Resources
Planning Guides
Almost every AV failure on show day was a decision not taken six weeks earlier. These guides set out the production sequence our producers work to — what to decide, in what order, and how long each stage honestly takes.
- Articles
- 64
- Category
- Planning Guides
- Written by
- Working producers
- Covering
- 90+ Indian cities
Key takeaway
About these planning guides
Production planning is a sequence, and the sequence matters more than the effort. Date, then venue, then format, then AV specification, then content: reverse any two of those and you pay for it. Booking a ballroom with a 14 ft ceiling before deciding you want a 20 ft LED wall is the single most common and most expensive inversion. Work backwards from doors-open — rehearsal, programming, build, load-in, truck despatch, inventory block — and the deadlines stop being arbitrary and start being arithmetic.
The recce and the drawing set are where planning becomes real. Walk the venue with your AV producer and measure rather than discuss: ceiling height at the stage and at the back truss, rigging points and their rated load, the three-phase supply and its distance from the stage, door and goods-lift dimensions, column positions that kill sightlines, and where a 40 ft truck can actually stand. A scaled plan and section drawing turns a mood board into something buildable, and it exposes compromises while they are still cheap to fix.
Then comes the run of show and the ownership map. A minute-by-minute cue document — who speaks, what plays, which mic is live, which lighting state, which camera — is what lets one show-caller hold a complex programme together. Equally important is naming who owns what between the event agency, the decor team and the AV supplier: who provides power, who signs for the venue, who freezes content, who calls time on a rehearsal. Unassigned tasks are the ones that are discovered at 6 pm on show day.
How to use these
- Start at doors-open and count backwards; every guide here gives a lead time, so build the calendar from the show date rather than from today.
- Take your AV producer on the venue recce rather than sending measurements afterwards — the questions they ask on site are the plan.
- Write the run of show in minutes, not segments, and circulate it as a numbered version so nobody is working from last Tuesday's copy.
- Count the load-in hours the venue will genuinely give you, including the decor team's overlap, before agreeing to any build that needs an overnight.
- Name one show-caller with authority to hold or move a cue, and give them the only live copy of the cue sheet.
- Freeze content 48 hours before doors, with a named person allowed to approve an exception — late files are the most common cause of a missed rehearsal.
What good looks like
Judging a planning guides guide
What can go wrong
How we prevent it
- What can go wrong
A scaled plan and section drawing of the stage and rig, not a reference image
How we prevent itA section view is the only thing that proves a 16 ft screen, its ground support and a lighting truss all fit under the actual ceiling.
- What can go wrong
A load-in and load-out schedule mapped to the venue's permitted access hours
How we prevent itConvention centres and hotels restrict goods-lift and dock access, and a build that assumes free access overruns into guest arrival.
- What can go wrong
A named show-caller and a comms plan listing who is on which talkback channel
How we prevent itWhen a cue slips, the recovery depends entirely on whether lighting, video, sound and stage management can hear one voice.
- What can go wrong
A rehearsal slot in the diary with the speakers or performers actually present
How we prevent itA technical rehearsal without the people tests the equipment but not the programme, which is where the real timing faults live.
- What can go wrong
One content specification covering aspect ratio, resolution, codec and file naming
How we prevent itMixed 16:9 and ultra-wide decks arriving at the venue is why screens show letterboxed slides and logos get cropped on the wall.
64 articles
All Planning Guides
How to Plan Event Production: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for event production, from brief to load-out.
Best Event Production Setup for Corporate conferences
What the right event production looks like for corporate conferences, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Wedding Lighting Design: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for wedding lighting design, from brief to load-out.
Best Wedding Lighting Design Setup for Destination weddings
What the right wedding lighting design looks like for destination weddings, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Concert Sound Systems: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for concert sound systems, from brief to load-out.
Best Concert Sound Systems Setup for Concerts
What the right concert sound systems looks like for concerts, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Line Array Systems: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for line array systems, from brief to load-out.
Best Line Array Systems Setup for Outdoor concerts
What the right line array systems looks like for outdoor concerts, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Wedding Sound & Lighting: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for wedding sound & lighting, from brief to load-out.
Best Wedding Sound & Lighting Setup for Sangeet nights
What the right wedding sound & lighting looks like for sangeet nights, and what to avoid.
How to Plan DJ & Premium Party Sound: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for DJ & premium party sound, from brief to load-out.
Best DJ & Premium Party Sound Setup for Cocktail nights
What the right DJ & premium party sound looks like for cocktail nights, and what to avoid.
