Key Event Planning Takeaways from the World Cup

eventpermits

June 29, 2026

The past several months have been busy, to say the least.

While spring and summer typically make up the busiest time for events, this year has felt especially packed. The excitement over the World Cup has encouraged what seems like every brand to compete for an activation space in host cities across the US – and for good reason.

With the World Cup not having been hosted in the U.S. since 1993, many event producers were dealing with this type of spectacle for the first time and everything that came along with it such as lack of availability, strict guidelines, and tight deadlines.

As we sit down and reflect on the past several months of event planning, there are several key principles that stood out – all of which can and should be applied to not just large-scale events like the World Cup, but experiential event planning, year-round.

  1. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

If there is one thing the World Cup has taught event producers, it’s to act quickly.  Between demand and most importantly, clean zone restrictions, brands were left with very few options to choose from and the best locations were swiped up by those who did not hesitate! While we would never recommend “settling” for a location that does not align with your brand goals, it’s important to stress the value of decisiveness to your brand client when locking in a location – at any point of the year. What’s here today could be gone tomorrow!

  1. Pay Attention to City Specific Regulations

EventPermits prides ourselves on staying up to date on the latest permitting rules and regulations nationwide. At the beginning of the year, we were notified that New York City would be instituting a voluntary permit embargo for all events on public property from June 11th through July 19th. This meant that no permits would be issued during this time. Our clients were the first to know about this embargo, giving them valuable intel to make informed decisions on where to pivot or workaround this embargo. While we don’t expect agency clients to be in the know about city regulations (that’s our job!), we recommend having a permitting partner in your corner to keep you informed on these ever-evolving regulations.

  1. Don’t Try to Do it On Your Own

While we encourage clients to be informed about the permitting process, it can be extremely complex without the knowledge, experience and connections that we have fostered over the past 25+ years. Oftentimes when teams try to navigate the permitting process internally, they end up hitting roadblocks or ultimately receive a ‘no’ from the city. They then come to us looking for help when deadlines are past and options are limited. This is yet again a lesson for any time of year, be it in the dead of winter or during a major festival/event like Coachella or a Comic Convention.

  1. Plan Ahead!

This may go without saying, but brands should be looking at the year holistically, not just month by month. We received a number of requests for last-minute World Cup events with half-baked ideas and tight turnarounds. The less information we have, the fewer options we can provide and the less budgetary guidance we can offer. We totally understand that the event world doesn’t always allow for long lead times, but the more prepared you are, the better.

The World Cup has been an extremely exciting time for soccer fans and event professionals. Not only has it provided a unique opportunity to push our limits, but it has also allowed us to work through new challenges and learn how we can become better event professionals. Ultimately, the biggest takeaways are simple, no matter what time of year it is: act early, plan ahead, and invest in the right resources to get the job done right.