diff -u b/src/PanelsEvents.php b/src/PanelsEvents.php
--- b/src/PanelsEvents.php
+++ b/src/PanelsEvents.php
@@ -8,9 +8,22 @@
 final class PanelsEvents {
 
   /**
-   * The name of the event triggered when a Panels display variant is saved.
+   * The name of the event triggered before a Panels display variant is saved.
    *
-   * This event allows modules to react to a Panels display variant being saved.
+   * This event allows modules to react before a Panels display variant is
+   * saved. The event listener method receives a
+   * \Drupal\panels\PanelsVariantEvent instance.
+   *
+   * @Event
+   *
+   * @var string
+   */
+  const VARIANT_PRE_SAVE = 'panels.variant.pre_save';
+
+  /**
+   * The name of the event triggered after a Panels display variant is saved.
+   *
+   * This event allows modules to react after a Panels display variant is saved.
    * The event listener method receives a \Drupal\panels\PanelsVariantEvent
    * instance.
    *
@@ -19,5 +32,5 @@
    * @var string
    */
-  const VARIANT_SAVE = 'panels.variant_save';
+  const VARIANT_POST_SAVE = 'panels.variant.post_save';
 
 }
reverted:
--- b/src/Plugin/PanelsStorage/PageManagerPanelsStorage.php
+++ a/src/Plugin/PanelsStorage/PageManagerPanelsStorage.php
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@
 class PageManagerPanelsStorage extends PanelsStorageBase implements ContainerFactoryPluginInterface {
 
   /**
-   * The entity type manager.
-   *
    * @var \Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityTypeManagerInterface
    */
   protected $entityTypeManager;
diff -u b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageBase.php b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageBase.php
--- b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageBase.php
+++ b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageBase.php
@@ -5,7 +5,4 @@
 use Drupal\Component\Plugin\PluginBase;
 
-/**
- * Base class for Panels storage plugins.
- */
 abstract class PanelsStorageBase extends PluginBase implements PanelsStorageInterface {
 }
diff -u b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageManager.php b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageManager.php
--- b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageManager.php
+++ b/src/Storage/PanelsStorageManager.php
@@ -95,12 +95,13 @@
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function save(PanelsDisplayVariant $panels_display) {
-    $storage = $this->getStorage($panels_display->getStorageType());
-    $storage->save($panels_display);
-
     // Allow event subscribers to react to the variant being saved.
     $event = new PanelsVariantEvent($panels_display);
-    $this->eventDispatcher->dispatch(PanelsEvents::VARIANT_SAVE, $event);
+
+    $this->eventDispatcher->dispatch(PanelsEvents::VARIANT_PRE_SAVE, $event);
+    $storage = $this->getStorage($panels_display->getStorageType());
+    $storage->save($panels_display);
+    $this->eventDispatcher->dispatch(PanelsEvents::VARIANT_POST_SAVE, $event);
   }
 
   /**
diff -u b/tests/src/Kernel/PanelsStorageManagerTest.php b/tests/src/Kernel/PanelsStorageManagerTest.php
--- b/tests/src/Kernel/PanelsStorageManagerTest.php
+++ b/tests/src/Kernel/PanelsStorageManagerTest.php
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@
 use Drupal\KernelTests\KernelTestBase;
 use Drupal\panels\PanelsEvents;
 use Drupal\panels\PanelsVariantEvent;
-use Prophecy\Argument;
-use Symfony\Component\EventDispatcher\EventDispatcherInterface;
 
