By the final days before an event, the creative decisions should already be settled. What the event actually needs at this stage isn’t more ideas, it’s confirmation. Who’s arriving, when, where they’re going, what they’re bringing, what needs installing, what needs testing, who’s responsible for each decision, and what happens if something shifts at the last minute. Small assumptions left unchecked at this stage can turn into real operational problems very quickly once setup starts.
Venue access and load-in
Confirm exact access times, the loading bay location, the venue’s supplier access procedure, any vehicle restrictions, security requirements, service lift availability, access routes, parking arrangements, storage and back of house space, the actual setup deadline, and breakdown timing. It’s worth being precise about the difference between “the venue is booked from 8am” and “production vehicles can actually access the loading bay at 8am.” Those aren’t automatically the same thing, and confirming which one is true avoids a truck sitting outside while the booking clock is already running.
The final floor plan
The latest approved floor plan needs to be in the hands of everyone working on the event, not just the client and the lead planner. Check the stage, screens, registration, catering, bars, activation areas, furniture, guest circulation, emergency routes, technical control areas, storage and any VIP areas against what’s actually being built. An outdated floor plan still circulating between suppliers is one of the more common causes of avoidable mistakes during setup, usually because two teams were working from two different versions without realising it.
One final production schedule
Everyone involved should be working from a single schedule covering supplier arrivals, build, AV installation, lighting, furniture, branding, catering setup, technology installation, testing, rehearsals, cleaning, doors open, the event programme itself, and breakdown. This schedule needs to reflect actual dependencies. There’s little point scheduling furniture placement before a large scenic structure that has to physically cross that same space has already been installed.
Supplier confirmations
Each supplier should have confirmed their scope, quantities, arrival time, an on-site contact person, crew size, equipment, access requirements, setup duration and who’s responsible for breakdown. It’s worth having actual mobile numbers for the people physically attending the site, not just an office email address that won’t get answered at 6am on load-in day.
AV and technical checks
Screens, presentations, audio, microphones, lighting, playback, videos, clickers, internet, Wi-Fi, power, cabling, technical cues and backup files where relevant all need testing, ideally through the actual event setup rather than assumed to be fine. A presentation working perfectly on someone’s laptop doesn’t mean it will display correctly on the venue’s screen, at the right resolution, with the right fonts intact. Test it on the actual rig it’s going to run on.
Content and presentation files
Presentations, videos, holding slides, speaker names and titles, logos, sponsor content, awards content, and any music or audio files need to reach a genuinely final version. This is the point to settle on one clearly labelled file, because a folder full of FINAL, FINAL V2 and FINAL NEW versions is how the wrong file ends up playing in front of three hundred people.
Branding and signage
Confirm registration signage, directional signage, stage branding, on-screen sponsor logos, menus, table numbers, wayfinding and any activation instructions. Check spelling, names, titles, dates and logo versions carefully, since printing and fabrication deadlines mean these checks need to happen well before event day, not on it, when there’s no time left to reprint anything.
Guest arrival and registration
Confirm the guest list, registration method, how walk-ins are handled, VIP arrival, badges or wristbands if applicable, queue management, hosts, an information desk, and parking or drop-off information. It’s worth asking directly what happens if two hundred guests arrive within the same fifteen-minute window. The arrival plan needs to hold up at peak volume, not just when guests happen to trickle in evenly across an hour.
Staffing
Confirm hosts, registration staff, ushers, production and technical crew, security, cleaning, catering staff, activation staff and runners as relevant to your event, not every role for every event. Each person should know their call time, location, dress code, role, who supervises them, and who to contact if something changes on the day.
Catering
Final checks should cover guest numbers, dietary requirements, service timings, the menu, staffing, bars, and any refreshments, plus back of house access and confirmed supplier arrival. Catering timing needs to follow the event programme itself, not run as a separate schedule that happens to overlap with it.
Speakers, entertainment and talent
Confirm arrival time, green room arrangements, technical requirements, microphones, playback, stage access, rehearsal time, the running order, transport where relevant, and direct contact details. If there are speakers, someone specific needs to be responsible for physically getting them to the stage at the right moment, not assumed to find their own way there.
Interactive activations and technology
For AR, VR, simulators, games, interactive screens, registration technology, photo experiences or digital installations, confirm power, internet, hardware, software, the actual user flow, reset time between guests, staffing, testing and a backup plan if something fails. Test the experience the way an actual guest would use it, not only from the technical operator’s side of the setup.
Rehearsal
Not every event needs a full theatrical run-through. Depending on the format, it’s worth testing speaker transitions, videos, lighting cues, walk-on music, awards segments, entertainment, presentations, interactive moments and stage access specifically. The point of a rehearsal is finding problems while there’s still time to fix them, not performing a formality.
The event-day contact sheet
One simple document with the essential contacts, client lead, agency or event lead, venue, production, AV, catering, security, registration, entertainment and key suppliers, should be easily accessible to the people who actually need it during the event. It doesn’t need to be a directory. It needs to be short and genuinely usable under pressure.
Who actually makes decisions on site
It’s worth being clear beforehand about who has the authority to approve changes once the event is underway, moving something, adjusting timing, approving an additional cost, changing content, or altering the programme. When several stakeholders are involved and nobody’s sure who can actually say yes, valuable setup time gets lost simply waiting for an answer.
Walk the event like a guest would
Once setup is largely complete, physically walk through the event the way a guest actually would. Start at drop-off or parking, then the entrance, registration, the main event area, activations, catering, toilets, and the exit. Is it obvious where to go? Is signage actually visible? Are there bottlenecks forming anywhere? Does anything feel unfinished? Can staff answer basic guest questions confidently? Does the experience make sense without someone standing there explaining it?
Sensible contingency planning
Depending on the event, backups may genuinely be worth having for presentation files, key playback content, microphones, anything internet-dependent, outdoor elements, critical equipment and essential contacts. The level of backup needed should match how important and how risky that particular element actually is, not an attempt to prepare for absolutely everything at once.
Before event day, confirm
- Venue access
- Final floor plan
- Production schedule
- Supplier timings
- AV and technical setup
- Final content
- Branding and signage
- Guest list and registration
- Staffing
- Catering
- Speakers and entertainment
- Interactive technology
- Rehearsal timing
- Contact sheet
- On-site decision makers
- Contingency plans
- Breakdown plan
Good production is largely about removing uncertainty before guests arrive. By event day, the team shouldn’t still be asking basic questions about access, timings, suppliers or who’s responsible for what. The more that’s genuinely confirmed before doors open, the more attention there is left for the event itself once they do.
AAO | All As One
Dubai-based creative consultancy across events, brand experiences, activations and event production.
Website: weareaao.com
Email: zena.hamdan@weareaao.com
