Every great show I've worked on follows the same playbook. It doesn't matter if it's 50 people in a boardroom or 2,000 in a ballroom. The scale changes. The steps don't.
Here's the playbook, phase by phase. Save it for your next event.
Phase 1: Discovery
Start with the why, not the gear.
What should the audience feel and do when they leave?
Who is the audience, and how many?
What's the budget range?
What are the must haves, and what would be nice?
Clear goals make every later decision easier.
Phase 2: Design
Turn goals into a plan you can see.
CAD drawings of the room: plan, section and renders
Stage, screen and camera positions checked against ceiling height and sightlines
A good, better, best option so you can see where the money goes
Phase 3: Pre-production
This is where the show is won.
Final gear list and crew plan
Power and rigging plan
Production schedule from load in to load out
Run of show draft and content deadlines
Rehearsal schedule
Phase 4: Load in
Build it right, then test it.
Build to the drawing
Line check every mic and source
Tech check every screen, camera and playback file
Test the backups, not just the primary systems
Phase 5: Rehearsal
Never skip it.
Walk every presenter on stage: where to stand, where to look, where the confidence monitor is
Cue to cue for openings, walk ups, videos and transitions
Connect and test remote presenters at the same time of day as the show
Phase 6: Show
One voice on headset, a calm room.
A show caller running the cues
Every department listening and ready
A plan B for everything that can't fail
Phase 7: Load out and wrap
Finish strong.
Safe, organized strike
Leave the venue the way you found it
Recap with the client: what worked, what to change next time
The quick checklist
Goals defined
Room drawn and checked in section view
Gear list built from the drawing
Schedule and run of show shared
Content deadlines set
Rehearsal on the schedule
Backups planned and tested
Recap booked
If you're planning a sales meeting, conference or general session this year and want a second set of eyes on your plan, reach out. I'm happy to walk through it.
