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[Don Lind]

For the last 15 or so years I've provided sound for 4th. of July free event on a huge lawn on our local fairgrounds. For the last five years my contact has been a sweet, cheerful woman. Same two local bands each year. A couple of hundred folks at first with 10 thousand packed in for free fireworks when it gets dark.

Simple stage from fair, wide horizontal array on wheels, small consoles, no crew provided, no problem. I also bring 4 lamps a side for last hour and worklight afterwards.

Last year sweet/cheerful calls. New Board of Directors, with support from local Indian casino have decided to add National Country Act. She sends me rider, I advance with artist TM/PM/LD and set meeting with board to explain what they have agreed to provide.

Bring stage/roof company bid/info/drawing with monitor world/guitar world/deck under speaker fly, etc. Hand it over to Board member(architect) who has been named "site manager" and who plans to draw it up real nice.

Bring backline bid with contact info, Bring two lighting bids in reflecting advance.

Arrange for Show Generator Company to provide with local rental yard as back up.

Casino Talent provider to act as Production Manager thanks me for "putting it altogether".

I agree to a volunteer crew.....

I'm thinking,"cool, real gig, fly the big line array, bring the large consoles". I'm on to other shows, advancing, etc.

A couple of weeks out, sweet/cheerful calls to tell me Architect/site manager's wife is now "stage manager". The Board has had bright red polo shirts printed up with everyone's name and title. And by the way she ("stage manager") has added a "couple of acts". Including a large square dance troop that has been told by "stage manager" that they have the entire stage for their 15 mins. I suggested that with  volunteer crew, National Act, same two local bands, plus her other acts that this would be difficult and unwise. Sweet/cheerful reports back that "stage manager" thinks I'm not speaking truthfully and am being uncooperative...

I stop by Architects office to explain. All gone except for receptionist who is "online" at her desk. I get her to the Artists technical web page to see all that is involved and ask her to print out and give to board. Turns out she was "stage manager". She complains to Board that I personally offended her.

I hear from President of Board that Casino production manager has been fired and all futher business would be handled by board and "stage manager".

Day of Show..

An hour after loadin, volunteer crew begins to trickle in, stage company guys show up. No stage manager, no monitor world, no guitar world, no deck under fly. seems the Architect changed a few things..

Generator comes from friend of board who owns construction company.

Wait a min,. where are the lights?

Seems when they fired the PM, they lights fell through the cracks. Architect refuses to acknowledge repercussion of changes, refuses to move one of the safety walkout light towers to a position that would light the stage. "they stay EXACTLY where I drew them on the plans".

By now I've begun to express my opinion, actually a few of my opinions. Probably not my first mistake..

He then rolls out the canvas drops he's had painted, He's got the stage company here to hang them in from of the line array. We of course argue about that.

Later, artist tm/rm need "stage manager" for many typical needs. Seems she last gone home to "freshen up"..

Local Radio Station provides MC, small ENG microwave truck. I send output for occasional broadcast throughout day. They supply me me FM tuner to feed system. They broadcast synchronized music for fireworks mixed with MC mic. Earlier that evening they have special treat planned, they place audience mics up and send feed of audience reciting the Pledge of Allegiance for troops overseas. Problem is, onsite radio engineer forgets to mute audience mics for fireworks. I bring up FM feed and I get enormous low end feedback. Radio truck is back behind stage, engineer is watching fireworks.

Halfway through, fireworks stop shooting, MC comes on to explain "there's been an accident.. nobody hurt, but the show is over".

Man I was happy to pull down the doors of the trucks...

So here we are again, seems we have the same board, they want to get bids from another sound company this year.

Go figure.

[Gareth Marsh]

I'm sorry that you lost a gig, but do you really want it anyway? I'd tell them where to go! All you can do is hope the new sound company has exactly the same reaction, which they probably will, and just stand back and let them whimper and stuff everything up themselves . I've done this many times and it seems better to let them make a fool of themselves then constantly save their ass and warn them - they just dont listen.
Its a shame a good event has been put into the hands of 'butchers', people always seem to underestimate the necessity of a good tech setup.
You should forward your post onto the board, anonomously of course

[DanDraper]

Wait a few years, and they'll probably come running back to you when the other sound companies in your area refuse to take the gig due to mismanagement!

Its the same everywhere, untalented, inexperienced people always seem to be the ones that get the authority.

I suggest reading vast amounts of Dilbert (http://www.dilbert.com!

hope this helps a bit

[Tom Reid]

Too many of these types of gigs helped me make a decision to get out.

