Most corporate events do not fail on the big decisions. They fail on the small ones nobody owned. This is the checklist we work through with clients, in order.
Six to eight weeks out: venue and access
Confirm the load-in window, the access route, lift dimensions and parking in writing. A venue that closes access at six will change your entire build plan. Confirm what rigging is permitted and whether the venue has its own AV requirements you must work around.
Four weeks out: the run of show
Draft a minute-by-minute running order, even if it changes. It is the document everything else is planned from: how many microphones, how many changeovers, when the room goes dark, when the video plays. Vague programmes produce vague quotes and surprises on the day.
Three weeks out: presenters and content
Find out how many people will speak, whether they bring their own laptops, and what adapters those need. Collect slide decks early. Decide who advances slides, the presenter or a technician. This single question causes more visible fumbling on stage than any equipment failure.
Two weeks out: hybrid and recording
If any part is streamed, agree the platform, who runs it, and where the feed comes from. Take a separate clean audio feed rather than sending the room mix. Agree whether you want a recording of the whole programme as backup, which is cheap insurance.
One week out: the technical rehearsal
Book time with your actual speakers, in the actual room if possible. A rehearsal finds the problems that a plan cannot: a slide that will not display, a microphone that feeds back at the lectern position, a transition nobody has timed.
On the day: one point of contact
You should have one named producer to call, not a list of technicians. When something changes at short notice, and it will, a single owner makes the change happen instead of starting a negotiation.
Contingency worth agreeing in advance
What happens if a speaker is late, if the stream drops, if power fails? Decide the fallback before the day, in calm conditions. Every one of these has a simple answer if it is agreed early and a stressful one if it is not.
