Audiovisual and production coordination
Event technician briefing pack
Technicians arrive on the morning with a quote and a floor plan, and the programme details are still in other people's emails.
Opens WhatsApp with a draft you can edit before sending. Nothing is sent automatically.
The short answer
A technician briefing pack is a short set of documents sent to the AV supplier, stage crew and venue technical contact before load-in. It gives them the running order, cues, contacts, content rules, load-in times and open questions in one version.
The organiser compiles the pack and keeps it current. The technicians use it to plan their own work and tell the organiser what is missing.
What goes in the pack
| Item | Source document |
|---|---|
| Event summary: purpose, audience, venue, rooms, dates | Your event brief |
| Running order with times, speakers and formats | Run of show |
| Cue-by-cue list with who calls each cue | Stage cue sheet |
| Rehearsal and test times | Rehearsal schedule |
| Load-in and load-out times, access, delivery slots | Load-in planner |
| Content list, deadlines and version rule | Playback asset register |
| Responsibility map and sign-off owners | Production responsibility map |
| Contact list with phone numbers on the day | Organiser, stage manager, venue, suppliers |
| Known open questions | Issue log |
What technicians usually ask for
- Who has the final say on the day when two requests conflict.
- Which speakers have special needs: remote, interpreter, wheelchair access to the stage, a pre-recorded segment.
- Whether the venue has noise, access, lift or time restrictions, as the venue confirmed in writing.
- Where the stage manager sits and how they communicate with the AV desk.
- What happens when the programme runs late: who may cut and who may add.
How to send it
- Send a first version after quotes are agreed, then a final version at an agreed cut-off before load-in.
- Number each version and date it. Remind everyone to discard old copies.
- Ask each supplier to reply confirming receipt and listing questions.
- Hold a short briefing call or meeting where the stage manager walks through the run of show.
- Print the final pack for the stage manager and the AV desk.
Keep the pack within its role
The pack states what the event needs and who decides. It does not instruct technicians on how to rig, wire or configure systems. Questions about power, rigging or safety are for the suppliers and the venue, and their replies should be written into the pack as confirmed answers.
Worked example · Fictional example
A conference with two rooms and three suppliers
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional professional association engages an AV supplier, a staging supplier and a recording crew. A week before load-in the secretariat sends a 12-page pack: a run of show, cue sheet, contact list, content rules and a list of three open questions.
The AV supplier replies asking who has the final say if a speaker overruns, and the staging supplier asks for the venue's delivery slot. The secretariat answers both, issues version 2 and holds a 30-minute call the day before load-in.
Use this yourself
Technician briefing pack contents checklist
Tick each item before sending, and record the version number and date.
- Version number and date on the cover page:
- Event summary, venue, rooms and dates:
- Run of show with times:
- Stage cue sheet with who calls each cue:
- Rehearsal and test times:
- Load-in and load-out times and delivery slots:
- Content list, deadlines and the version rule:
- Responsibility map and sign-off owners:
- Special needs and remote speakers:
- Contact list with day-of numbers:
- Authority on the day when requests conflict:
- Open questions with owner and date:
- Confirmation of receipt requested from each supplier:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- One venue, one AV supplier and a short programme.
- The documents already exist and need only to be combined.
- The supplier is experienced with the room and asks few questions.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several suppliers each need a different view of the programme.
- Programme changes arrive daily and versions drift apart.
- No one on your team can run a technician briefing and keep the pack current.
Want the briefing pack built and kept current?
A conference project lead can compile the pack from your run of show, cue sheet and responsibility map, send it to each supplier, track their questions, and run the briefing call. Technical design and safety answers remain with the suppliers and the venue, and are recorded in the pack as theirs.
Questions organisers ask
When should the pack be sent?
A first version after supplier quotes are agreed, and a final version at a cut-off set with the suppliers, usually several days before load-in. Ask the AV supplier what cut-off it needs.
Should the pack contain the budget?
No. Keep commercial terms in the supplier agreement. The pack covers what happens, when, and who decides.
Who should lead the briefing call?
The stage manager or programme lead, with the AV lead present. Use the call to confirm the cue list rather than to introduce it for the first time.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.