 /**
  * @coversDefaultClass \Drupal\panels\Storage\PanelsStorageManager
@@ -23,15 +21,15 @@
    * Tests that events are fired by the storage manager.
    */
   public function testEvents() {
-    // Swap in a mock event dispatcher so we can spy on method calls.
-    $event_dispatcher = $this->prophesize(EventDispatcherInterface::class);
-    $this->container->set('event_dispatcher', $event_dispatcher->reveal());
-
-    // Set up the expected calls to the event dispatcher.
-    $event = Argument::type(PanelsVariantEvent::class);
-    $event_dispatcher
-      ->dispatch(PanelsEvents::VARIANT_SAVE, $event)
-      ->shouldBeCalled();
+    /** @var \Symfony\Component\EventDispatcher\EventDispatcherInterface $event_dispatcher */
+    $event_dispatcher = $this->container->get('event_dispatcher');
+
+    $event_dispatcher->addListener(PanelsEvents::VARIANT_PRE_SAVE, function (PanelsVariantEvent $event) {
+      $event->getVariant()->testPreSave = TRUE;
+    });
+    $event_dispatcher->addListener(PanelsEvents::VARIANT_POST_SAVE, function (PanelsVariantEvent $event) {
+      $event->getVariant()->testPostSave = TRUE;
+    });
 
     /** @var \Drupal\page_manager\PageInterface $page */
     $page = $this->container
@@ -62,9 +60,10 @@
       ]);
     $variant->save();
 
-    $this->container
-      ->get('panels.storage_manager')
-      ->save($variant->getVariantPlugin());
+    $display = $variant->getVariantPlugin();
+    $this->container->get('panels.storage_manager')->save($display);
+    $this->assertObjectHasAttribute('testPreSave', $display);
+    $this->assertObjectHasAttribute('testPostSave', $display);
   }
 
 }
reverted:
--- b/tests/src/Unit/PanelsStorageTest.php
+++ a/tests/src/Unit/PanelsStorageTest.php
@@ -82,12 +82,7 @@
     $this->storage->load('doesnt_exist')->willReturn(NULL);
     $this->storage->load('not_a_panel')->willReturn($this->pageVariantNotPanels->reveal());
 
+    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage([], '', [], $this->entityTypeManager->reveal());
-    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage(
-      [],
-      '',
-      [],
-      $this->entityTypeManager->reveal()
-    );
 
     // Test the success condition.
     $this->assertSame($this->panelsDisplay->reveal(), $panels_storage->load('id_exists'));
@@ -113,12 +108,7 @@
     $panels_display->getStorageId()->willReturn('id_exists');
     $panels_display->getConfiguration()->willReturn($test_config);
 
+    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage([], '', [], $this->entityTypeManager->reveal());
-    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage(
-      [],
-      '',
-      [],
-      $this->entityTypeManager->reveal()
-    );
     $panels_storage->save($panels_display->reveal());
   }
 
@@ -138,12 +128,7 @@
     $panels_display->getStorageId()->willReturn('doesnt_exist');
     $panels_display->getConfiguration()->shouldNotBeCalled();
 
+    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage([], '', [], $this->entityTypeManager->reveal());
-    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage(
-      [],
-      '',
-      [],
-      $this->entityTypeManager->reveal()
-    );
     $panels_storage->save($panels_display->reveal());
   }
 
@@ -163,12 +148,7 @@
     $panels_display->getStorageId()->willReturn('not_a_panel');
     $panels_display->getConfiguration()->shouldNotBeCalled();
 
+    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage([], '', [], $this->entityTypeManager->reveal());
-    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage(
-      [],
-      '',
-      [],
-      $this->entityTypeManager->reveal()
-    );
     $panels_storage->save($panels_display->reveal());
   }
 
@@ -183,12 +163,7 @@
 
     $this->pageVariant->access('read', $account->reveal(), TRUE)->willReturn(AccessResult::allowed());
 
+    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage([], '', [], $this->entityTypeManager->reveal());
-    $panels_storage = new PageManagerPanelsStorage(
-      [],
-      '',
-      [],
-      $this->entityTypeManager->reveal()
-    );
 
     // Test the access condition.
     $this->assertEquals(AccessResult::allowed(), $panels_storage->access('id_exists', 'read', $account->reveal()));