When the clueless manage by their ego the technical will be made to look the fool.

[Mark "Flounder" Okern]

This is a great reminder heading into busy season of why I mentally slap myself back to reason anytime I think about "being nice" in place of following my contract. Not that it prevents people from being obnoxious, but at least I have something with their signature that I can point to (including a clause about the person signing it being fired prior to the event having no effect on the terms of the agreement).

Sorry to hear about it, but now you can take a gig with less headaches. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be the nice guy.

-Flounder

[Craig Leerman]

Don,

While I still get my share of grief on some shows, over the years I have learned to minimize it when dealing with volunteer boards and charities.  My simple solution is that I offer to become the "Technical Director" on the show. I explain to them that my years of experience in the biz can be extremely useful in spotting many problems in advance, and that small tech problems on the day of the show can sometimes be show stoppers (like the wrong power connectors on a genny on a Sunday afternoon gig).  I offer to be a part of the board, and will help them plan out the event.

Sometimes my offer is quickly accepted. Sometimes I have to really sell the concept, but for the most part, just about every organization I have made the offer has jumped on it!

I make sure that I am included in the pre show meetings, and offer to walk the board through the tech areas, even if I am only providing a small part of the show. By getting involved early, and being recognized by the board as a "part of the team"  I can actually get things organized, and avoid problems at the show.

While this extra involvement eats up a few unpaid hours of my time, it saves me lots of problems at events, and makes my job and life so much easier!  In addition, it locks me into the gigs, and any future events that organization might have.

I make sure that the following areas are addressed:

* Chain of Command
* Event times and Performance times
* Load in times and area of load in
* Truck parking and Performer parking
* Sound Check times
* Schedule of Acts and Performers
* Tech Riders
* Stage and Roofs
* Audio
* Lighting
* Backline
* Power
* Pyro
* Special Effects
* Crew
* Backstage Catering
* Backstage Toilets
* Dressing rooms
* Sponsors and Radio/TV Station involvement
* The Media
* Signage and Banners
* First Aid
* Security
* Comms and Radios, Phone Numbers
* Trash
* Other Event Contractors and their duties
* The Caterer (and the millions of problems they create)
* The Venue and its rules
* Local laws and ordinances
* Insurance
* Weather
* Alternate Plans
* Event Safety

The mistakes I see over and over again on amateur run events are:

* Not enough time scheduled in between acts for changeover
* Not enough power in the building, or not the right size/type of genny
* No backstage toilets or catering for the acts or crew
* Caterers hogging the load in/out area (especially the ones that dump their water and ice all over the place)
* No parking for trucks or Performer's coaches
* Signs and Banners that block sound and/or no place to attach signs and banners
* volunteer crews who are either worthless or don't bother to show up, or just do the in and leave before the load out!
* too many Chiefs and not enough Indians (some gigs I am the lone Indian, I was thinking of getting some HSL loincloths made up!)
* Poor communication between the event planners and the contractors
* last minute changes
* Spending most of the budget on crap like decorating, decorative lighting and fluff, and not enough on things that matter like a NON WOBBLY stage or ADEQUATE POWER!

Craig

[Mark "Flounder" Okern]

Craig-

I think you've just created an amazing checklist for anyone getting into these types of scenarios. I'm printing a copy and putting it in my briefcase. It is so easy to forget a single detail that comes back to bite you later, even for those of us who are pros.

-Flounder

[RobertOziemkowski]

Thanks Craig!

Now when I speak to a promoter without a clue, I'll sound like a genius.

[todd_s]

Right click. Save as....

Thanks for a great list. Even though I really don't do to many festivals, one never knows what one will run into in the future.

[Craig Leerman]

Quote:

Even though I really don't do to many festivals, one never knows what one will run into in the future.

Not just for festivals, but for all charity/corporate type gigs, and amateur/volunteer staff events.

I am currently the "Tech Director" for a local Arts organization that does 6 concerts a year, a regional arts organization that does about 10 shows a year,  a few organizations that have a yearly fund raising "dinner and show night", a few churches for their larger productions, the local Kiwanis club that has a large yearly festival, the local Boys and Girls Club, 2 High Schools (mainly just for Graduation and the Holiday shows), the local College's concerts and events and graduation, the local Chamber of Commerce, and a local hospital that has a yearly banquet.

Only a few are festivals. Most of the shows are either in auditoriums, or hotel ballrooms/convention center rooms.


What I did is to make up a list of all the different areas of stuff that I might run into on a show, and then at the show, I just inquire about the relevent things.  

[ProSoundWeb Community]