Conference — the checklist

Before you book anything

• Have you confirmed the date works for speakers, not just attendees?
• Do you know the total headcount split by day-only and day-plus-evening?
• Have you decided whether sessions are recorded, livestreamed, or neither?
• Is the evening in the same venue or a different one, and if different, how far?
• Have you walked the room during another event, or are you booking from photographs?

The venue

• Does the main hall seat everyone with sightlines to the screen from the back row?
• Is there a separate breakout space, or do coffee breaks happen in a corridor?
• Can the venue provide a stage plan showing power points, screen position and speaker placement?
• Who unlocks the building, and at what time can your crew start rigging?
• Is there vehicle access for load-in, or does everything come through a front door?
• Does the venue contract specify a noise curfew, and does the evening event finish before it?
• If the evening is elsewhere, is load-out from the day venue possible during the dinner, or does the crew wait until midnight?

The programme

• Have you built a running order on paper with session length, changeover time and buffer?
• Does every speaker know their slot length, and have they been told that includes questions?
• Is there a moderator who can cut a session that runs over, or is that on you?
• Have you scheduled coffee and lunch to the minute, or to when the session before them ends?
• Does the evening programme start at a fixed time, or after dinner, and who tells the band or the DJ?
• Have you confirmed which speeches happen during dinner and which happen after, and in what order?

The technical side

• Have you sent the AV company every presentation in advance, or are speakers bringing files on the day?
• Does someone check every slide deck for font problems, video codec and aspect ratio?
• Is there a laptop on stage, a clicker for each speaker, and a backup of both?
• Have you specified microphone type per speaker: lapel, handheld, headset?
• Does the venue have a technician who stays in the room, or is that hire separate?
• If you are recording or streaming, have you confirmed where the camera operator stands and whether the venue allows a static rig?
• For the evening: does the band or DJ need the same stage as the day programme, or can they set in parallel?
• Have you mapped power for the evening setup, and does it run on the same circuit as the day event or a separate feed?

Food and drink

• Is the catering in-house, or are you bringing your own, and if your own, does the venue charge a facilities fee?
• Have you specified dietary requirements with headcount, not just as a mention?
• Does the contract specify serve time to the minute for lunch and for dinner, and is there a penalty if they miss it?
• Where does the crew eat, and is that part of the catering order or something you arrange separately?
• Is the evening bar open or on consumption, and if consumption, who gets the bill at the end of the night?
• Have you confirmed glassware type and whether the venue allows drinks to move between rooms?

Guests and transport

• Have you sent joining instructions that include the exact door, not just the building address?
• Is there parking, and if not, have you told people?
• If the evening is at a second venue, are you running a transfer, and have you told guests the departure time and the pick-up point?
• Does someone greet arrivals and handle registration, or is there a self-service desk with name badges?
• Have you printed the attendee list, the running order and the dietary requirements on paper as backup?

The last week

• Have you reconfirmed final headcount with the venue and the caterer in writing?
• Does every supplier have a site contact name and a mobile number that will be answered?
• Have you confirmed load-in time, key handover and who locks up at the end?
• Is there a run-through with the moderator and the AV operator, or is the first time they meet on stage?
• If the evening has a live band, have you confirmed stage size, backline and soundcheck time?
• Does someone have the authority to make a call if a session overruns and the evening start time has to move?

On the day

• Is someone on site an hour before doors open to meet the crew and unlock?
• Have you tested every microphone, every slide deck and the video feed before the first guest arrives?
• Does the moderator have the running order on paper and a watch they can see without lifting their wrist?
• Is there water on stage and a glass for every speaker?
• Who manages the changeover between day and evening if they are in the same room, and how long does it take?
• Does the venue know who to call about noise, temperature or a broken projector, and is that person in the building?

After

• Have you confirmed who supervises load-out, or does the venue lock up and the crew leave equipment overnight?
• Is someone collecting feedback, and have you decided whether that is on the day or later by email?
• Does the venue contract require a handover meeting and a signature before you leave?
• Who reconciles the bar tab, the supplier invoices and any damage deposit?

Two kinds of company

One kind of agency plans the event and then forwards the brief to subcontractors it has never worked alongside, earning margin on every line. A different kind quotes the work, builds the room, and runs the night with the same people. The organisers see the same faces at the site visit, the load-in and the breakdown. When something needs a decision, the person on site can make it.

After 5 Events is the second kind. The crew writing this checklist is the one that rigs the day event and runs the evening.

Before you call anyone, settle three things: total headcount split by day and evening, whether the two events share a venue, and whether you need recording or livestream. Everything else can move; those three shape the rig.