All posts by lscjonathan

Generators and Temporary Power for Events and Concerts

Electricity: without it, nothing could happen easily. Your event needs power for anything to work. Tent lighting, sound systems, catering equipment, phone chargers, fans/misters, point-of-sales, video screens- all need power. If the event is outdoors or otherwise in a temporary location, you need safe, reliable power distribution for all these items. Of course, this doesn’t mean running orange extension cords out of the window of a nearby building. Reliable power is required for your event to run smoothly. Temporary power enables your event to take place in any venue without concerns about power outages. Sometimes you are bringing in generators specifically because you have a power outage.

Generators

45 kva quiet run diesel generator is delivered to provide temporary power for an event in Richmond VA — A 45kw quiet run generator provides additional power for an event taking place at the Siegel Center in Richmond, VA

There are several reasons you might need a generator for your event. If your venue is in a field, under a tent, far from a building, or even in a building but electrical service is insufficient, a portable generator is the easiest way to supply your power needs. Common sizes run from 1-kw all the way up to 220-kw to supply even the largest concert or major event.

Quiet-Run Generators

A generator that sounds like a lawn mower might be distracting from your event. Ensure your power supplier uses only quiet run generators for event power. Small Honda units (aka putt-putts) are great for lighter needs and are fairly quiet. These can sit nearby wedding tents without bothering guests. However, as the generator gets larger (to supply greater power needs) it doesn’t need to get louder. Trailer-mounted units can supply larger power needs. Certain mega-silent units have extensive sound abatement treatments and are so quiet you can stand next to it and not know it is running.

A portable quiet-run generator and mobile stage are set up for an event — A mega-silent generator will not distract from the main event, even when placed nearby

Reliability and Runtime

Of course a generator provides no value at your event if it stops running. You want to ensure your guests have a seamless experience at your event. An electrical failure will certainly be noticed by all in attendance. To prevent this from happening, a professional power supplier will take many precautions. These include performing maintenance on schedule, monitoring performance telematics remotely, having a technician remain onsite, using two units in parallel or with transfer switch, refueling in advance of empty, and having additional equipment on standby ready to roll out 24 hours a day. A generator company dedicated to perfect events will offer to do all of these items. Some of these come with additional cost while some are included with standard rental price. Be sure to discuss your exact needs and requirements with your power supplier.

Most trailer-mount generators carry enough fuel on board to run constantly for a day or two without requiring refueling, and external fuel tanks are available to increase runtime.

Temporary Power Distribution

With a generator that can supply upwards of 100 amps, there needs to be a safe electrical system to distribute power where it is needed. Feeder cable runs from the generator to portable distribution panels. From there, single or multi circuit cables run from these panels to supply the electrical needs around a venue. There are many variations of panels and cable to suit every event’s unique needs. With a tented wedding, you might drop a spider box at the catering area and for the band. For a larger stage concert, a larger distro or dimmer racks will be placed on stage and socopex multicable ran to the stage lighting positions. For tradeshow booths, a 3-circuit cable with quad box outlets every 10 feet might be used.

Equally important is getting an estimate of the electrical loads so the proper size of equipment can be used. In addition, a qualified technician should specify the distribution equipment so that there is no risk of overload.

Cable Ramps (Crossovers)

Generators provide power for a special event. Cords cross a roadway inside cable ramps protected from vehicle traffic — Cable Ramps (cable crossovers) provide protection where vehicles or pedestrians must cross power cables and allow generators to be located out of the way

A concern with temporary power is that there will be a lot of wires. It’s usually not feasible to hide the wires inside walls or under surfaces. The best power suppliers will take care to run cables out of the way or overhead as much as possible. However, there are many times cases where wires have to cross a walkway. In these cases it is imperative that you use cable ramps to protect attendees and equipment. You might also hear these called yellow jackets or cable crossovers. Additionally, some styles can accommodate the weight of heavy vehicles so you can run cables across a roadway. If heavy foot traffic or accessibility is a concern, you can use ADA cable ramps with very minor slope.

Electrical Consultation

There are a number of considerations when ensuring your event wont shut down due to lack of power. Fortunately, at The Lighting & Sound Co, we have years of experience supplying power for events of all size. We have handled power needs for hundreds of concerts, food truck rodeos, tradeshows, campgrounds, tented events, weddings and other unusual setups. And we know that sometimes you need a generator immediately to resolve a power outage. We can help on an emergency basis with rapid response. We work exclusively with our friends at Temp-Power Generator Rentals to get only top-of-the-line equipment anywhere, anytime it is needed.

