EventKit AV equipment brief AV Equipment Brief · USD 49
The venue has 32 amps and your rig wants 47
A technical brief for the conference, written against what the building will actually give you.
This is the brief to send suppliers so their quotes are comparable. Building it against the venue's technical pack rather than against the event plan found three constraints that change the specification, and one of them would have been discovered at 07:00 on the day.
The room has a single 32 amp supply. The lighting and LED wall specification you were quoting for draws about 47 amps. Either the wall becomes projection, or you hire a generator and tell the venue, and the second option needs their permission.
Constraints
What the venue will and will not allow
| Constraint | Venue technical pack | Effect on the specification |
|---|---|---|
| Power | One 32 A three phase supply, no generator without consent | Rig must be under 32 A or get consent |
| Rigging | No ceiling rigging. Ground support only | Adds a ground support structure |
| Load-in | Goods lift, 1.8 m x 1.2 m, 500 kg | LED panels fit. Ground support frame does not |
| Access hours | From 06:00, out by 23:30 | Workable, tight for a ground support build |
| Ceiling height | 3.4 m to the lowest service | Caps screen height at about 2.6 m |
| Noise | Amplified sound from 09:00 | Sound check must be after 09:00 |
| Fixings | Nothing to walls or floor | Free standing everything |
The load-in constraint is the one that catches people. A ground support frame arrives in 4 m lengths and your only route in is a 1.8 m lift. That is answerable, and it has to be answered before a supplier quotes rather than on the morning.
Specification
The brief, two ways
| LED wall | Projection | |
|---|---|---|
| Power draw, display | About 18 A | About 4 A |
| Total rig draw | About 47 A | About 29 A |
| Fits the 32 A supply | No | Yes |
| Needs ground support | Yes | Yes, lighter |
| Load-in through a 1.8 m lift | Panels yes, frame no | Yes |
| Image in a lit room | Excellent | Needs 8,000 lumens plus |
| Indicative hire | USD 7,400 | USD 2,900 |
Projection at 10,000 lumens onto a 4.8 m screen, with the front two lighting bars dimmed during slides, gives an acceptable image in this room and fits the supply with margin. It is not as good as LED and it is the option that does not require anyone's permission.
| Category | Specification | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projection | 10,000 lumen laser, 4.8 m 16:9 fast fold | 1 | Rear projection not possible, no depth |
| Backup | Second projector, hot spare | 1 | Insist on this |
| Sound | Line array, 240 capacity, speech and playback | 1 system | Amplified from 09:00 |
| Microphones | 4 handheld, 2 lapel, 1 lectern | 7 | Plus 2 spare handheld |
| Comms | 4 way talkback | 1 system | |
| Lighting | Stage wash, 6 bars, front two dimmable | 1 rig | Dimmable front is required for projection |
| Ground support | Goalpost, 6 m span, 4 m high | 1 | Confirm it fits the lift |
| Vision mixing | Switcher, 4 input, confidence monitor | 1 | |
| Recording | Two camera, switched, recorded locally | 1 | Not livestreamed |
| Crew | 1 tech lead, 2 techs, load-in and show | 3 | 06:00 to 23:30 is a long day. Check overtime |
Boundaries
Who is responsible for what
The most common source of an unexpected event invoice is a task that both the venue and the supplier assumed the other had. Send this table with the brief and ask each supplier to confirm it.
| Task | Venue | AV supplier | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power distribution from the supply | Provides the outlet | Distro from there | |
| Confirming total draw is within supply | You. Get it in writing | ||
| Ground support build and sign off | Supplier, with certification | ||
| Getting the frame into the room | Supplier problem, confirm before booking | ||
| Room set and chairs | Venue | ||
| Cable matting and trip hazards | Supplier | ||
| Fire and evacuation with a rig in place | Venue signs off | Provides plan | Confirm it happened |
| Slides collected and tested | You, by 5 days before | ||
| Overtime beyond 23:30 | You pay. Agree the rate now |
Next
What to send and when
- Today
Send this brief to three suppliers
Sections 02 and 03 together. Identical briefs are the only way quotes come back comparable, and the responsibility table is what stops the day-of invoice.
- In the brief
Ask for draw in amps per item
Not a total, per item. It is the only way you can check the 32 A question yourself rather than trusting a reassurance.
- This week
Ask the venue about the lift and the frame
Send them the ground support dimensions. If it does not fit, every quote changes and you want to know before, not after.
- Before booking
Site visit with the chosen supplier
One hour, in the room, with the venue's technical contact present. Almost every event problem is a thing that was obvious in the room and invisible on a plan.
- Five days before
All slides in and tested
The only deadline in this document that is yours alone and the one most likely to slip.