Planning a virtual summit for January, February, or March sounds like a great idea until you realize your entire planning window falls during the busiest, most distraction-filled time of the year.

Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and school breaks, you’ll quickly find out that inboxes are quieter, speaker replies take longer, and everyone’s running on limited energy. If you’re not careful, your carefully laid summit plan will stall out before the new year even begins.

But I want to be clear... that doesn’t mean Q1 summits are a bad idea. In fact, they can be incredibly successful if you adjust your timeline to work with the holiday season instead of against it.

This blog post will show you how to plan around the holiday slowdown so you can still host a powerful, well-organized virtual summit in Q1.

Why the Holiday Season Makes Summit Planning Harder

Most multi-day virtual summits with 15 or more speakers take 90 to 120 days of prep. That means if your event is scheduled for February or early March, your planning window hits right in the middle of:

• Halloween
• Thanksgiving week and Black Friday
• December holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, and school breaks
• New Year’s

And what happens during that time?

Speaker pitches are harder to send and get responses to. Out-of-office replies pile up. Speakers are traveling, catching up, or mentally checked out. Forms and materials get delayed. Recordings go unfinished. And speakers may not even open your emails until January if you are not proactive.

To stay on track, you must expect these slowdowns and plan ahead for them.

What Tasks Usually Get Delayed

Here are the summit planning tasks that are most impacted by holiday timing:

• Pitching and confirming speakers
• Collecting speaker intake forms like bios, headshots, and session titles
• Gathering recording sessions
• Scheduling and pre-recording interviews
• Sending regular speaker communications

Trying to cram these tasks into late November or December is a setup for stress. Instead, adjust your schedule early and stay ahead of the crunch.

Adjusting Your Summit Planning for Holiday Slowdowns

If you're planning a Q1 summit, the best thing you can do is start early and stay flexible.

You’re navigating a season full of time off, travel, family commitments, and inboxes that are collecting dust. Expect that speakers will check out mentally and physically, especially after Thanksgiving.

Use these guidelines to build a more realistic timeline:

• Begin outreach before holiday season distractions set in. Start pitching speakers no later than early November. Earlier is better if you want the best chance of a yes.
• Collect important speaker assets before key holidays. Aim to gather things like bios, headshots, session titles, and freebies before Thanksgiving or early December. If you wait until late December, you may not hear back until January.
• Set all deadlines at least one week before major holidays. This gives you and your speakers a cushion. Avoid setting deadlines the week of a major holiday. Instead, back things up and expect some delays anyway.
• Ask for session recordings early. If you want pre-recorded sessions, make it easy for speakers by giving them a flexible window in early December. Avoid last-minute requests right before holiday travel.
• Use the quiet season to prep behind the scenes. While speakers are offline, you can finalize your tech setup, build your dashboard, organize content, and prepare affiliate materials.
• Keep speaker communication light but consistent. Send weekly reminder emails. Even a short message that says “Hope you’re enjoying the turkey” followed by a one-line deadline reminder will go a long way in keeping people on track without overwhelming them.

Communicate More Than You Think You Need To

During the holiday season, over-communication is key. If you think sending a speaker email every other week is enough, think again. Weekly speaker emails are far more effective, especially when they are brief, clear, and supportive.

Your tone should always be warm and encouraging. Acknowledge the fact that people are busy and overwhelmed. Let them know you’re here to help them stay on track, not to pressure them.

Include deadline reminders in your holiday greetings. A simple “Happy Holidays” paired with “Just a quick reminder that your session is due next week” is the kind of message that feels good to receive while still helping everyone stay accountable.

Should You Still Plan a Q1 Summit?

Yes, absolutely.

Q1 is a fantastic time for virtual summits. Your audience is motivated, refreshed, and ready to invest in learning and growth. But hosting a Q1 summit successfully means starting earlier than you think and adjusting your expectations throughout the planning process.

If you want to host a summit in Q1, aim for a February or March event. The later in Q1, the better. And the sooner you start, the more you can build in the space and flexibility you need to navigate the holiday season with less stress.

• Start early
• Plan ahead
• Build in cushions
• Communicate often
• Lead with kindness

You can absolutely run a powerful, impactful, and well-supported summit in Q1. You just need a timeline that works with real life, and a plan that respects the season your speakers are in.