Get in touch with us and assure a perfect event by leaving power distribution to the professionals. Give us a call at 804-893-5066 or send an email to events@lightingandsoundco.com and we will do what it takes to power your event.

6 Common Event AV Mistakes to Avoid

At The Lighting & Sound Company, we have been involved with thousands of events. While most events result in positive experiences for all, there is often opportunity to make the event even better. We see some missed opportunities for improvement frequently enough. Here are six of the most common Event AV Mistakes we see. Take note and use these tips to improve your next event!

Bad Sound

Effective sound reinforcement can make or break your event. Nothing will leave your attendees with a bad feeling about the event more than not being able to hear a presenter speak or performer sing. There are many aspects that contribute to good event sound. Microphone choice, speaker placement, venue construction, weather, and distance can all have impacts on the ability of attendees to hear. Perhaps some part of the event layout prevents your av supplier from placing a speaker or mic in an ideal location. Or, the proper speakers to provide good sound comes with a price that is problematic for your budget. A quality AV company will know the right sound system to use in a venue. Sometimes the cost may seem expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for. Cheap sound systems will frequently fail to cover the venue adequately or blare feedback while your presenter has to shout to be heard in the front row.

Coordinate the Powerpoint layouts

If your event will involve video screens displaying powerpoint presentations, ask your AV company about the screen size. Modern screens and projectors will have an aspect ratio of 16:10, while older screens are 4:3. (If your av company only has 4:3 screens, this is an indicator of outdated equipment!) When creating your presentation, configure the powerpoint layout to match the screen at your event. This avoids any lost space or black bars on the sides of the screen.

Waiting to hire your AV company

Bringing in your audio-visual vendor as early as possible always has a positive impact on your event. An experienced production company will be able to point out venue challenges, suggest efficient event layout, observe power availability, verify equipment access, and related items. It is much easier to plan for any of these items or make changes long before the event, instead of the week of the event when custom items cannot be ordered or layouts cannot be adjusted. The AV vendor is one of the first to arrive for an event and is onsite for the full duration, so they have a wealth of knowledge to make recommendations that improve the event experience.

No rehearsal

You might think that since your AV company has brought the best equipment and talented technicians, nothing can go wrong during your event. While this will likely be the case, you do not want to be using a wireless mic or seeing your presentation on stage under the lights for the first time in front of your audience. Having a rehearsal allows you to get familiar with all the event technology. You can know exactly what to expect during the real event.

Using your own laptop

Using equipment you already own often seems like a great way to save some money when planning an event. Indeed, using your own laptop can be acceptable for small breakout room presentations that can be informal. However, for a full general session with many attendees and VIPs, it can be very risky to try to run the presentation from your own computer. You don’t want to be advancing the slides when suddenly your iMessage pops up a chat you’d rather keep private or the computer slows to a crawl because Windows started running updates. A professional av company will have specific presentation laptops ready to go, with all updates completed, all notifications minimized, and no unnecessary programs that could slow down the computer

Plan the load in and load out time

If you have several vendors providing services at your event, they will most likely all need to deliver materials to the jobsite. Some locations have physical limits on simultaneous access. Perhaps there is a narrow driveway, single loading dock, or small freight elevator. Or maybe the venue is doing renovations that restrict loading zones. This could present a problem if all of your vendors arrive at the same time. Frequently your AV company will need to do aerial lift work. This can be challenging if tables or drape have already been setup. Plan for separate load in/out times for all of your vendors so they don’t conflict. Also ensure that one vendor’s equipment setup will not prevent a later setup from occurring.

All in all, you will want to partner with an experienced event audio-visual production company to handle the technical aspects of your event. Let your av company’s offer tips to improve the flow of your event. Looking for a good team to work with? Give a call to The Lighting & Sound Company at 804-893-5066 and ensure a perfect event!

