Resources
Checklists
Shows rarely fail for interesting reasons. They fail because a battery was not swapped, a cable was not labelled or a backup was never tested. These print-ready checklists exist to catch exactly those faults, at the moments when nobody on site is calm enough to remember them.
- Articles
- 51
- Category
- Checklists
- Written by
- Working producers
- Covering
- 90+ Indian cities
Key takeaway
About these checklists
The faults that ruin Indian events are almost embarrassingly ordinary. A lapel transmitter on a battery that was already half-used at rehearsal. A laptop that drops its HDMI handshake after going to sleep during the lunch break. A single diesel genset with no standby, feeding a stage that goes black mid-citation. Two wireless mics assigned to frequencies that a nearby broadcast van is also using. An unlabelled XLR that gets unplugged by the decor team while they dress the stage. None of these need skill to prevent. They need a written check at a fixed time.
A checklist earns its place at four specific moments, and the content differs completely at each. At load-in it is a count and a condition check: every case accounted for, every panel powered and swept for dead pixels, every speaker rung out. At technical rehearsal it is an exercise of every signal path at show level, not a power-on test. At doors-minus-30 it is the perishables — fresh batteries, RF scan, backup playback cued to slide one, spare handheld live on the stage-left table. At de-rig it is recovery of equipment, media and the venue's condition.
What turns a list into a control is ownership. Every line needs a named person, a clock time and a signature, because the dangerous moment on any show is the handover between the build crew and the show crew, when half the knowledge walks out of the room. Print it. Keep the signed copy. A completed checklist is also the only honest evidence you have, after the event, of whether a failure was a fault or an omission.
How to use these
- Print the checklist and write a name against every line — an unowned check is a check that nobody performs twice and nobody performs once.
- Replace vague timings with clock times tied to doors-open, so 'before the show' becomes 17:30 and can actually be missed visibly.
- Exercise every path at show level rather than powering it on: speak into each mic, play each video to the wall, run each lighting state, fail over to the backup laptop deliberately.
- Do batteries, RF scan and backup cueing at doors-minus-30 as a fixed ritual, and log the frequencies and channel assignments on the sheet.
- Walk the signed sheet through the crew handover so the show crew inherits what was tested, what was substituted and what is being watched.
- Run the de-rig checklist with the same discipline — equipment count, recorded media offloaded and verified, venue surfaces and rigging points photographed before you leave.
What good looks like
Judging a checklists guide
What can go wrong
How we prevent it
- What can go wrong
A named owner and a clock time against every single line
How we prevent itChecks without an owner collapse into the lead engineer's memory on the busiest afternoon of the project, which is precisely when memory fails.
- What can go wrong
Lines written as measurable outcomes, not intentions
How we prevent it'Hold 95 dB at the FOH position for two minutes with no thermal cut' is testable; 'check sound' only records that somebody walked past the console.
- What can go wrong
A dedicated redundancy section listing each backup and the switchover method
How we prevent itSpare equipment in a case is not a backup until somebody has rehearsed the twenty seconds of switching under pressure.
- What can go wrong
An RF plan with every frequency and channel written down before doors
How we prevent itWireless mic dropouts at Indian venues are usually frequency collisions with other vendors or broadcast crews, and the fix is coordination on paper, not a rescan mid-speech.
- What can go wrong
A handover and de-rig section, not just a pre-show section
How we prevent itMost losses — missing microphones, unretrieved recordings, damage disputes with the venue — happen after the audience has left and attention has gone.
51 articles
All Checklists
Event Production Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for event production — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Event Production Company
The questions that separate genuine event production specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Wedding Lighting Design Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for wedding lighting design — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Lighting Design Company
The questions that separate genuine wedding lighting design specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Concert Sound Systems Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for concert sound systems — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Concert Sound Systems Company
The questions that separate genuine concert sound systems specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Line Array Systems Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for line array systems — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Line Array Systems Company
The questions that separate genuine line array systems specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Wedding Sound & Lighting Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for wedding sound & lighting — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Sound & Lighting Company
The questions that separate genuine wedding sound & lighting specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
DJ & Premium Party Sound Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for DJ & premium party sound — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a DJ & Premium Party Sound Company
The questions that separate genuine DJ & premium party sound specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
LED Wall Rental Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for LED wall rental — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a LED Wall Rental Company
The questions that separate genuine LED wall rental specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
LED Screen Rental Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for LED screen rental — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a LED Screen Rental Company
The questions that separate genuine LED screen rental specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
3D Projection Mapping Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for 3D projection mapping — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a 3D Projection Mapping Company
The questions that separate genuine 3D projection mapping specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Drone Light Shows Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for drone light shows — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Drone Light Shows Company
The questions that separate genuine drone light shows specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Stage Lighting Design Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for stage lighting design — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Stage Lighting Design Company
The questions that separate genuine stage lighting design specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Intelligent Moving Head Lights Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for intelligent moving head lights — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Intelligent Moving Head Lights Company
The questions that separate genuine intelligent moving head lights specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Stage & Truss Fabrication Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for stage & truss fabrication — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Stage & Truss Fabrication Company
The questions that separate genuine stage & truss fabrication specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Conference AV Setup Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for conference AV setup — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Conference AV Setup Company
The questions that separate genuine conference AV setup specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Simultaneous Interpretation Systems Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for simultaneous interpretation systems — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Simultaneous Interpretation Systems Company
The questions that separate genuine simultaneous interpretation systems specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Live Streaming & Webcasting Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for live streaming & webcasting — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Live Streaming & Webcasting Company
The questions that separate genuine live streaming & webcasting specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Hybrid Event Production Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for hybrid event production — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Hybrid Event Production Company
The questions that separate genuine hybrid event production specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Broadcast & Multi-Camera Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for broadcast & multi-camera — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Broadcast & Multi-Camera Company
The questions that separate genuine broadcast & multi-camera specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Wireless Microphones & IEMs Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day
A working pre-show checklist for wireless microphones & IEMs — equipment, power, people, timings and content.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wireless Microphones & IEMs Company
The questions that separate genuine wireless microphones & IEMs specialists from sub-renting middlemen.
Corporate Conferences AV Checklist
Everything technical your corporate conference needs, as a working checklist.
Product Launches AV Checklist
Everything technical your product launche needs, as a working checklist.
Award Nights & Galas AV Checklist
Everything technical your award nights & gala needs, as a working checklist.
Concerts & Live Shows AV Checklist
Everything technical your concerts & live show needs, as a working checklist.
Weddings & Sangeet AV Checklist
Everything technical your weddings & sangeet needs, as a working checklist.
Destination Weddings AV Checklist
Everything technical your destination wedding needs, as a working checklist.
Exhibitions & Trade Shows AV Checklist
Everything technical your exhibitions & trade show needs, as a working checklist.
College Fests AV Checklist
Everything technical your college fest needs, as a working checklist.
Spiritual & Religious Gatherings AV Checklist
Everything technical your spiritual & religious gathering needs, as a working checklist.
Fashion Shows AV Checklist
Everything technical your fashion show needs, as a working checklist.
Sports Events & Ceremonies AV Checklist
Everything technical your sports events & ceremonie needs, as a working checklist.
Town Halls & AGMs AV Checklist
Everything technical your town halls & AGM needs, as a working checklist.
Government & Public Events AV Checklist
Everything technical your government & public event needs, as a working checklist.
FAQ
Checklists: FAQs
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