How to Plan LED Wall Rental: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for LED wall rental, from brief to load-out.
Best LED Wall Rental Setup for Conferences
What the right LED wall rental looks like for conferences, and what to avoid.
How to Plan LED Screen Rental: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for LED screen rental, from brief to load-out.
Best LED Screen Rental Setup for Outdoor events
What the right LED screen rental looks like for outdoor events, and what to avoid.
How to Plan 3D Projection Mapping: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for 3D projection mapping, from brief to load-out.
Best 3D Projection Mapping Setup for Product launches
What the right 3D projection mapping looks like for product launches, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Drone Light Shows: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for drone light shows, from brief to load-out.
Best Drone Light Shows Setup for Weddings
What the right drone light shows looks like for weddings, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Stage Lighting Design: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for stage lighting design, from brief to load-out.
Best Stage Lighting Design Setup for Award nights
What the right stage lighting design looks like for award nights, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Intelligent Moving Head Lights: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for intelligent moving head lights, from brief to load-out.
Best Intelligent Moving Head Lights Setup for Concerts
What the right intelligent moving head lights looks like for concerts, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Stage & Truss Fabrication: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for stage & truss fabrication, from brief to load-out.
Best Stage & Truss Fabrication Setup for Concerts
What the right stage & truss fabrication looks like for concerts, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Conference AV Setup: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for conference AV setup, from brief to load-out.
Best Conference AV Setup Setup for Summits
What the right conference AV setup looks like for summits, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Simultaneous Interpretation Systems: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for simultaneous interpretation systems, from brief to load-out.
Best Simultaneous Interpretation Systems Setup for International summits
What the right simultaneous interpretation systems looks like for international summits, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Live Streaming & Webcasting: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for live streaming & webcasting, from brief to load-out.
Best Live Streaming & Webcasting Setup for Town halls
What the right live streaming & webcasting looks like for town halls, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Hybrid Event Production: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for hybrid event production, from brief to load-out.
Best Hybrid Event Production Setup for Global town halls
What the right hybrid event production looks like for global town halls, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Broadcast & Multi-Camera: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for broadcast & multi-camera, from brief to load-out.
Best Broadcast & Multi-Camera Setup for Award shows
What the right broadcast & multi-camera looks like for award shows, and what to avoid.
How to Plan Wireless Microphones & IEMs: A Producer's Guide
The actual sequence our producers follow for wireless microphones & IEMs, from brief to load-out.
Best Wireless Microphones & IEMs Setup for Conferences
What the right wireless microphones & IEMs looks like for conferences, and what to avoid.
Corporate Conferences: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a corporate conference stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Corporate Conferences — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at corporate conferences, and the countermeasure for each.
Product Launches: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a product launche stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Product Launches — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at product launches, and the countermeasure for each.
Award Nights & Galas: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a award nights & gala stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Award Nights & Galas — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at award nights & galas, and the countermeasure for each.
Concerts & Live Shows: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a concerts & live show stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Concerts & Live Shows — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at concerts & live shows, and the countermeasure for each.
Weddings & Sangeet: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a weddings & sangeet stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Weddings & Sangeet — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at weddings & sangeet, and the countermeasure for each.
Destination Weddings: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a destination wedding stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Destination Weddings — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at destination weddings, and the countermeasure for each.
Exhibitions & Trade Shows: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a exhibitions & trade show stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Exhibitions & Trade Shows — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at exhibitions & trade shows, and the countermeasure for each.
College Fests: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a college fest stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin College Fests — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at college fests, and the countermeasure for each.
Spiritual & Religious Gatherings: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a spiritual & religious gathering stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Spiritual & Religious Gatherings — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at spiritual & religious gatherings, and the countermeasure for each.
Fashion Shows: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a fashion show stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Fashion Shows — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at fashion shows, and the countermeasure for each.
Sports Events & Ceremonies: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a sports events & ceremonie stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Sports Events & Ceremonies — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at sports events & ceremonies, and the countermeasure for each.
Town Halls & AGMs: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a town halls & AGM stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Town Halls & AGMs — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at town halls & AGMs, and the countermeasure for each.
Government & Public Events: Stage, LED and Lighting Design Ideas
How to design a government & public event stage that works in the room and on camera.
AV Mistakes That Ruin Government & Public Events — and How to Avoid Them
The failures that actually happen at government & public events, and the countermeasure for each.
FAQ
Planning Guides: FAQs
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