Lighting & Decor for The Estate at River Run

Creating classic wedding lighting designs in a new space

The Estate at River Run

Everyone in Richmond’s robust event industry is talking about the estate at River Run. In case you missed the news in Richmond business and wedding magazines, the Massey Manor in Maidens Virginia has been purchased. By this Winter, it will be in use as a wedding and event venue. Doug & Tamra Adams (Adams International School, Virginia Barn Wedding), along with one of Richmond’s most prominent planners and designers, Kim Moody Design, are the new owners. Kim will take on the role of In-House planning and design work at the New River run estate venue.

River Run Estate Event Lighting Back patio

River Run will be a high-end, corporate and wedding event venue that can serve up to 299 guests. The venue plans to be somewhat selective about their vendors. However, there is no official list as of this post. Kim Moody explains “While we would love to have vendors from all over Richmond work in [The Estate at River Run], we plan on hiring from a small list.” This will keep the property in better shape, and also create a more cohesive week-to-week game plan between vendors that are used to collaborating with each other in the beautiful space.

Our wedding lighting designers were called on to provide lighting for the inaugural event at River Run Estate. The event, a networking event for our good friends at Richmond wedding magazine, a monthly occurrence. The excitement of the new venue brought out all of Richmond’s best wedding vendors. Everyone was excited to inspect the new venue and create ideas for our Richmond brides.

The Design

Our first design at River Run used our extensive collection of powerful outdoor RGB LEDs to highlight and accent the property. The view from the back patio of the manor is perfectly framed, the sun setting perfectly over the James could not be a more picturesque moment, as the deep reds and warm pinks of the sunset blend seamlessly with our our fiery uplighting. Our wireless capabilities means that even outside, we can change the lighting to completely affect the mood. Uplighting is just the tip of the iceberg. With a space like this, anything is possible. We expect to see a lot of Uplighting, bistro lighting, pendants, chandeliers, drape and of course texture gobos to go up in this space.

Event Coordination (Everything Needed for a Perfect Event)

If you are holding anything more than the smallest gathering, you probably have a few vendors providing event services. As your event increases in scale, you may suddenly be coordinating with tens (or hundreds) of suppliers. If your event has multiple dates or locations, your vendors multiply!

This is where it becomes helpful to get as many services as possible from your suppliers. A single company that provides many related services will be of great help. A company that has contacts with every local event-related business can additionally coordinate other tangentially-related services for you.

The Japanese Garden lake is filled with reflections of glowing trees — Large events require careful planning and expert execution.

Event Coordination is a full-time job!

Imagine an outdoor wedding. You’ve decided who will attend, where to have it and, who will provide catering. But now you have to sort through tent rentals, DJ services, tables and chairs, decor, and lighting. Suppose you handle all of that only to get to your special day and be told that the caterer tripped the only circuit. Now your DJ can’t play and your guest’s can’t see in your tent.

Consider a large concert event. Your band demands a huge stage with a bunch of instruments (backline) and you have 8000 people coming who need to hear the band. The show goes into the evening so the stage needs to be lit up, and the venue has no electrical power. You need fencing to channel the attendees where they need to go, and security staff to make sure there is no trouble. Portable restrooms and parking lot lighting are of course required, as well as illumination for vendor tents…

LSC Production Manager Jonathan Coordinates Generators with Temp-Power

Associated Event Services

Enter The Lighting & Sound Co. After being onsite for thousands of events, we know everyone in town who provides top-quality event services. We also have partners nationwide to assist with rare requests or distance events. It helps that we are often one of the first to arrive and last to leave. We can either provide what you need or know the best providers in the area. Make one call and let us handle your event technology needs, so you can focus on other aspects.

We will be glad to provide lighting, sound, AV, drape, and coordinate the best mobile stages, generators, band backline, tents, security fencing, multi-site logistics, and anything else you would rather not have on your plate. Rest assured that we vet all of our event partners and only work with vendors who offer the same top quality standards and reliability we are known for.

The best event partners make for smooth events

If you need assistance with event technology or other event services, get in touch and we’ll be glad to assist. (804) 893-5066 or events@lightingandsoundco.com

Want to learn more about event technology? Check out one the articles below!

Best Wedding Lighting Company bistro at hotel john marshall

Best Wedding Lighting Company & How to Find it

How to Find the Best Wedding Lighting Company for You.

Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. It’s no secret that wedding lights are extremely important when you are planning for the best moments of your life. Proper lighting can easily affect the mood and make the entire event much more enjoyable. To suit that, you want to make sure you hire the best wedding lighting company possible for your date. But what makes a lighting company great?

