The Super-duper useful event productions checklist! 

Take it from us, when you’re organising an event the most important thing isn’t your headline speaker or act, your event lighting and audio, getting your socials up, or wet weather plans – it’s having a trusty “OMG – have I done that?” checklist.  

Nothing will save your butt (not to mention reputation and future promotion or career prospects) as effectively as a tick list. So, assuming you’ve done the ‘why, when and where are we having this event’ work already, what should be on your list? 

✔ Budget list must-haves: 

• A record of all event expenses recorded by estimate or quote, with final invoices and costs tracked against each supplier. 

• A 10-15% (of budget) contingency fund, so if there’s a sudden change of plan (for example, the need to hire marquees due to lousy weather, after-hour rates, emergency specialists, etc.), you’re covered to make on-the-spot decisions.  

✔ People:

• A single record of all the names and contact details - emergency and otherwise - for those managing various aspects of the event. (Preferably in the cloud so you or your team can access it from anywhere, anytime.) Note: It should include, as applicable, Your internal and external speakers or performers, your event team, your venue event manager, your catering manager, and your production team manager (lighting and AV). 

✔ Timeline:

• No one likes surprises, so a detailed timeline shared with your team, venue event manager, speakers, and production team is critical. 

✔ Speakers:

Do you enjoy herding cats? If not, add these points to your checklist to make sure your speakers are as organised as you are: 

• Speaker/performer confirmations that they will be there on that day, at the right venue and time.  

• Provide final copies of presentation material to your AV production team to check before your presenters hit the stage (we suggest this happens 1-2 days before the event - not hours or minutes). Your production team can work miracles, but they need time! 

✔ Permits, licenses, contingencies, and compliance:

Yup, this part of your list is large – but critical! We conveniently covered the topic of contingencies and compliance in a recent blog, but here are the highlights for your checklist! A thorough risk assessment is essential to make sure all bases are covered.

• A compliance plan. As your legal responsibilities span a range of national, regional and local laws and regulations around labour, environment, data protection, and consumer laws, you’ll need a compliance plan to ensure all regulations and laws are followed. 
• A contingency plan (aka Plan B). This covers everything that could go wrong (from weather to power outages) and provides alternative courses of action at the ready – from awnings to umbrellas to cancellation notices
• Alcohol permits. Not a consideration if you’ve hired a licensed venue. But if not, make sure you apply in good time and have the necessary licenses saved and accessible in case you are asked to produce them.
• Insurance. Your insurers often expect to see a well-thought-out contingency plan. Having one at the ready can smooth the insurance process and potentially reduce your premiums.
• Disruption. Your council can advise you of any planned protest marches, community parades, visiting movie stars, or any other events which may block or divert access to your event. Likewise, for planned road works and detours.

✔ Social media, SMS, and emergencies:

It’s impossible to expect the unexpected. But you can be prepared in case things go belly up and you can’t rescue the situation. 

• Social media is one of your best friends when it comes to events. Your to-do list should include promo posts, update posts (for example, bad weather and detours or delays) and just-in-case-you-need-them cancellation posts so you don’t have to create anything last minute!  

• SMS is another invaluable tool to let attendees know of an emergency or change. Preload mobile phone numbers to a messaging system to expedite your ability to send out notifications. 

✔ Rehearsals:

Hoping that everything will be right on the day is a dangerous strategy. A rehearsal will ensure the following:

• All things video and audio work as expected 

• The lighting is right for the venue, time of day and speakers 

• Presentations are clearly visible from all angles 

✔ Extras:

Are you creating an on-the-day event marketing video to promote your business or future events? If so, make sure your checklist captures: 

• A full brief to the awesome CCT production team of what and who needs to be captured at the event 

• An event run list, as well as a schedule for editing  

• Company graphics and brand guidelines 

✔ Phew

We know you’ve got this. While we can’t do much about weather or rolling brownouts, using the best people and facilities for the job and having rehearsals will always ensure that your event runs as close to perfect as possible.  

(And that just like that, a few days later, you may even have a great event video to shout about!)