Most people will admit they couldn’t handle the pressure of producing a live event. That makes you special.  You’re willing and able to put it all on the line in front of everyone, to sprint across a tight rope without a net below. Your success is dependent upon countless intangibles and a limited number of things you can control. Here are five questions to which good answers provide a strong foundation for success.

1. Who is calling the show? Have you budgeted for a Show Manager? An experienced voice at the helm is critical for everyone on headsets, and for the smooth appearance of your stage presentation. Here’s 1a: Who is backstage moving your talent on and off?
2. What do you want recorded? Do you need isolated records of both cameras? Are there multiple audio feeds to be archived? Do you want your graphics to be superimposed over “talking heads” or do you want the elements separated? Is there a need to differentiate between the video stream that goes to the screen(s) and the one(s) being recorded?
3. Do you have the content to support your technology? Our earned reputation as technophiles nets us a lot of, “We want wow!” And man, we love to deliver, “Wow.” We don’t, however, love charging you for gear that your presentation doesn’t support. You’ve heard how cool the Vista Spyder is but you don’t have the time or budget to create a widescreen presentation? There’s a more affordable option that addresses your needs more effectively and can still pop. Keep your eye on the forest; we’ll trim the trees.
4. Is there enough time for load-in? The days leading up to the show are critical. Larger productions, especially, require tedious technical checks and re-checks. It’s always something (Who are we kidding? It’s always audio.) Quality customer experience comes from a quality show. Quality shows are rehearsed. Quality rehearsals are enabled by time spent on fine-tuning the content and presentation, not chasing down oddities somewhere in the line array.
5. What are your points of “No,” return? Listen, we are “Yes,” people and we know the importance of finding or making a way. Every production, however, reaches checkpoints beyond which making adjustments to single elements compromises the entire show. No two events are alike, so you’ll want to know these going in, and just as importantly, communicate them to your client beforehand. In writing.

For those of us who have chosen this business, we understand the unique exhilaration of a successful event. It’s a feeling that only “live” can deliver. Asking all the right questions can help make your moment a triumph.