There are many things that come immediately to mind when you think about what you want from a company. We put together a list of some of the most important facets of a lighting company, so that you can be sure you choose the best wedding lighting company available.

best wedding lighting company richmond virginia tredegar

Doing your homework: Check the Testimonials

It isn’t uncommon for couples to meet with each of their vendors once, or even not at all. In the digital age, you can usually find out everything that you need about your vendors online. The easiest way to find out what you need to know about a wedding lighting company is to check their google reviews.

While not all couples will leave a review for their vendor, couples that have bad experiences almost always do. Sub 4 star reviews are warning signs that you should at the very least read. You will also want to check for the number of reviews, a low number means a less experienced company. Aim for above 50 good reviews to get a vendor you know you can trust.

Finally, check reviews for their legitimacy. Ensure the accounts reviewing have other similar reviews that make sense for their profile. Many small companies will only receive reviews from friends and employees, double-check for this. The best wedding lighting company will have the best reviews, reading them will give you insight into what kind of experience you can expect from the company. Which brings us to our next point…

Don’t get bamboozled! Read 6 Lies Your Wedding Vendors May Be Telling You.

Responsiveness is Key

If you’re vendor is not responsive at first, it’s only going to get worse once you make your deposit. The quickness with which a company responds is often directly correlated to the level of service you’ll get from that wedding vendor. Vendors that respond quickly take their first interaction with their clients as seriously as their final product.

When a vendor replies to you quickly it tells you two things.

That vendor takes your time seriously
That vendor has the organization and staff available to have an employee available to respond to you.

The best wedding lighting company may be a tough competition, but every serious wedding vendor should be responding to you within 24 hours.

LED outdoor uplighting events — The best wedding lighting company will have the best portfolio, customer service, and equipment.

Getting the Highest Quality

If you’re a bit later in the planning process, you’re used to hearing a few buzzwords so much you probably want to forget they exist.

Quality
Affordable
State-of-the-art
Specialists
Some combination of these

Who wants to hear a company talk about how good they are? They should be able to easily prove it!
The best wedding lighting company will have a huge portfolio of high quality images. Get as many pictures of you can of a companies work, try to find the pictures that they aren’t catering to you. Getting a picture or two of your specific venue is nice, but the best wedding lighting company can work anywhere. Ask for general pictures of work, outside of just the ones for your venue. You may end up getting inspired along the way.

Need the best wedding party rentals? Check out our friends at Party Perfect!

Using Vendor Referrals to get the Best Wedding Lighting Company

We use referrals every day to decide what to buy, but how do you trust someone with money in the game? The short answer: It’s going to be difficult. More often than not, vendors will refer you to other vendors that they have a lot of experience working with. Most of the time, this is because vendors like recommending people they know will be professional and easy to work with on their side. However, sometimes those same vendors are in on the take!

Beware of preferred vendor lists. Definitely check out the vendors on them and do your own homework, but venue recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt. Often, venues charge to let vendors onto their lists, or take in commission on the referral. Taking a referral from a company getting paid to give it is never a good policy!

Picking the Best Wedding Lighting Company for Your Wedding’s Style

Many wedding companies are lifestyle companies and micro businesses. Hiring companies like this is a great way to get a unique style and feel to your wedding, but often can be quite limiting. While you might be in love with a style when you book it, your feelings might change. For a small company, a change like this can be catastrophic. The smaller the scale of a lighting company, the harder it is for it to stomach any kind of last minute problems, change, or charges.

Picking a well-managed full-size production company is the best way to ensure your lighting vendor can perform to your exact standards.

Pin Spots for Weddings & Events

If you’re planning a gala-style event, with seated dining or low-light ambiance, you’re probably considering using pin spots. Pin spotting (pins, table spotting) is the use of a narrow-beamed light to illuminate centerpieces, tables, and other important decor elements. Many people incorrectly refer to pin spotting as “spotlighting,” which is a different lighting service.

Illuminating Flower Arrangements & Floral Decor with Pin Spotting

Pin spots are most florist’s favorite light. That’s because when florists and lighting companies work together, pin spots are often what comes up. Along with a host of other uses, pins are one of the best ways to illuminate your floral centerpieces.

Need more than pin spots? Here are 7 Things Your Need to Know About Wedding Lighting.

