Technical Production

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.

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