April Power Lunch Recap

ISES Dallas’ April 14^th Power Lunch Re-cap

By Melanie Goodwin; Program Manager at Ultimate Ventures

“Hear No Evil, See No Evil”

Last Wednesday Hyacinth Belcher (President of Onstage Systems) presented ISES Dallas members and guests with a wealth of information on audio, visual and technical production. After enjoying a delicious boxed lunch from Gil’s Elegant Catering (the chicken salad was heavenly!) we all grabbed a seat in the Onstage warehouse for an informal educational session on the essential – though sometimes underappreciated – technical aspects of events.

I’m not a “techie” by any means; but I still found the information she delivered accessible, interesting and very applicable for a large variety of event professionals. Here are a few of the more interesting bits of knowledge Hyacinth shared with us:

Share as many event details with your Technical Production company as possible so that they can give you an accurate, customized quote.

• How many guests will be in attendance? Will they all be there at once or will the event be “on a flow”?
• Where is the event? Is it indoors or outdoors? A ballroom, football field, warehouse or museum?
• When is the event? Daytime or night time?
• What is the theme/feel of the event?
• Is there a stage? If so how big is it (height, width, depth and height of ceiling above the stage) and where will it be located?
• Can you rig from the ceiling or does everything have to be ground supported?

All of this information seems obvious but is often overlooked by planners when requesting technical production quotes.

Don’t forget technical equipment and consoles/control stations when diagramming your event.

• Speakers and amplifiers take up space and can block sight lines if not “flown” (hung) from the ceiling. Be sure to allow space for them on the stage or on separate sound wings and seat guests so that no one is stuck staring at a speaker stack all night.
• Lighting and sound technicians usually need to be located in the center of the room so that they get a clear view of the stage and hear what the majority of your audience is hearing. (Fifty to one hundred and fifty feet from the stage is usually a good rule of thumb, depending on the size of the event space) If you stick the technical crew in a back corner they won’t be able to accurately judge volume and clarity during the event.
• The further back you place the technical console the more equipment you need. Cables (aka “snakes”) must be used to connect the stage and equipment to the console and every cable must be covered for safety. The further your console is the more ugly cables you’ll have “snaking” their way across or around your beautiful event space!
• If you put the cameramen in the back of the room you will need to rent a higher end camera with a stronger lens which can result in additional costs.
• When planning outdoor events remember to include tents with side walls for protecting sensitive – and valuable - technical equipment. You can never be too careful! One drop of rain or giant gust of wind could derail your entire event.

Technical equipment may not be pretty – but it is essential for a successful event. If you must mask the equipment let your technical producer know. They can provide you with ideas for hiding equipment without affecting sound quality or equipment performance.

Great technical production can take an event from ordinary to extraordinary – but poorly planned or executed technical production can ruin even the most elaborate of events. Select a reputable company, share as much with them as possible and remember to work technical equipment into your plan and you’ll have an event that shines.