There is no such thing as the best angle for a pin spot. Technicians place lights at various angles to create dramatic shadows, great for a moody feel and less detailed centerpieces. They can also be placed so that the centerpiece is completely and evenly lit. This is great for detailed florals and topiaries. Unfortunately, often venue, budget or both prevent optimal placement of pin spots. A lighting company with any kind of skill will work around this by using ground-support options and a diverse range of pin spotting options.

As with any lighting or decor item, the sky is the limit. Keep it simple with a warm-white 2-angle wash, or get creative with some of the customization options below.

Pin Spots Customization

Color – Pins are typically white or warm white, but a well-equipped event lighting company will have LED lights that can change to your specified color.
Angle – Different types of supports can be brought in to place your lights at the angle of your choosing
Diffusion – While they typically have a 1 degree angle, pins can diffuse anywhere from 1(narrow) to 40(wide) degrees.
Intensity – The intensity of your lights can be controlled so that they don’t overpower other natural lighting or design effects.

Pin spotting 1 angle vs 2 angle pins — 2 angles vs 1 angle
Some florists, such as The Flow Guy Bron (pictured on top), need 2 angle pin spotting more than others!

Getting the most out of your pin spots

When you talk to your lighting company, make sure you come well-informed. Most companies will charge per table for pins. In most situations, two spots are required per centerpiece, to get total coverage so ensure that’s what you’re getting.

Why use pins? Click the pin spot function on our color picker app, and you can see the difference that they make!

Have more questions? Reach out and speak with one of our event designers.

lighting and decor room transformation greek wedding

Total Room Transformation With Lighting & Decor FAQ

Transforming Your Event Space with Lighting & Decor

Completely transforming spaces is a major part of what lighting & decor companies do. As lighting & decor specialists, we are often asked to transform event spaces in varying degrees. There are many tools that we use to make a space go from drab to dream. Lighting and drape are among the most popular resources we use to transform event venues, but there are so many more options. To clear up some common confusion, we asked our design experts to answer some common questions.

Backyard wedding lighting and decor tent bistro lighting

How can I use my backyard for my wedding?

Pretty easily, actually. While tents are always a good back-up plan for weather, a tent isn’t needed for your backyard wedding. Waterproof uplighting can light up your backyard and turn it into a magical event space. Portable lamp posts can be a quick and easy option to provide area lighting. Classic edison bistro lighting is a fantastic option for covering large spaces, and it can be hung several different ways. Ground supports can suspend bistro lighting over your backyard. Learn more about those services by checking out our catalog.

Suggested Lighting & Decor Services for Backyard Weddings

Bistro Lighting
Outdoor Uplighting
Chandeliers
Pendants
Lamp Posts
Mini Lights

The Bottom Line: If you have the space, having a wedding in your backyard is both very common and totally possible with portable lighting services.

Can I use lighting and drape to transform a basketball court for my wedding?

Working in gyms is very similar to working in a conference center or hotel. Unfinished ceilings mean plenty of rigging points, making it easy to hang lighting such as pin spots, texture gobos, or wash lights above your event. The walls of a gym can be totally, or partially draped to cover up ugly paint and textures. Dropping in chandeliers just above your guests will provide both a beautiful decor effect and a practical lighting one.

Suggested Lighting & Decor Services for Church Gyms

Chandeliers
Pendants
Pin Spotting
Uplighting
Drape
Lighting Wash
Texture Gobos

The Bottom Line: With the proper lighting design and drape look, any room can be transformed into a beautiful event space.

My event is in the middle of nowhere, can I still have lighting?

Along with a huge collection of battery-powered uplights, we also can bring in any sized generator to pretty much any location. Skilled technicians will run power for lighting, your DJ, and event your caterer, while keeping hazardous cables out of pathways and neatly out of site.
Battery-powered pin-spots are almost standard now, so there is no location where lighting is out of the question.

Suggested Lighting & Decor Services for Remote Events

Battery Pin Spotting
Battery Uplighting
Drape
LED Bistro Lighting
Generators
Power Distribution

The Bottom Line: Portable generators and battery lighting make remote events a piece of cake.

Have more questions? Reach out and speak with one of our event designers.

Staunton Pride Festival – Stage/Audio Production

Staunton, Virginia is known for its vibrant and diverse arts communityand historic main street area. So it’s no surprise that they hold an annual Pride Festival in support of acceptance in the Shenandoah Valley.

