Who this is for
Corporate planners, nonprofit event leads, wedding couples, and anyone producing a live event in the Bay Area who wants it to run smoothly.
SMS Productions
Event Production · Marin · Sonoma · SF Bay Area
A free guide for event planners
The Event Planning Guide
Everything you need to decide about sound, lighting, staging, AV and video before the day — and the questions we ask on every job.
How to use it
Read it once, then work through the checklists with your venue and your team. Bring your answers to the consultation and we'll turn them into a plan and a price.
Steve Moon · Owner, SMS Productions
smseventproduction.com
The Event Planning GuideIntroductionStart here
Why the technical plan matters
Great events feel effortless. Behind that is a technical plan made weeks earlier: how many people need to hear a voice, where the power comes from, how the room looks when the lights go down, and who runs the show so you don't have to.
Most of the problems we are called in to fix are planning problems, not equipment problems. A speaker nobody can hear in the back. A dance floor that never looked like a dance floor. A slideshow that didn't play. Every one of them was decided, usually by accident, long before the doors opened.
This guide walks through the decisions in the order we make them. It is the same conversation we have with every client, written down so you can start it early.
What's inside
| 01 | Start with the event | Type, size, timing, and what success looks like |
| 02 | Sound | Making sure every word and every note lands |
| 03 | Lighting | Setting the mood and defining the space |
| 04 | Staging & AV | Giving speakers and screens a home |
| 05 | Video production | Capturing the event for everyone who wasn't there |
| 06 | Venue & logistics | Power, access, timing, and the day itself |
| 07 | The master checklist | Everything above on one page |
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Start with the event
Before anyone talks about speakers or lights, get clear on what the event is and what it needs to do. Everything technical follows from these answers.
Ask yourself
- What kind of event is it: gala, fundraiser, conference, wedding, concert, festival, panel?
- How many guests are you expecting, and will they be seated, standing, or moving between rooms?
- Indoors, outdoors, or both? What happens if it rains?
- What time do doors open, and when does the program start and end?
- Who are the key moments for: a speaker, a band, an auction, a first dance?
- What does a successful night look like to you?
Why it matters
Guest count sets the size of the sound system. Seated versus standing changes where speakers go and how loud they need to be. Outdoors means power, weather cover and a different kind of PA.
The program tells us how many microphones, when the lights change, and when the crew needs to be at the console rather than backstage. The clearer this is, the tighter the quote.
From the fieldThe single most useful thing you can send us is a draft run-of-show: a simple list of what happens, in order, with rough times. Even if it changes, it tells us more than any other document.
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Sound
If guests can't hear, nothing else matters. Sound is the one element every single person in the room experiences, all night long.
Ask yourself
- Who needs to be heard: speakers, a host, a band, a DJ, a video with sound?
- How many people will speak, and will they hold a mic, stand at a podium, or wear one?
- Is there live music? How many musicians, and do they bring their own gear?
- Does the sound need to reach more than one room or an outdoor area?
- Will any part be recorded or streamed?
What we provide
| PA system | Sized to the room and crowd, from a seated dinner to a festival lawn |
| Microphones | Wireless handheld, lavalier and headset; podium and panel setups |
| Mixing | A digital console and an engineer at it for the whole event |
| Monitors | So performers and speakers hear themselves |
| Band support | Inputs, stage boxes and monitor mixes for live musicians |
Common mistakeRelying on the venue's built-in ceiling speakers for a program. They are designed for background music, not for 300 people listening to a keynote. If speech matters, bring a PA designed for it.
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Lighting
Lighting is how a ballroom becomes your ballroom. It sets the mood, draws the eye to the stage, and makes the photographs look the way you remember the night.
Ask yourself
- What mood do you want: elegant and warm, bright and corporate, high-energy?
- Are there brand colors or a theme the lighting should match?
- Do you want your logo or a pattern projected on a wall, floor or dance floor?
- Will people dance? Where, and from what time?
- Is there a stage or speaker who needs to be lit for the audience and the cameras?
- Does the venue have its own house lights, and can they be dimmed?
What we provide
| Uplighting | LED color wash around the room, wired or battery-powered |
| Gobo projection | Your logo, monogram or pattern, custom cut |
| Stage lighting | Moving heads and wash fixtures so speakers and performers are seen |
| Truss rigs | Overhead lighting positions for larger rooms and outdoor stages |
| LED dance floor | A lit floor that shifts color with the music |
| Haze | Makes light beams visible for concerts and high-energy moments |
Planning noteLighting changes the photos more than anything else you'll rent. If you have a photographer or videographer, tell us; we light speakers so faces read on camera, not just to the eye.
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Staging & AV
A stage gives the program a focal point. Screens make sure the slides, the video tribute and the auction paddle numbers reach every table.
Ask yourself
- Will there be a stage? How many people need to be on it at once?
- Does anyone need a podium, a panel table, or stools?
- Do you want a backdrop behind the stage: drape, a step-and-repeat, a branded wall?
- Will you show slides, videos or a live feed? From whose laptop?
