Category Archives: Church Events

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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 email to speak to a pro.

church event lighting jazz show production

Church Event Lighting: Gayton Jazz Nativity

Most industries have events of one kind or another, and because of this, event lighting is in high demand. Most production companies serve a wide range of clients. One of the larger groups among those are churches. There are thousands of churches in the state of Virginia alone, and we provide production services to many of them.

 

 

Event production for a good cause

We are enjoying our third year working with Gayton Church in Henrico, Virginia. Each year, Gayton Church auditions members from their talented congregation to take part in their Christmas jazz show, Jazz Nativity. Jazz Nativity is in it’s 10th year, and features popular Christmas music, fused with both original and classic jazz pieces. The show benefits Feed My Starving Children, a charity devoted to providing meals to malnourished and impoverished children in 3rd world countries. To date, Jazz Nativity has funded more than 1.2 million meals, which are packed right in the gym of the church on Super Bowl Sunday.

 

Church event lighting jazz nativity

Jazz Nativity 2016, our first year with Gayton Church. Picture by Katelyn James.

Now in it’s 10th year, Jazz Nativity continues to grow

Jazz Nativity has come a long way. As it has grown, the need for production has expanded. When we began with Gayton Church, we set up for the show in the church’s sanctuary. After our first year running production, it became clear that there was need for a bigger space. We helped prepare the (much larger) gym for Jazz Nativity 2017. By moving to the gym, we were able to make the show a lot bigger. The gym is more than 4 times larger, which allows for more stage space and more capacity. Much needed for a show that sells out 5 dates every year.

 

Church gym lighting jazz nativity

After 8 years, Jazz Nativity moves to a larger space. Jazz Nativity 2017. Picture by Katelyn James.

 

Keeping with an intimate feel

One of the best parts of the show is the intimate feel, and with the move to the gym, we were sure to keep that in mind. It’s a little harder to keep things intimate with an audience of over 700. Bistro lighting works great for this. Mainly, it replaces the cold, harsh lights of the gym. It also helps to bring the focus in closer to the audience.

 

Church lighting

Jazz Nativity director David Esleck.

 

Jazz Nativity is directed by Dr. David Esleck, a Grammy Award nominee, and music faculty at University of Richmond. Esleck’s compositions, both jazz and classical, are heard in concerts, films, and television. 

 

Jazz Nativity 2018 church lighting production christmas

Jazz Nativity 2018. Picture by Katelyn James

 

Jazz Nativity now has more lighting and scenic elements than ever

For 2018, we stepped up our lighting and fabrication for the show. In addition to adding more moving lights, we changed the scenic elements as well. We used with Vacuform castle rock scenic pieces against black velour as a backdrop, which helped give the show a warm, intimate feel.

 

More pictures from Katelyn James below.

 

 

Event AV: Who should I hire?

Things to know before hiring event AV

If you’re interested in working with an AV company for your event, there are a couple things you should know before you start the hiring process.

  1. What is the goal of your event?
    • Before you contact your the company you want to do your event AV, make sure you know what you want your event to be. Will it be a educational presentation? Will it be an engaging activity? Different equipment can drastically change how the event feels.
  2. What are your needs vs. wants for the event?
    • Your basic needs may be a screen, projector, a few speakers, and a microphone, but adding small details will go a long way to help your audience stay engaged. Lighting, drape, projection mapping, and much more can all help make your event unique and fun. It’s up to you to decide how important everything on your list is, especially when budget is on the line.
  3. How big is your event?
    • The size of the venue and the amount of people in the room can call for a wide range of equipment needed for the event. The dimensions of the room and the head-count should be enough for a technician to know what is required.

The Elby's at Main Street Station in Richmond, VA

2 screens, face-light, and a PA flying from truss at Main St. Station in Richmond, VA

Choosing an Event AV company

After you know your plan, the next step is to choose an event AV company. The most important job of an audio visual company is to provide solutions, not products. Instead of trying to sell you equipment, they should look at your goals and needs and provide the answers that will result in a successful event. Many companies will use the same equipment, so you should make your choice based on how knowledgeable they are and how their solution fits into your budget.

Event AV and lighting for a church event

Event AV can help to make your presentations unique, lighting backdrops are very versatile

The Lighting & Sound Company is a full event production company, not just an Event AV company. Maybe you need just a TV for a presentation, or maybe you need a full stage with a velour backdrop, projectors and screens, key lighting for a speaker, and a PA system. Allow us to make sure your event is perfect.

Lighting Company Richmond Virginia Cover

Lighting Company: Do you need one?

Why do I need a lighting company?


So you’re planning an event and wondering if you should hire a lighting company? If you want your event to have a visual impact, chances are you should! If you already know you need lighting, hiring pros is the way to go. Professional lighting companies have experience and rugged equipment that will ensure your event runs smoothly. They also have the knowledge to handle unexpected issues. Lighting companies hire designers that can work with you to achieve your vision. If you can’t picture what you want, designers can help find the lighting that best suits your event. Lighting will affect every aspect of your event, so if you want to stand out, hire a pro.

Lighting company truss rigging

Lighting companies like The Lighting & Sound Co. field trained and experienced crews for coordinated event setup.


What kind of events should I hire a lighting company for?

Every company is different. Some companies work exclusively on weddings. Some work exclusively on concerts. Companies like The Lighting & Sound Co. are made up of many different departments that service any type of event. This can include, but isn’t limited to: concerts, weddings, corporate events, sports events, conferences, meetings and galas.

bistro wedding lighting john marshall ballrooms

Experienced crews like The Lighting & Sound Company can service any type of event.

 

Where can I find lighting companies in my area?

The Lighting & Sound Company is based in Richmond, Virginia, but services the continental United States. You can also check sources like Richmond Weddings for more wedding lighting information.

Lighting company setup at VCU

An LSC tech sets up for a concert at VCU’s Siegel Center.

What should I look for when hiring a lighting company?

You should hire a lighting company the same way you buy anything else. That is to say: do your research. Don’t just believe what companies tell you- verify it. Since most professional production companies maintain social media accounts, be sure to check those out. Ensure that the company you hire has up-to-date pictures and reviews proving what they are capable of. You want a company that responds to you quickly. One of your vendors is taking a while to get back? That’s probably not the vendor you want on the day of your event. 

Jazz Nativity Lighting

We just wrapped up this year’s run of Jazz Nativity with Gayton Church. This is our second year providing production for this amazing performance that benefits Feed My Starving Children. Every year our team looks forward to working with this group of talented performers.

Some pictures below taken by Katelyn James. The full collection can be found on her blog.