You’re selling out your event, your brand is well-known in your market, and you’ve grown your local fan-base beyond your expectations. Now is definitely a good time to expand your event — so how do you decide where to expand?

Here are six steps to help you identify the next city for your event.

1. Research demographics

Search online for cities that have similar traits to your current city. Use online city guides and government websites to learn more about the residents. You can get insights by looking up the number of universities, average size of households, or even the number of venues per capita.

If you see parallels to — or advantages over — your current market, you might have a strong contender.

Compare: Don’t forget to retrieve your own event data and compare your most recent attendee demographics to your new city contenders. Read this tipsheet for ways to locate your event data and unlock powerful insights.

2. Determine demand for your event

Your next city needs to have a community of people who are interested in the type of event you run. For example: If you’re planning a large beer festival, you want a city where there’s a strong beer culture.

Not sure if there’s a demand? Do a Google or Yelp search for establishments or groups that would be interested in your event. Use Google Analytics and Google Trends to for search validation and tools like Buzzsumo to validate interest via social media.

3. Create your shortlist

After you’ve done your initial research, make a list of your three to five strongest contenders. This list will make it more manageable for you to research your cities — and select a winner.

Take a cue from Events in the Sky, which started out in the UK in 2009 and now runs events in 5 cities, including Glasgow, Scotland. Their aim is to create unique dining experiences for their attendees by suspending their dining tables 100 feet in the air!

4. Conduct field research

Once you have your list, it’s time to visit each city. Spend a few days in each location, and soak in as much information as you can. Walk around, visit local restaurants and shops, and meet with city representatives.

While you’re getting to know the city, you also want to start developing relationships with potential partners. If other people on your team lead partnership developing (like your public relations director, for example), be sure to bring them along.

Who to talk to: Chat with city representatives, law enforcement, and event professionals. These local partners can help you with your research — and provide assistance on the ground when you’re not there.

5. Confirm logistics and practicality

Does the city meet the basic needs of your event? If you’re in the fandom world and host your event at large convention centres, you need to confirm that a venue is available. If you’re hosting a wine festival, you need easy access to public transit or a rock-solid ridesharing infrastructure.

Also, chat with local authorities about parking, public transit, and handicap accessibility. And don’t forget to look into hotel accommodations. For any out of town attendees, you want to make sure they have options.

Improving accessibility: From parking to bathrooms, your event should be frustration-free for your attendees. Download this guide for tips to keep your event accessible to all attendees.

6. Analyse the competition

A new market means new competition. Ask locals about other events and get a clear picture of how you stack up with the competition. How saturated is the new city with events similar to yours? How well-attended are they? Is there a gap you can fill?

Protip: You can also use online discovery sites, like Eventbrite or Eventful to check out the competition.

Scaling your event to a new city is an exciting move and one that requires a good deal of planning to get right. When you’re ready to break into a new market, take on board the above points when making your decision and visit our online community for event organisers, EventTribe, for more peer recommendations – just become a member and ask a question!