Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s already time for us to talk about MWC again.

I know it only feels like a few months ago that the panic and frantic planning went away. And while it feels like we should have all moved on by now, if you’re only just thinking about MWC 2014 then you’re already late to the party.

This week there has already been talk about the MWC launch of the Samsung S5 and the keynotes are starting to be unveiled with the detailed speaker list expected later this year.

While we’ll be sharing plenty of tips in the run-up to the show itself, this year we’re dispensing the advice much earlier – which ties in nicely with the approach we recommend to our clients.

This is the time of year when your PR plans should be coming together to make plenty of noise ahead of the show. So, with this in mind, here are some tips on what you should be doing now – mad though it might seem for a show still many months away.

• Define your story – we appreciate how much timelines can change, particularly for product development, but you need a really strong story for MWC so you need to start getting your ideas together now and pencilling in the *big* news
• Sort your timing out – if your product launch is scheduled for the end of February then it needs moving forward at least a couple of weeks. The same goes for that big piece of research you might have been planning
• Pick your target regions – MWC is a global show so you want to be making noise ahead of time in all of the markets that matter to you. This means planning early. If you’re organising a press event in Taiwan or some meetings in the US then now is the time to clear diaries and check your passport is in order.
• Book your flights and hotels – I’m yet to beat the record of having MWC flights and accommodation sorted by April, but it’s only getting more expensive from here on, so get that sorted if you haven’t already.

Image credit: ubiqua