The critical AV moment is often a transition: a microphone changes hands, a video starts or the room returns to a speaker after a performance. Event AV Planning needs to describe those moments, not just list screens and speakers. This guide turns a running order into a conversation about cues, content and the people responsible for each handover.
Event AV Planning: write one complete cue before expanding the running order
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For a welcome video, record who introduces it, which approved file plays, whether sound is required and what follows the final frame. Add the person who gives the go-ahead and the fallback if the programme changes. That is more useful to a rehearsal than a line that says only ‘play video’.
Repeat the exercise for award walk-ups, presentations and closing remarks. The event organiser should approve the sequence while the technical team confirms how it will be operated. Keep the latest media files clearly identified so rehearsal feedback is applied to the version used on the day. A cue sheet connects the creative programme to the technical operation.
Epic’s event planning service includes stage production and logistics coordination. Share your draft programme early enough for the production plan to develop with it. Give one organiser responsibility for approving changes, and keep a current version that the emcee and technical team can both access. A simple document that stays accurate is more useful than a detailed plan with several conflicting copies.
Check screen content from the audience positions
Look at the screen from more than the centre of the room. Walk to the back, the sides and any seats beside pillars or other visual obstructions. Consider the actual content you will show, not only a colourful test image. A title slide can look clear while a dense spreadsheet is difficult to follow. Use a sample of your smallest necessary text when discussing screen placement and presentation design.
Ask the production team for the agreed content dimensions before artwork is finalised. A panoramic display and a conventional presentation screen may need different layouts. Keep essential information away from areas that could be obscured by people on stage. During event AV planning, confirm who prepares the screen-ready files and who signs them off. Avoid treating the final export as something that can be improvised minutes before doors open.
Plan speech around the people using the microphones
List the speaking situations separately. Someone presenting from a fixed position has different movement needs from an emcee crossing the stage or a guest asking a question from a table. Tell the technical team how people will participate, then let them recommend suitable microphone arrangements and speaker placement. The useful goal is clear, comfortable speech across the audience area, not simply the largest number of speakers.
Build in a short microphone briefing for the actual presenters. Let them practise with the equipment they will use and explain who will help if something needs adjusting. For a hosted programme, Epic’s event talents management service is a relevant starting point for emcee coordination. Share introductions, name pronunciations and segment changes with the host as well as the sound operator, so neither has to guess during a handover.
Give every playback moment a clear cue
A video, walk-on track or award animation needs a clear trigger. Agree who calls the cue and what the operator should listen or look for. Include what happens immediately before and after the file plays. For example, a speaker may need to pause while a video starts, then wait for the screen to return to a holding slide before continuing. Those small transitions are part of the audience experience.
Use descriptive filenames and identify the approved version of each asset. Test the files on the playback system, including their beginning, ending and audio. Discuss a practical alternative if an asset cannot run as expected. If the event will be filmed, coordinate with the recording team too. Epic Media’s event videography service covers speaker and presentation recording; confirm any required audio feed and coverage arrangement with the actual crew before the event.
Allow space for the production team to work
The audience sees the front of a screen, but the installation also needs space behind it and a workable route for equipment. Include the control position, cases, access points and crew movement in the venue discussion. Check that the operator can follow the stage and receive cues. A visually tidy room still needs a practical working area for the people delivering the programme.
Share venue access times and the final floor plan with the production lead. Ask the venue and qualified crew to agree power arrangements, cable routes and installation requirements; do not leave those decisions to guest-facing staff during arrival. For a banquet, connect the AV plan with meal service and stage activity. Epic’s dinner and dance event planning service includes AV systems and catering coordination, making those timing discussions part of one event brief.
Rehearse transitions as well as individual elements
Testing one microphone and one video separately does not show how the whole programme will flow. Walk through the opening, a speaker change, a playback cue and the closing sequence. Use the real introductions and representative content wherever possible. Check whether people know where to stand, when to move and who gives the next instruction. This often reveals questions that an equipment checklist alone cannot answer.
Keep the rehearsal focused on decisions the team can act on. Record changes in the shared programme and confirm them with the people affected. Test the revised transition before moving on. Leave enough time for the technical team to complete its own checks without competing with guest arrival. Good event AV planning gives the crew a clear brief and realistic preparation time, while allowing the organiser to concentrate on the event itself.
Event AV planning across different venue layouts
These photographs show screen and stage arrangements in banquet rooms, a large hall, an auditorium and an exhibition setting. Compare the relationship between the display, seating and surrounding space. They illustrate different planning questions, from a single presentation surface to multiple scenic panels. Past-event artwork remains visible in the photographs; your own content, layout and equipment requirements should be agreed separately for your venue.
Bring a clear brief to the production discussion
Prepare your event date, venue photographs, audience layout and draft programme before the AV briefing. Add the planned presentation files, speaking situations, playback moments and any recording requirements. Identify the person who can approve content and the person who will call programme changes on the day. These details help the team scope the work without relying on assumptions about a previous event.
Finally, agree the delivery timeline: when the layout is confirmed, when files are due, when the venue becomes available and when rehearsal begins. Keep event AV planning connected to the wider schedule instead of treating it as a separate equipment order. When people, content and cues are planned together, the technical setup has a clear purpose: helping guests follow and enjoy what is happening in front of them.