Crew structure, rigging sequence, sound check, cue-to-cue and load-out. What to have confirmed before the truck arrives, and what to do when things run late.
event AV load in guideMost problems that surface during load-in were created before load-in began. The access window was not confirmed with the venue. The rigging schedule was not agreed against a specific ceiling capacity. The content files arrived in the wrong format. None of these get solved quickly on the morning of an event, and all of them were preventable.
A mid-scale brand event with LED, audio, lighting and set build typically involves the following crew roles. The technical director oversees the whole production and is the point of contact for the agency producer. Individual department heads, covering sound, lighting and video, manage their own crews and report to the TD. Rigging crew arrive earliest and work under a head rigger if flying equipment. General crew assist with the manual labour of unpacking, positioning and cabling across departments.
The ratio of crew to build time is the key variable that determines whether load-in runs to schedule. An agency producer who asks for the rig to be completed in a shorter window than originally planned is effectively asking either for more crew or for something to come off the rig spec. Both are conversations to have before load-in day, not on arrival at the venue.
Load-in follows a defined sequence because each department's work depends on the one before it. Rigging must be complete before lighting fixtures can be flown. Lighting positions must be finalised before cabling can be dressed. Audio positions must be fixed before speaker cable runs are completed. LED walls are generally one of the last large structures to go up because they need a clear floor space and clear access for the framing build.
Venue access confirmed, loading bay cleared, staging and event floor prepared for build. Crew on site for site induction if required by the venue.
Truss structure assembled and flown, or ground-support structures built. Motor positions set and loads checked against schedule. Rigging certification signed off.
Fixtures hung, patched and cabled. Moving heads and wash fixtures addressed to DMX. Focus pass completed after the house lights are controlled and the rig is at working height.
Panel frames assembled, panels hung or stacked, media server connected and output patched to the wall. Signal path tested from media server through to display.
Speakers flown or positioned, cabling run, console configured. Microphone positions set for the run of show. Comms systems tested across all departments.
Cable management, tape, soft furnishings and any scenic or decorative elements brought in. The room is dressed for guests.
Sound check confirms that every audio source in the run of show is working, at the right level, with the right routing. This means every microphone type: handheld, lapel and headset. Every playback source: Mac, media server, phone and any live instrument if applicable. Every in-ear monitor if the event includes performers. Every room zone if the venue has multiple audio areas.
Sound check is not a test of whether the microphone is on. It is a test of the complete signal path from the source to every speaker in the room, through the console, at the levels required by the run of show. A sound check that confirms the mic is audible but doesn't check the levels against the room's ambient noise floor or against the playback content's gain structure will produce surprises during the event that the sound check was supposed to prevent.
Cue-to-cue is a technical run through the event programme where each cue, whether a lighting state change, a video play, a sound effect or a speaker transition, is confirmed to work in sequence. It is not a full-speed rehearsal. It is a check of every technical handoff in the show.
The cue-to-cue requires a caller, usually the agency producer or the TD, who works through the run of show cue by cue. Each department confirms the cue is working before moving to the next one. Any cue that is not working is fixed in place before the run continues. The cue-to-cue is the last opportunity to catch technical problems before the audience is in the room.
Events that do not have a cue-to-cue rely on the event itself to reveal technical problems. A cue that fails during a product reveal in front of four hundred guests costs significantly more in brand damage than the hour required to run a cue-to-cue in the afternoon.
Load-out begins as soon as the event finishes and the room clears. In many venues, the load-out is constrained by a hard-out time that was agreed with the venue at booking stage. If the event runs long, load-out time is compressed. If load-out is not complete by the contracted time, additional venue charges typically apply at an hourly rate that is usually higher than the standard hire rate.
Load-out is the reverse of load-in but with one material difference: the crew are tired and the time pressure is real. Equipment handling becomes a higher-risk activity when the team are working quickly under time pressure at the end of a long day. A production company that runs a well-structured load-out protects both the safety of the crew and the condition of the kit. A rushed load-out with poor supervision is one of the most common causes of equipment damage.
Talk to our production team early. We will review your venue access window against the rig spec and tell you what is and isn't achievable before we start building anything.
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