Outdoor Festivals

Original event secrets Article

When planning an outdoor event, there are many technical aspects which have to be taken into account to make sure that you get things right. Technical production can cover all aspects of lighting, sound, video, staging and power – all the necessary ingredients for supporting your event.

1. First of all – if you are not an expert production manager, used to working on outdoor events – then go and find one. There are plenty of freelancers and companies you can partner with. One of the biggest challenges at an outdoor event – and one of the areas that involves the most health and safety management, is that of technical production.
2. Before you get too far into planning your event – make a plan of how you and your team are going to manage the technical requirements. It might be that you have one, small sound system to relay messages and play a little music – or it might be that you have upwards of 30 venues – all of which have lighting, sound, staging, video and power. Create a database (can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet) to manage all of the requirements in one place – otherwise you may lose track of what is going where.
3. It is important that you find good contractors to help you run your event. Some companies cover all aspects of the technical provision – whilst others specialise in certain elements. The most important thing is working with a company that you trust – and one that will go the extra mile when you need them to.
4. Another important aspect is to keep on top of all of the technical requirements – particularly in the final few days before the event. Make sure that you keep in communication with all of the contractors and content providers (speakers, venue managers, bands etc) so that you can constantly update your information so that everyone gets what they are expecting, and everything runs to plan.
5. As an event manager, you sh ould make sure that all of the equipment you are using has been properly safety checked. For electrical equipment this usually involves a ‘Portable Appliance Test’ (more commonly known as a PAT test) which can be carried out by an electrician. Most local authorities will want to see that any temporary electrical supplies have been installed properly and that equipment has been tested.
6. You should also make sure that you have the relevant insurances in place – not only Public Liability (in case of the guests gets injured) but also employers liability insurance (even if the only people working there are volunteers) as well as insurance in case any of the technical equipment gets lost, stolen or damaged. It is usually the case that if the technical contractor accompanies the equipment to site, then it is covered on their insurance, but this is not always the case – so it is best to check up.
7. During the build of the event it is critical to make sure that all of the technical contractors are working to their own, and your own risk assessment guidelines, as you have a responsibility for their working practises. It is also a good idea to make sure that they are providing exactly what they have quoted for – because if they change the specification without telling you – it will be too late once the event is up and running.
8. During the event you should have a system in place for checking that all equipment is running correctly – and that nothing has broken down. If you are running a large, complex event then it might be worth having some form of system in place to log problems and issues – so that they can be dealt with in order of importance by site contractors.
9. There are bound to be a few technical problems along the way – with all events that have temporary installations it is almost guaranteed. The best way to combat problems is to do everything you can in advance so that they do not happen. If they do – keep calm and work as a team to sort out all the problems – regardless of what they might be, in the quickest, most cost effective way.
10. Once the event is over and the pack down starts – try to remember that the site is still working. There will often be heavy plant, large trucks and a lot of tired crew members working – so remember to keep an eye on health and safety- as this is the time when most accidents will happen.

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Articles, hints, tips and information about event management - www.eventsecrets.com
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Original eventsecrets.com Article

For many people, planning their first outdoor event can be very daunting. One of the most important aspects is choosing the right venue for your event.

1. One of the first things you should do when looking for a venue for an outdoor event is to give yourself enough time to find it. You should aim to find a suitable venue with at least a year to go before your proposed date. This will help you to see the venue in action (when other events are being held there) and will also help to ensure availability – ie that there are no other events taking place on the dates that you have chosen.
2. When looking at a venue, think about the venues that are using by similar or competing events. It might not be a good idea to try to use the exact same venue, but it will give you some ideas in what you need to look for when conducting a site visit.
3. The location of your venue will be quite important – it will need to be well known enough that people will know how to get there, but not so famous that it is very expensive or never available because too many other events take place there
4. When thinking about location, think about the type of audience you will have. If the majority of them are based in the south of England, it would be sensible to hold your event in that area. If you are trying to attract a large group of people who don’t drive – then don’t hold your event in the middle of nowhere!
5. The venue has to be suitable for the type of event you are planning to hold, as well as the type of audience or the time of year. For example, it would be no good trying to hold a Christmas fair, in the middle of winter in an open air venue – it will be just too cold – or trying to hold a rock concert near to a large residential area – it will affect the neighbours too much.
6. Venues have improved greatly over the last few years, with many investing in roadways, power distribution, water course and phone lines. Although there are still venues which are just an empty field, larger event venues have moved with the times, and now come full of useful infrastructure. Word of Warning! – when you are signing the contract, make sure that you know exactly what you are getting for your money – and if you are only allowed to use approved (and often expensive) contractors on site.
7. Going one step further, many venues have now invested in permanent venues, ticket offices, boundary fences, car parks and toilet blocks. Although this may make the venue more expensive to hire, you should weigh up the costs (and the time) it would take to bring in contractors and infrastructure for each of these services.
8. When looking at your venue, you should make sure that it is accessible by all of your contractors. If you are bringing in marquees, staging, big tops, funfairs or other large equipment, your contractors will want to bring in all sorts of large vehicles – from 3.5 tonne vans, to 45ft artic trailers and heavy plant – so make sure that they can get in through the gate – and that they won’t sink into the grass.
9. Another thing to consider is the access and egress for the customers of your event. if you are expecting many people to attend your event, you should ensure that the local roadways can cope with the influx of people, that the on site routes are clearly marked, and that the car parks are big enough. You should also ensure that foot traffic and vehicles are kept apart as best as possible to avoid any possible injuries.
10. Finally, when looking for a venue, you should think long term. Make sure that they venue that you choose can cope with the growth of your event over the next few years – the last thing you want to do is to move your event every year or so – people will become accustomed to its location – and this will become part of the marketing of event – ie people learn to remember where the event is!

© 2006 eventsecrets.com - Articles, hints, tips and information about event management - www.eventsecrets.com

If you want to reuse this article on your website you may do so with our best wishes - please just include the footer text and copyright notice - and if you can, let us know where it is so we can come and have a look!