Stage 1: initial arrangements and brief

The first stage of collaboration serves to understand the event, not to select specific models of devices. The technical company needs information to determine the scale, program, and main areas of execution.

In the first contact, it is best to provide:

• the date,
• location,
• type of event,
• expected number of participants,
• basic program,
• planned performances,
• needed systems,
• available schedule.

It is not necessary to have all the data.

You can start the conversation with the information:

"Corporate gala for about 400 people, conference part, panel, awards ceremony, and concert. We need audio, lighting, and multimedia. The exact scenario will be ready later."

This is enough for the company to identify the main technical areas and indicate missing information.

If it is not yet known what data to prepare, helpful is the material on how to order professional technical service for the event, which describes the process from the first inquiry. 

Stage 2: needs and venue analysis

 After receiving the brief, the company should check what requirements arise from the program and space. This stage allows moving from the general "we need technology" to the actual project.

The following are analyzed:

• geometry of the room,
• stage,
• audience,
• height of the venue,
• suspension possibilities,
• power supply,
• transport routes,
• FOH location,
• multimedia,
• cameras,
• venue restrictions.

FOH, or Front of House, is a production position usually located in the audience area, from which the audio mix is conducted, and sometimes also other elements of the production.

The acoustics of the space are also important. A different system will be required for a small hotel room, a different one for a long hall, and yet another for an outdoor event.

If there are floor plans of the venue or technical documentation, it is worth providing them at this stage.

For more complex spaces, the company may suggest a site visit.

Stage 3: technical concept and offer

After gathering data, the company can prepare a technical concept, which is the method of executing the event. Only from this should the list of equipment and personnel be derived.

The project may include:

• PA system,
• microphones,
• FOH,
• monitoring,
• lighting,
• stage,
• structures,
• LED wall,
• presentations,
• video,
• streaming,
• power supply,
• networks.

The offer should show exactly what has been included.

It does not need to include every adapter and every cable, but it should clearly specify:

• technical scope,
• personnel,
• transport,
• assembly,
• rehearsals,
• execution,
• dismantling.

If it is unclear how to assess the received document, it is described more broadly in the material what the offer from the company executing the event technically should include..

The most important thing is that the price is linked to a specific scope and the accepted assumptions.

Stage 4: production arrangements

Once the overall concept is accepted, more detailed production preparation begins. This is the stage where not only the equipment is determined, but also the way all teams operate.

The following may be discussed:

• the exact script,
• entrances and exits from the stage,
• cue,
• presentations,
• videos,
• microphones,
• artists,
• changes to the setup,
• rehearsals,
• schedule.

A cue is a specific command or moment in the script that triggers a specific technical action.

For example, a cue may mean simultaneous:

• dimming the room lights,
• starting the video,
• switching the LED,
• preparing the host's microphone.

For an event with a concert, the band's technical rider must also be analyzed.

If there are several independent teams, at this stage it should be clear who is responsible for each department and who coordinates the whole.

Stage 5: documentation and schedule

Documentation allows all teams to work according to the same assumptions. For a simple event, it may be small, but as the scale increases, its importance grows.

Depending on the production, the following may be prepared:

• technical plan,
• stage layout,
• stage plot,
• patch list,
• input list,
• camera plan,
• plan rigging,
• schedule,
• contact list.

The schedule should include more than the hour of the event's start.

It is necessary to consider:

• access to the venue,
• transport,
• load-in,
• assembly,
• configuration,
• rehearsals,
• door opening,
• show,
• load-out.

If the concert starts at 8:00 PM, it does not mean that setup can start at 6:00 PM.

The system may require many hours for assembly, tuning, and rehearsals.

That is why the technical schedule should be created before the day of the event.

Stage 6: preparation of equipment and logistics

A significant part of the work should be done in the warehouse. A well-prepared company does not start configuring the entire production only after arriving at the venue.

Before departure, one can:

• assemble equipment,
• configure racks,
• prepare consoles,
• check devices,
• label cables,
• prepare patch,
• plan transport.

For audio, one can prepare the following in advance:

• routing,
• show file,
• RF systems,
• stageboxes.

For video:

• computers,
• switching devices,
• media,
• configuration of screens.

In more complex implementations, the loading method of the vehicle also results from the assembly order.

If the device needed first is at the end of the truck, logistics unnecessarily starts to prolong the load-in.

Warehouse preparation is part of the implementation, even though the client usually does not see it.

Stage 7: load-in and assembly

Load-in means delivering equipment to the event location and starting the technical installation. It should take place according to a previously established schedule.

At this stage, the following are important:

• the place of unloading,
• access to the stage,
• lifts,
• ramps,
• the order of teams,
• access to the structure,
• power supply.

Not all departments can start working at the same time.

A typical dependency might look like this:

structures → rigging → hanging devices → stage → technical systems → cabling → configuration

Rigging means designing and executing the hanging of devices such as PA, lights, or screens.

With several contractors, managing the order of work is particularly important. The audio company will not hang the PA before preparing the structure, and the LED operator may not start assembly if the space is still occupied by another team.

