How long will it take?

The amount of time it will take depends on your event type, theme, objective, location, size and attractions, your skills and experience, the amount of time you have available and maybe a hundred other factors.

As an indication, I would suggest that organising and delivering the smallest event will probably take at least four months from first concept to when the gates are open to the public. On your first attempt to organise and deliver an event for an audience of more than 1000 people I would allow a minimum of 12 to 18 months. This includes time for your research and investigation, for staff recruitment and training and for waiting to receive written estimates and quotes from commercial suppliers. You must also remember that you will be dependent on the timetables of other organisations. For example, because many authorities have scheduled monthly or even quarterly committee meetings, you may find that you have to wait several months for their next scheduled meeting to approve or reject your proposals.