Our Event AV Process

Start with the venue and date. Westwave AV builds the production around the room and run of show before either becomes an equipment list.

Tell us about your event See recent work

From brief to show day

The process at a glance

Nine steps keep the room, systems, crew and program decisions in the right order.

01Send what you know 02Review the room 03Scope the systems and crew 04Build the quote around the scope 05Coordinate the show before load-in 06Load in and build the room 07Test the systems and rehearse the cues 08Run the show 09Close the agreed scope

Process in motion

The work starts before the audience arrives

A 59-second look at the Framework Next Gen Event load-in shows how the room, systems and crew come together before show day.

Framework Next Gen Event 2026 load-in at Dogpatch Studios.

Step 01

Send what you know

Share the venue, date, event format and current brief. A draft agenda or run of show is useful, but it does not need to be finished. Tell us about the audience in the room, any remote audience, presenters, breakouts, recording needs and the parts of the program that cannot slip.

What we need from you: the information available today and the name of the people making event and venue decisions.

What comes next: we identify the room and production details that still need answers.

Step 02

Review the room

The room decides more than the equipment list. We check access and load-in, audience sightlines, house systems, power, rigging points, internet, presenter positions and where the production team can work without obstructing the event.

If Westwave has not worked at the venue before, or the program needs a closer technical review, we can arrange a site visit.

What we need from you: the venue contact, floor plan and any current technical information.

What comes next: a clear list of constraints, open questions and venue dependencies.

Step 03

Scope the systems and crew

We translate the program into audio, video, lighting, projection, streaming, staging and speaker-support requirements. The crew follows the job. A straightforward meeting may need a compact team; a multi-room or broadcast program may need separate people for show calling, audio, video, cameras, graphics, lighting and room support.

What we need from you: audience numbers, room use, content formats, presenter needs and any remote contribution.

What comes next: an event-specific production scope rather than a generic package.

Step 04

Build the quote around the scope

The quote reflects the room, program, equipment, crew, access and event schedule that have been established so far. If the brief changes, we identify what that changes in the production before the event reaches show day.

For a practical explanation of the main cost drivers, see what moves an AV quote in San Francisco.

What we need from you: confirmation that the proposed scope matches the event you are planning.

What comes next: an agreed basis for pre-event coordination. Quote timing, payment terms and revision limits remain governed by the proposal and contract, not this page.

Step 05

Coordinate the show before load-in

We work through the current run of show, presenter content, cue points, remote participants, venue access and the decisions that affect the technical team. The goal is to find conflicts while there is still time to solve them.

What we need from you: the latest program, content deadlines and prompt notice when something material changes.

What comes next: the crew arrives knowing the planned room, systems, roles and key cues.

Step 06

Load in and build the room

The team brings in and installs the agreed systems within the venue’s access window. Placement is checked against the room plan, sightlines and program needs. Temporary-venue work may also require blackout, power, rigging or scenic coordination before the audiovisual systems can be finished.

What we need from you: venue access and a decision-maker who can resolve last-mile room questions.

What comes next: a built system ready for testing.

Step 07

Test the systems and rehearse the cues

Audio, displays, playback, cameras, lighting, streams and communication paths are checked before the audience arrives. When the program calls for it, presenters and operators rehearse the cues that carry the most risk.

What we need from you: final presentation files and access to the people or content required for the agreed checks.

What comes next: known issues are corrected or clearly managed before doors open.

Step 08

Run the show

During the program, each operator owns a defined part of the production while the show caller or production lead keeps the wider run of show in view. That structure matters when a presentation changes, a speaker needs help or the next cue arrives early.

What we need from you: one current source for program changes and timely decisions when the event moves.

What comes next: the crew stays through the agreed program and manages the live technical scope.

Step 09

Close the agreed scope

After the program, Westwave removes or arranges pickup of its equipment as defined in the scope. If recording or file delivery is included, the agreed material moves into the handoff or post-production stage. Standalone video and content-production work may involve Westwave’s sister company, Luma Creative, but that is scoped separately rather than assumed.

What we need from you: any agreed post-event recipients and venue access for removal.

What comes next: the contracted event scope is closed, with any separate follow-up clearly identified.

Accountability

Roles and responsibilities

Party	Typical responsibility
Your event team	Confirm venue, date, event format, program, speakers, content, decision-makers and material changes
The venue	Confirm access, room rules, house systems, power, rigging, internet and any venue-specific labor requirements
Westwave AV	Translate the brief into the agreed systems and crew, build and test that scope, assign technical roles and run the live production
Shared	Finalize the room plan, cue and rehearsal needs, resolve open technical questions and assess late changes

This table describes the normal division of work, not contractual terms. The event proposal remains authoritative for each job.

The room changes the plan

What changes by event format

Hybrid panel: protect the connection and the room

Define the room experience, remote audience, contribution paths and recording needs before choosing cameras or network support. Connectivity planning belongs in the technical scope rather than becoming a show-day add-on.

See the Cellares hybrid-production example

Multi-room program: give each active space an owner

Treat each active room as its own show with a named operator, then coordinate timing and escalation across the program. Shared cues and content need one current source.

See the One Mind multi-room example

Temporary venue: solve the room before show systems go in

Resolve access, power, rigging, blackout and sightlines before the audio, video and lighting plan is locked. These room decisions determine where the show systems can go.

See the X Football temporary-venue example

Four-city tour: hold the show constant while rooms change

Keep the show specification and crew responsibilities stable, but recheck ceiling height, power, load-in, room dimensions and house systems at every venue.

See the YALCON touring-production example

Start with what you have

What to send now

You do not need a finished technical brief. Send the venue, date, audience format and the current program. We will identify the next questions from there.

Start with your event details