The Lighting & Sound Co, being no strangers to street festival production services, was involved at the early stages of festival planning to assist event promoter LGBT Technology Partnership with a mobile stage and audio reinforcement services for the Pride Festival.

We provided a Stageline SL100 mobile stage, which at 24 ft wide by 20 ft deep was the perfect size to fit in a downtown street. Furthermore, we installed a full banner kit on the stage, increasing the visibility and impact of the stage. Due to restrictions on street closures, the 1 hour setup of the mobile stage was critical for this event. Stageline mobile stages, complete with engineering documentation, easily satisfied the fire marshal’s pre-event inspection.

An LSC audio engineer operates the sound system at Staunton Pride Festival

Hanging from the stage’s built-in speaker rigging points was a DB Technologies T12 line array. We paired this with S30N subs on the ground for suitable low-end. Stage lighting consisting of Chauvet Colordash H12IP (waterproof in case of rain) was also provided. This illuminated the stage during the evening headline performance by Virginia-native Catey Shaw. Event attendees could hear performances away from the stage with delay speakers placed at the end of the block.

We’re always happy to support the LGBTQIA community with quality event production services, and this Pride Festival was no different. We are looking forward to continuing our support of this annual event!

11 Things Your Lighting Company Will Need to Know About Your Event

A guide for event planners, coordinators, and brides.

1. Where

It almost goes without saying, but you’d be surprised how many folks don’t lead with the location of their event. Production companies need to know the location of the venue for multiple reasons. The primary reason is knowing the layout of the venue. This helps with costing services and knowing what will work in the space. Any kind of custom design needs exact dimensions, so being able to get a look at the venue is often crucial to the success of the design team.

2. When

Why your lighting company knowing the exact date is important

Lighting companies also need to know when your event is. It isn’t unusual for a lighting company to book events several months, or even a year in advance. While most lighting companies can service multiple events in a day, every company has its capacity. An exact date is the only way to determine for sure that equipment and labor resources will be available for your event. Try to make sure that this information is included in your initial request for services.

Why you need to get your lighting company an up-to-date schedule.

Lighting equipment can sometimes take longer than anything else to set up. Lighting companies have a pretty good idea of how long a service will take based on past experience. They use this information to get the most out of their equipment and crew during a somewhat lopsided work week. Corporate events and meetings often happen during the week. However, a large majority of events take place on the weekends. Lighting companies service all types of events year-round, but most event companies see a huge boost in activity during the fall season. This leaves them with a large amount of events, all happening at once. Because of this, event companies keep schedules that can be very tight. It is important to update all of your vendors with any schedule changes, to prevent any issues.

3. Event Type/Theme

After providing lighting services for thousands of events, we’ve learned a couple things. We like to handle different types of events differently, and with the care they deserve. Because of this, we’ve developed several departments that specialize in different event areas. It’s useful to know early on what type of event we’re dealing with so that we can get it in the hands of the right event expert. Chances are, we’ve dealt with a very similar event, and can call upon that knowledge when designing your event.

4. Total Attendance

Knowing total attendance is important for a few reasons. For a simple wedding in a hotel ballroom, your production company probably doesn’t need to know this information. But for larger events, especially where there’s sound involved, be sure to mention this number. More people not only create more background noise that the system needs to project over, they also obstruct the sound by physically being there. Knowing how many people will be there helps audio technicians bring the correct equipment. This ensures that your event audio will be heard loud and clear.

6. Power Requirements/Availability

Your lighting company needs to know more than just the power available at the venue; they also need to know what other vendors expect to use it. Caterers often require a large amount of power for heaters, and appliances such as coffee makers or food warmers. Many large-scale coffee makers require an entire circuit to themselves. In fact, everyone from the DJ to the photo booth could require power. Insufficient electrical availability could mean an important aspect of your event might go dark or without power.

7. Onsite AV or Lighting Technician

For some events, lighting is basically just a decor item. The lighting team will unload, set up the lighting, and take off. For events with simple uplighting, drape, or string lighting, this is the way to go. Although a technician is not always needed, some event coordinators prefer to have one standing by for the very rare chance that something goes wrong. However, if anything has to change during the event, you will need onsite staff. This includes everything from tying up drape pieces into gathers, to changing the color of the uplighting. The cost of this will depend on the length of time that the tech is needed, but work calls usually have four-hour minimums.

