Get the venue's technical contact involved early
A room photograph cannot confirm how equipment reaches the stage, which services are included or when technicians can work. Ask for the venue's current technical information and the person who can answer project-specific questions. Share your proposed layout and programme so the answers apply to your event.
Venue document sets can include more than a floor plan. For example, Messe Berlin publishes site and hall information alongside technical guidelines and construction sheets. Its download page illustrates the documents to request. Obtain the current requirements for your own venue and organiser; do not copy another venue's limits.
Use this checklist in the first technical conversation
| Topic | Questions | Useful evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Unloading | Where, when and for how long can the vehicle unload? Is booking required? | Loading plan, slot and contact |
| Route to the room | Which doors, lifts, turns and surface changes are on the route? | Clear dimensions, lift information and route photographs |
| Room geometry | What are the usable dimensions, obstructions and actual ceiling conditions? | Current scaled plan and relevant elevations |
| Power | Which connection points are available, what supply is confirmed, and who provides the venue connection? | Written technical details and responsible contractor |
| Internet and local network | What connection is available for the proposed application, and when can it be tested? | Service specification, access arrangements and IT contact |
| Supports and rigging | What positions may be used, what approval is needed, and who performs the work? | Venue process, drawings and named specialists |
| Working times | When are build, testing, sound checks, opening and dismantling allowed? | Event-specific schedule and restrictions |
| Shared services | What equipment, operators, storage and handling are included or separately charged? | Itemised scope and service orders |
Add an owner and due date to every unanswered question. “To be confirmed” should identify an action rather than remain a permanent note at the bottom of a quote.
Walk the equipment route
Ask the supplier what packaging and handling space the proposed equipment needs, then compare that with the route into the room. Include the narrowest door, lift entrance, internal turns and the final stage access. Confirm where empty cases will go after installation and how they return for collection.
If a route is shared with catering or the stand builder, agree its timetable. A usable lift can still become a delivery problem when every contractor expects it at the same time. Give the logistics contact the full delivery sequence, not just the show's opening hour.
Worked example: equipment on an upper floor
Imagine a hypothetical conference room reached through a loading bay and a shared service lift. The organiser has booked the room from 09:00, but the AV supplier needs to install and test before a 10:00 opening. The initial brief mentions only the room booking.
The venue confirms that the loading slot, lift access and power connection require separate arrangements. Ask the AV lead to assess the available window with those dependencies, including the time after equipment reaches the room. Then agree either earlier access, a changed setup or another feasible plan. The example does not assume that one hour is enough.
Record the final route, booked services and readiness time. The result should be a schedule the teams can execute, with each required service actually arranged rather than merely mentioned.
Check the operating conditions too
Discuss daylight and control of room lighting for displays, nearby sound activity for presentations, and network use for streams or phone-controlled experiences. Provide the actual application requirement. “There is Wi-Fi” does not specify how the event devices will connect or whether the proposed workflow has been tested.
Confirm when the venue resource becomes available for a joint test and who responds during the event. For installed AV, request the relevant input and operating details from the venue team. The supplier should check integration before accepting a promise to use it.
Keep approvals and charges connected to the plan
Ask who submits drawings and service orders, who approves them and what the deadlines are. Have the relevant professionals assess supports, electrical arrangements and access provisions. The organiser's job is to obtain the right information and decisions, not estimate technical limits from appearance.
Mark each service as included, separately ordered or unresolved. Update the AV quote when a venue answer changes the proposed arrangement. Keep the written venue response with the current plan so later team members can trace the decision.
Next step
Send the completed checklist, photographs and drawings to the team responsible for installation and dismantling. Ask for a site review of remaining uncertainties before confirming the final AV equipment package.