This needs to be started months in advance. Planning any event, however small or large, is a very complex and time consuming process. You need a good planning team, who know what they're talking about and know the ropes. You also need to delegate responsibilities. For an average disco/concert, you will need to have a person for each of the categories below, who has had plenty of experience with the equipment they will be using and that will get the job done, who will be in charge of each of;

·               Lighting

·               Sound

·               Stage (or DJ area)

·               Front of House (FOH)

·               Auditorium (or Dance Floor)

·               Health and Safety

·               a Fire Officer

·               Security

·               First Aid (preferably a qualified first aider)

When you have these people, you can start planning the event. Here are some helpful questions you need to address.

Things to consider in the early stages of planning;

The first three things you need to think about is when the event is going to be held, who it is for, and how many people (maximum) will you allow at your event.

Will you sell tickets before the day? Is there going to be a minimum/maximum age limit? If it’s a party for friends, can they invite their friends who you may not necessarily know? What is the maximum number of people the hall you are hiring allows? Does the hall have insurance against injuries? Are you going to allow alcohol to be consumed on the premises, and if so, are the people consuming it over the legal age? Have you thought about drugs? If there are drinks of any kind being consumed, would it be easy to clear up, and will there be people to do this? Will you have enough bouncers/security to manage the entire crowd if a fight breaks out? Would it be easy for the emergency services to enter in the unlikely event of an emergency? When are you going to rig the lights/sound/staging? Have you left enough time for this? If you have a live band, do they want a sound check? If so, when will this be?

Things to consider later on

In the event of an emergency, would it be easy to contact the emergency services? Does the hall have a fire alarm system?

Who is going to provide the music? What type of music do you want? Is your sound system big enough/too big for the hall you have in mind? Will you have to stop by a certain time in order to not disturb nearby neighbours? Who will be providing the lighting/visual effects? By law ALL lights have to have a safety chain attached to the light itself and around the lighting bar. Are you using strobes? If so, by law you have to put up signs in the foyer to your event saying that Strobe Lighting Effects will be used.

Things to consider on the day

When is who arriving to set what up? Is the staging safe? Will it fall on anyone if knocked? Similarly to speakers on stands and lighting equipment on stands. Is there a white gaffer line round the edge of the staging/steps/dark areas with ramps or steps so people will be able to see them in the dark? Are you using a smoke machine? If you are, some smoke machines set off fire alarms, in which case you will have to isolate the smoke alarms in the areas where smoke will get to. You will still have to be able to set off the fire alarm in the event of a fire, you CANNOT just turn off the entire fire alarm system. Make sure the red break switches are still in operation, even if the smoke detectors are not. ALL fire exits will have to remain clear of any obstacles, INCLUDING CHAIRS AND TABLES. If you are organising an event where the audience sit on chairs, by law there has to be a gap of at least 1 metre the whole way around the edge of the hall. Who will be there to tidy up at the end? How long will it take you?

Helpful Hints for Lighting Technicians