8. Service Needs

The more you can let your lighting company know about your needs, the better. You can save a lot of time by preparing a list of the exact services you need, and the details of each service. Ultimately, many people don’t have this information in the early stages of even planning. If this is the case, save time by making this clear to all of your vendors, so you can avoid them fishing for the information.

9 . Load In Procedure

More often than not, your lighting company will already be familiar with the venue. But for unusual event spaces or private residences, it’s important that an information sheet with any relevant rules and procedures is generated not only for your lighting company, but for all of your other vendors as well. Ideally, your lighting company won’t be loading in at the same time as other vendors.

10. Parking

Parking is something that many people take for granted. Venues in urban areas can often have parking that is quite limited. Some event setups can take anywhere from four to eight hours, so it’s important to think about where your vendors are going to park during this time. Most lighting companies drive extended vans or box trucks, so keep in mind that there may need to be more room than usual for them to park.

11. Venue Rules

As an event planner, you are often the center of communication between other vendors. The venue is no exception. While many venues are proactive and reach out to all vendors to provide information, every experience varies. It’s important to pass any essential information down the line to your vendors. Often, the venues expect this, and rely on planners and coordinators to pass information along to vendors.

If you want to learn more about lighting, The Lighting & Sound Co. offers tons of resources for people of all knowledge levels. Reach out by phone or e mail to speak to a pro.

5 Reasons a Mobile Stage is Perfect for Your Event

When you’re planning an outdoor show or concert, the last thing you want to worry about is staging issues. The common options these days are a stage built of small decks that can be carried by a person, and a mobile stage trailer which sets up mechanically. Mobile stages offer many advantages over a traditional riser or Bil-jax deck stage, and help to ensure a successful outcome for your event.

Stageline SL320 mobile stage is setup for Punk in Drublic music festival in Richmond, VA — Stageline SL320 mobile stage is setup for Punk In Drublic music festival

Mobile Stage Means Safety

An event that is safe for attendees and performers is everyone’s first concern. You can be assured the stage production is secure by using a mobile stage. Engineered to withstand up to 110 mph winds, a Stageline mobile stage will remain standing even in the event of a hurricane. Ballast or ground anchors are not required to achieve this level of wind resistance. Additionally, the roof is engineered to safely support heavy loads of production lighting and sound equipment.

Setup Time

In certain locations, such as street festivals, there isn’t much time to set up before the event begins and the area must be cleared rapidly after the attendees leave. Traditional deck stages and roof systems can take hours or days to setup and takedown. The smaller mobile stages can arrive at a site and set up in less than 45 minutes. This means your stagehand labor costs are kept to a minimum. And if the site or venue has time restrictions, a mobile stage is the only choice.

Promotional Banners

An SL100 mobile stage with full banner kit is set up for Staunton Pride Festival — Stageline SL100 mobile stage with full banner kit is set for Staunton Pride Festival

All mobile stages are designed to easily hang large printed banners. Promotional banners greatly increase the impact and memory of an event. In addition, they present an easy opportunity for you to sell event sponsorships. Compared to a traditional stage setup, you don’t need any additional structures for hanging banners. And, the mobile stage wind rating includes the use of banners! Every stage looks better when flanked by colorful banners.

Small Footprint

Stageline SL260 is setup for event in Petersburg VA, showing view from the rear of the stage — Stageline SL260 showing minimal space requirements on sides and rear

Many stage roofs need space around them for ground anchoring or outrigger legs. A Stageline SL-100, with 24 by 20 ft stage size, requires no outriggers or guy lines on any side. Because of this, the audience can get right up to the front, with no sightline obstructions. You can pack the side areas with vendors or tourbuses since no ballast obstructs that space. Do you need to set up on a two-lane city street without blocking the sidewalk? This is not a problem for a mobile stage.

All-in-one Solution

When you use a mobile stage at your event, you get a secure elevated platform, a roof covering, and optional rainproof windwalls. Your AV production company can easily hang sound and lighting equipment from the mobile stage with low effort, meaning less cost for these items. No need for separate stage, roof, and lighting supports, which reduces costs. The technical elements are installed before the stage raises up, avoiding costs of boom lift rental. All in all, if you are holding an outdoor performance, a mobile stage should be at the top of your list.

GET IN TOUCH