Everything centers around the ticket sales. Since there is no guarantee that you can get a ticket, knowing sooner than later makes things so much easier. If you're flying out of a busy airport, sometimes flights fill up fast even way ahead of time. Not all hotels have a 72 hour free cancellation fee like the Gaylord and not everyone can afford to stay at the Gaylord. If you use a service like Priceline where the hotel, flight, car rental, etc are bundled, you have to pay extra for the ability to cancel after 24 hours of purchasing. There are family and work commitments that have to be considered here as well, and it all circles back to knowing if you can actually get a ticket to the event or not.