Therefore, the model one company or several contractors in the organization of event technology directly affects the way of managing the load-in.

Stage 8: configuration and rehearsals

After the equipment assembly is completed, it needs to be configured, checked, and tested in the actual event setup.

For audio, this may include:

• configuration of the PA system,
• routing,
• patch,
• microphones,
• wireless systems,
• line check,
• soundcheck.

At a conference, instead of a band soundcheck, there may be:

• test of the speakers' microphones,
• panel,
• questions from the audience,
• rehearsal of the host.

Video requires checking:

• presentations,
• video materials,
• switching,
• screens,
• cameras,
• streaming.

Lighting requires preparation of scenes, positions, and cues.

It is best if, after technical tests, there is a rehearsal with key participants of the event or a full dress rehearsal.

This is when problems arising from the connection of systems come to light, e.g., a video plays correctly on the screen but does not reach the streaming or lacks the appropriate audio.

Stage 9: event execution

During the event, the technical company does not just "watch the equipment." Producers and technicians actively manage their systems according to the script and respond to situations that could not be predicted.

Depending on the event, they include among others:

• FOH producer,
• lighting designer,
• video producer,
• media operator,
• stage tech,
• streaming operator,
• stage manager.

For example, during the audio panel, they must control several microphones, display a presentation or camera feed on video, and maintain appropriate lighting for the participants.

After the panel, the stage can change function within a few minutes and be prepared for the concert.

A good team should know:

• the script,
• their cue,
• the communication procedure,
• the decision-maker.

The more complex the event, the more important it is for one person to coordinate the technical process instead of leaving each department to fend for itself.

How to communicate script changes?

Changes should be communicated as early as possible and through one established channel. The biggest problem is not the change itself, but the situation where different teams are working on different versions of the script.

For example, the organizer may move the panel after the concert.

For them, it is a change in the order of two points.

For the technical team, it may mean the need to change:

• microphone settings,
• lighting,
• the stage,
• video routing,
• the cue order.

Therefore, updates should reach the person responsible for coordinating production, and then to the relevant departments.

With a larger number of changes, it is good to use version labels for documents or update dates.

However, different arrangements should not be sent in separate messages to individual technicians without informing the person in charge of the production.

One current version of the script is much safer than ten partially current messages.

Who should be the contact person on the client's side?

It is best for the organizer to have one main person responsible for production decisions and the flow of information. They do not need to know the technical aspects at the level of the executor.

However, they should have access to:

• the script,
• the schedule,
• the client's decisions,
• the people responsible for content,
• the artists,
• the venue.

If ten people on the client's side independently assign changes to the technicians, conflicting instructions can easily arise.

Example:

marketing requests an additional video,

the host changes the order of the program,

the artist's manager reschedules the soundcheck,

the venue changes access to the room.

The technical company must know who approves the final solution.

For a small event, this could be the event manager.

For a larger production, there may be a separate production manager on the client's side.

The most important thing is that the contact person has the ability to make or obtain decisions quickly.

Stage 10: dismantling and completion of execution

After the event is over, load-out begins, which means dismantling and removing equipment from the venue. This stage should also be planned in advance.

You need to know:

• the hour of completion,
• access to the venue after the show,
• the order of dismantling,
• the possibility of vehicle access,
• time restrictions of the venue.

Some systems must be dismantled in a specific order.

If the lights and PA are hanging from the structure, you cannot begin de-rigging before safely lowering the equipment.

For events ending late at night, the organizer should know whether the venue allows leaving equipment until the next day or requires immediate vacating of the space.

After a larger production, the following may also occur:

• handover of recordings,
• archiving of materials,
• settlement of additional hours,
• summary of scope changes.

Technical production does not end exactly at the moment when the last guest leaves the stage.

What characterizes good production collaboration?

Good collaboration is primarily based on clear information flow and accountability. The organizer should not design the systems alone, and the technical company should not guess the scenario.

The most important features of a good process are:

• current brief,
• clearly defined scope,
• one version of documentation,
• specific schedule,
• designated contact persons,
• quick reporting of changes,
• clear boundaries of responsibility.

A good company should also signal problems earlier.

If it is known from the object plan that there is not sufficient height for the planned screen, the information should appear during the design phase, not during installation.

Similarly, the organizer should inform about changes before the ordered equipment and crew are prepared for the previous version of the event.

This is exactly where the practical value of comprehensive technical service for the event lies: the technology is managed as a process from the initial arrangements to load-out, not as a single equipment delivery.

Summary

Collaboration with the technical company proceeds in stages: from the brief and analysis of the venue, through design, offer, documentation, and equipment preparation, to load-in, rehearsals, execution, and dismantling. The organizer does not need to know the details of the technology, but should provide current information about the program, participants, venue, and changes.

On the company's side, the most important aspects are design, preparation, coordination, and responsibility for the agreed scope. On the client's side – one contact person, efficient decision-making, and control of the current version of the script.

The best technical collaboration starts before the first case appears at the venue. The better the information and scope are prepared, the fewer decisions need to be made under time pressure during the event itself.

Frequently asked questions