- How many screens does the room need so every guest can see?
- Are there breakout rooms or a cocktail area that should see the program too?
- Does anyone need a ramp or stairs to reach the stage?
What we provide
| Stage decks | Modular platforms at the height the room needs, skirted and finished |
| Backdrops | Pipe-and-drape in your colors, or truss for branded panels |
| Podiums | With microphone, light and a confidence monitor for the speaker |
| Screens | Large-format TVs on stands, placed so every table has a sightline |
| Playback | Slides and video run from our system, switched by our crew |
| Multi-room | Video and audio sent to overflow rooms and reception areas |
| Access | Stair units and ADA ramp configurations |
Common mistakePresenters arriving with slides on three different laptops. Collect every presentation 48 hours ahead and send it to us. We load it onto one machine, test it, and nobody fumbles with cables on stage.
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Video production
Your event happens once. A good recording lets donors who couldn't attend hear the appeal, lets the team re-use the keynote, and gives the family the toast exactly as it was said.
Ask yourself
- Who will watch the recording, and where: a website, social media, an internal archive, a donor follow-up?
- Which parts matter most: the full program, just the speeches, highlights?
- Do you want speaker names and titles on screen?
- Should the slides appear in the final video alongside the speaker?
- Do you need the event streamed live to remote guests?
- When do you need the finished file?
How we do it
Because we are already running the sound, we record the audio straight from the mixing console. No room echo, no clinking glasses over the speech.
We shoot multi-camera, add a lower-third title for each presenter with their name and title, and cut your slides into the edit in sync with the speaker.
You receive a finished, delivery-ready file. Video production packages start at $975 when added to an SMS sound package.
Why audio makes the differenceViewers forgive a soft picture. They stop watching when they can't hear. Recording from the soundboard rather than a camera microphone is the single biggest upgrade to any event video.
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Venue & logistics
The unglamorous part, and the part that decides whether load-in is calm or chaotic. Ask your venue these questions early.
Ask the venue
- When can the production crew get in, and when must everything be out?
- Where is the loading dock or closest door, and is there an elevator or stairs?
- How much power is available near the stage, and where are the outlets?
- Is there a house sound system or lighting we can tie into?
- Are there noise limits or a curfew?
- Where can gear cases be stored during the event?
- Is there Wi-Fi or hard-wired internet if we are streaming?
Ask yourself
- Who is the single point of contact on the day, and what's their cell?
- Is there a floor plan showing tables, stage, bar and dance floor?
- Who else is on site: caterer, florist, DJ, photographer? Can we see their timeline?
- For outdoor events: is there a tent, a weather plan, and a generator or a power source?
- Do speakers and performers know when to arrive for a sound check?
A typical production day
1
Load-in & build
Crew arrives 3 to 6 hours before doors, depending on size. Stage, truss, lights and PA go up; cables are run and ramped.
2
Sound check & cues
Every mic, every slide and every video is tested. Speakers and performers get a walk-through. Lighting looks are set.
3
Show & strike
An engineer stays at the console for the whole program. When the last guest leaves, we pack out and leave the room as we found it.
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The master checklist
Print this page. When every box is ticked, your technical plan is done.
The event
- Event type, date and guest count confirmed
- Draft run-of-show written
- Indoor / outdoor and weather plan decided
- Key moments listed
Sound
- Number of speakers and mic type for each
- Band or DJ details and their gear list
- Rooms or areas that need to hear the program
- Recording or streaming needs
Lighting
- Mood and colors chosen
- Logo or gobo artwork sent
- Dance floor location and start time
- Stage lighting for speakers and cameras
Staging & AV
- Stage size, height and backdrop
- Podium, panel seating, ramp or stairs
- Screen count and placement
- All presentations collected 48 hours ahead
Video
- Decided whether to record, and what
- Speaker names and titles for lower-thirds
- Delivery date for the finished file
Venue & logistics
- Load-in and load-out windows confirmed
- Power and loading access confirmed
- Floor plan shared
- Day-of contact named
- Sound check time set with speakers and performers
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The Event Planning GuideNext stepsWhat happens next
Let's turn this into a plan
You've done the hard part. Send us your answers and we'll come back with a clear plan, a gear list and a price. The consultation is free, and there is no obligation.
1
Fill out the planner
Our online Plan Your Event form asks the same questions in this guide, so you can answer them in one sitting.
2
Talk it through
A short call or Zoom with Steve to walk the venue, the program and the budget.
3
Get your quote
A written plan and price, usually the same day. Say yes and the date is held.
SMS Productions
Sound · Lighting · Staging · AV · Video
Serving Marin, Sonoma and the San Francisco Bay Area from Novato, CA
smseventproduction.com/planning · stvmoon@gmail.com
Call or text(415) 596-3225
About Steve Moon
Owner and operator of SMS Productions. Steve and his crew have produced events at the Olympic Club, the Presidio, the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and private estates across Marin and Sonoma.
Gear rentals
Already have a crew? SMS Productions rents PA, wireless mics, screens, staging, truss and lighting to qualified producers and venues, by inquiry.
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