A day in the life of the production team for a one-day event, where we are supplying one of our trailer stages, along with a PA system and stage lighting.

Generally, we load our vans and trucks the day before an event, so on the day, we only have to arrive at the warehouse about half an hour before we have to leave. 

We then double check our packing list to ensure everything has been loaded. We’ll make sure the vehicles and generators are fuelled and we’ll complete our walk around check. If trailers are being taken, we’ll hook up and prepare to leave.

Depending on the location of the event, we may need to travel the day before to comply with truck driving regulations and working hours, because safety comes first. 

The sound team will set up the main front of house speakers and position all of the on-stage monitor speakers, then start placing mic stands where they are needed. The sound engineer will position the main mixing console in a tent (normally about 20 metres in front of the stage) and start assigning which microphones and sound sources to which channels on the mixing console. They will then communicate this to the sound crew on stage to start plugging microphones into the right channels.

Once these are all plugged in, we test each channel, one at a time, and do preliminary sound checks on them. 

By this time the stage team have normally moved on the finalising the lighting for the stage. Our trailer stages come pre-rigged with a basic lighting rig, so the team will test this and add any additional lighting effects that the customer has requested.

We are then ready for the first acts to arrive. It’s not uncommon for performers to arrive, setup and go straight on. Our experienced team are ready for this and can handle the high pressure of getting a balanced sound within the first few minutes of a performance. But if the time allows, we will try to sound check bands before the event opens to the public, for a nice, polished sound for show time.

During the show the sound engineer makes sure it sounds amazing, and the lighting operator makes the stage looks stunning. The rest of the team are there to help with the performers and ensure the event runs smoothly.

At the end of the show, we do everything in reverse. There can be a lot of cabling to pack up, but we always put everything back in the flight cases as tidy as we found it, because believe it or not, the same system and even the same crew could be out at another event the very next day.