, and record who agreed to move what. The event decisions and the final order of priority stay with your committee. The event recurring calendar capacity planner is a starting point before any conversation.
Questions organisers ask
How many events can sit in Tier A?
Few enough that two Tier A events rarely overlap in the same weeks. If most of your year is Tier A, the fixed-date test is being applied too loosely and should be checked with each owner.
Who should make the final tier decision?
The person who can say no to an event owner, usually the secretariat head or the chair. Owners can argue their case, but one person closes the ranking and records the reason.
Should staff events be on the same calendar?
Yes, if they draw on the same people. Mark them Tier C unless a real fixed date or commitment applies, so they are visible when capacity is tight.
How often should the ranking be reviewed?
After each event, and whenever a date, owner or budget changes. A quarterly check is enough for most associations with fewer than ten events.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.