Opposite of "in the wake of"

[cfbradford33]

I'm looking for the antonym of "in the wake of" or "on the heels of". I'm trying to say that something is happening immediately prior to something else, but want to use the same structure as these two idioms, both of which means just after the event rather than before. Any ideas?

 

[emsr2d2]

In the lead-up to ...

 

[cfbradford33]

In the lead-up to ...

Yes, that would communicate the thought, but sounds a bit clumsy compared to "in the wake of".

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes, that would communicate the thought, but sounds a bit clumsy compared to "in the wake of".

How about "In anticipation of"?

 

[cfbradford33]

How about "In anticipation of"?

Yes, that's better. Let me add something else. If you knew the future event is certain rather than only a possibility, would this be the optimal phrase though? I may use "anticipate" in regards to something like the weather which is uncertain but not so much in regards to a scheduled event. Thanks.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes, that's better. Let me add something else. If you knew the future event is certain rather than only a possibility, would this be the optimal phrase though? I may use "anticipate" in regards to something like the weather which is uncertain but not so much in regards to a scheduled event. Thanks.

I think you would indicate the certainty in the following words.