Start planning your holiday decorations now.

The French poet Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." Nowhere is this more true than in the field of commercial decorating. The only way to achieve the exact results you are looking for, avoid pitfalls, and save money is by planning ahead.

This is especially true during the holiday season, when the demand for professional decorating help is at its peak.

By planning your holiday display months in advance, you have a much better chance of making sure your decorations are designed, manufactured and installed at just the right time, thus producing maximum impact on shoppers and guests. Plus, planning ahead can also give you a competitive advantage over competing businesses who may be waiting until the last minute to design their decor.

Five Steps to Successful Commercial Holiday Decorating

1. Establish a budget

For starters,  determine a realistic budget for your project. Your budget will influence the size, scale and overall quality of your decorating theme. If your budget is somewhat modest, you may want to consider a plan that allows for future growth of your display in future holiday seasons.

2. Identify key areas for decorating

As you plan your design, identify the major sight lines from where your decor will be seen. This will help you achieve the biggest bang for your decorating dollar. In a shopping mall or indoor shopping center, this might include the main entryway. In a resort, casino or other commercial space, this might include the main lobby area. You will also want to take into account pedestrian traffic flow. If your commercial space features key architectural elements, you will want to include them in your plan. 

3. Remember your audience

Who is your target audience? What types of themes, colors or designs will appeal most to them? Does your business cater to an upscale, fashion-forward crowd? Or do they tend to be more contemporary and traditional? Designing to the tastes of your audience will allow you to create a display that is as welcoming as it is spectacular!

4. Order your decor as early as possible

While many elements of your holiday decorating scheme may be readily available, some may require custom design or fabrication. For this reason, you want to give your designer and fabricators as much time as necessary to plan and manufacture your decor. This will also allow you to take advantage of better pricing. In addition (or perhaps subtraction, as the case may be), you will also be able to avoid rush charges related to shipping.

5. Schedule installation and take down well in advance

Commercial decorating companies are the busiest during the Christmas season. By booking ahead of time, you can get the most optimal dates of installation and takedown. This can help you avoid any negative comments from customers and guests about installing your decorations too early, or taking them down too late in the season.

By including these five key steps as part of your planning, your commercial holiday decorating program can be more than just "wishful thinking."

For additional holiday decorating advice, be sure to follow our sister site, Studio 25 Decor.