Company Anniversary — Sillamäe

The ceiling is low and the walls are concrete, and every word bounces. A company anniversary in an industrial hall means the PA goes up early and the hangs are tight to keep reflections off hard surfaces. Power comes in from three points, so the lighting desk sits stage left instead of centre. The truck arrives two hours before anyone expected to need it, because load-in through a single goods door takes longer than the drawings suggested.

By the time the first guest arrives, the room has been measured, rigged and walked with a meter. It either works or it does not, and that is decided long before speeches.