The whole category in one page.
THE DATE CANNOT MOVE, AND FAILURE HAPPENS IN FRONT OF EVERYONE
Build the timeline backwards from the event, identify the deadlines that cannot shift — printing, catering numbers, venue payment — and build in contingency time, because setup always takes longer than planned.
CALCULATE THE VENUE'S POWER CAPACITY AGAINST YOUR ACTUAL LOAD BEFORE COMMITTING
Sound, lighting and catering routinely exceed what venues supply, and discovering it on the day is too late.
RECONFIRM EVERY SUPPLIER THE DAY BEFORE, AND HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE FOR EACH CRITICAL ONE
That reconfirmation is when failures are found while they can still be fixed.
REHEARSE EVERYTHING, INCLUDING PRESENTERS' FILES ON THE ACTUAL EQUIPMENT
Files that work on one machine fail on another constantly, and a failed microphone during a speech is the most visible technical failure there is.
NEVER ADMIT BEYOND CAPACITY, AND CHECK EVERY EXIT BEFORE DOORS OPEN
Overcrowding and blocked exits are how people die at events, and exits are blocked by equipment and decoration as a matter of routine.
COLLECT THE CLIENT'S FINAL PAYMENT BEFORE THE EVENT, BECAUSE COLLECTION AFTERWARDS IS MUCH HARDER
Never fund an event from your own resources — a single non-paying client ends the business.
PUT A CANCELLATION SCHEDULE IN THE AGREEMENT, SINCE YOUR EXPOSURE RISES AS THE DATE APPROACHES
FOR TICKETED EVENTS, CALCULATE BREAK-EVEN ON NET TICKET REVENUE AND SET A DATE BY WHICH YOU WILL SCALE DOWN OR CANCEL
AND CARRY SPARES FOR THE SMALL CRITICAL THINGS — CABLES, BATTERIES, ADAPTORS, MICROPHONES — BECAUSE SMALL FAILURES STOP LARGE EVENTS
