We thought we’d give you the upper hand by letting you know what they are so that you can avoid them when planning your next event. We’ve broken it down into general mistakes and then stage specific because that is our speciality after all.

Not having the right licence for the size of event:

When organising events, you need to check with your local authority which licences you need. PRS, PLL, PLI, TENS, Premises License, market licence to name but a few. If you don’t have these in place and authorised before the event you might find yourself limited on what you legally do at the event.

For example without a PRS and PLL, you won’t be able to play any music. Without a Premises Licence you may not be able to hold the event at all. Without a TENS you won’t be able to sell alcohol or hold regulated entertainment. Without a market licence you won’t be able to have stalls. Be sure to check with your local authority on what licences they require and ensure you complete each application with plenty of time.

Not having the right security personnel and fencing to comply with the licence:

Ensuring you are running a safe event is crucial. Be sure to check any requirements from your licences and for extra info on provision required for the size of your event the HSE website and the Purple Guide are a great resource.



Not getting power requirements from every trader (Some turn up just expecting to plug in):

Your event has just started, and your power goes down. One of your stall holders has just plugged in and tripped the whole system because it’s overloaded. To avoid this, make sure you collect all information from stall holders beforehand. How much power do they require, what are they plugging in, where are they situated on your floor plan. Can your system cope with all the requests. But be strict, if a trader has told you their requirement in advance and they turn up wanting more, then make it clear they can’t, by ensuring you have their agreed requirement in writing on the day. If you don’t know or understand power requirements you can hire a power management company, like us who can sort this all for you.

Not delegating some of the work to others and trying to plan the whole event yourself:

As event organisers it does seem like the easiest and cheapest option to do things ourselves, however, we don’t always have the time or technical know-how to take it all on. It’s worth the investment to hire in people who are professionals and experts in their field to free up time and responsibility. When event organisers take on too much without knowledge it can lead to mistakes and problems that affect the whole event. 

Not budgeting for all the costs:

Events are costly so it’s important to budget everything, down to the last pack of stickers or tickets you may need. For bigger things, like the staging, it’s important to not cut corners. you may think you don't need lighting or a professional sound engineer but If you haven’t budgeted for the it, who is going to be doing that role on the day? Do they have the skills and know-how to manage it effectively? Don’t open yourself up for complaints because you haven’t budgeted for additional elements you will need.