Live event workflow planning is mostly time spent before anyone arrives on site. The fee reflects the hours needed to understand the event, draw up the production schedule, map the signal routing and write a crew plan that people can follow at six in the morning with a cold coffee in hand.
We quote in writing after an enquiry through the contact page, and the quotation states what is included. For a small single-stage event the planning can be a modest piece of work. For a multi-day festival with several stages and a broadcast feed, it grows, because every added stage multiplies the number of questions that have to be answered on paper first.
None of this is mysterious, but it does mean a fixed price per event rarely makes sense. A one-evening concert and a three-day festival share a job title and very little else.
Size is the obvious one, but it is not the whole story. The number of stages, cameras and audio sources tells us how many signal paths need documenting, and the length of the event decides how many shifts the crew plan must cover. A long event with a small crew can be harder to plan than a short one with many hands.
Complexity of the broadcast side matters just as much. An event that only needs a front of house mix is far simpler than one sending a programme feed to a network, with return video, talkback and a separate audio path for the broadcast. Each of those adds a line to the routing document and a conversation with whoever receives the feed.
Finally, the state of the venue plays a part. A site with fixed cabling and a known power layout takes less planning than a field with temporary everything.
- Number of stages, cameras and audio sources
- Days of operation and number of crew shifts
- Broadcast feeds, return video and talkback
- Whether the site has fixed cabling and power
When a quotation is written, it sets out the deliverables in plain terms so that nobody is surprised later. Typically that means a production schedule from load-in to load-out, a signal routing plan showing how video and audio travel from source to destination, and a crew plan with roles, call times and rotas.
We also build in review time. A plan that has only been read by its author tends to carry the author's blind spots, so there is a pass with the people who will run the day, and the document is adjusted afterwards. That review is part of the work, not an optional extra, because most problems on the day trace back to something nobody asked about in advance.
What the fee does not cover is equipment hire, crew wages or travel unless the quotation says so. Those are separate matters and are written out separately.
The most common reason a planning job grows is a change of scope halfway through. A fourth camera appears, a second stage is added, or a broadcast partner arrives late with requirements that alter the whole routing diagram. Each change is reasonable on its own, but the plan has to be reopened every time.
You can keep the work proportionate by settling the basics early: the number of stages, the intended running order, who receives any feed and in what format. A short written brief at the start saves far more hours than it takes to write.
It also helps to name one person on your side who can make decisions. Planning moves quickly when questions get a single answer, and slowly when they travel through three inboxes.
- Fix stages, running order and feed recipients early
- Send a short written brief with the enquiry
- Name one decision-maker on your side
- Raise late additions as soon as they appear
It is tempting to treat planning as the first line to trim, because it produces no visible equipment. Yet the cost of an unplanned event tends to arrive on the day, when a missing cable run or a double-booked crew member has to be fixed at premium rates and under pressure.
A routing error found on paper costs a few minutes to correct. The same error found at soundcheck can hold up doors, and found during a live broadcast it cannot be corrected at all without a visible gap. The saving from skipping the plan is real but small, and the exposure is large.
This is not an argument for planning everything to the last detail. It is an argument for spending enough to find the expensive surprises while they are still cheap to deal with.
The process is deliberately plain. You send an enquiry through the contact page describing the event, its dates and what you need. We reply with questions where something is unclear, then issue a written quotation that sets out the scope and the price in pounds sterling.
Once you confirm the quotation in writing, the work is scheduled. An invoice follows, paid by bank transfer, and nothing is bought on the website itself. Cancellations and refunds follow the payment and refund policy, which is worth reading before you confirm.
If the scope changes after confirmation, we say so in writing and agree the difference before doing the extra work. That keeps the final invoice in line with what you expected to pay.
The price of live event workflow planning follows the size and complexity of the event, the broadcast demands placed on it and how settled the plan is when we start. Clear early decisions keep the work proportionate, and a written quotation fixes what is included. If you are weighing an event, send the basics through the contact page and we will answer with a scope and a figure you can check.
