LEVEL 4 TECHNICAL EVENTS MANAGEMENT
The Pedley Awards
Our first project we worked on was called the Pedley Awards. We were hired by a group called the Rotary club to help run a grant giving ceremony. They had selected the finalist’s textile designs and asked us to put on a ceremony to display them.
On Tuesday 13th of September we had a meeting with the colleges textiles tutor who had contact with the Rotary club. After a brief explanation of the event, we asked about when the date of the show would be to ascertain how long we would have to get the project underway, but there wasn’t an exact date, but it was expected to happen in late October. The amount of people who would turn up was also uncertain, so we asked Mr Panesar to get in touch with the rotary club to find that information out for us. Next, we spoke about the running of the day to help determine where we should put on the event. We fount out that previously the event was split into 3 half hour sections. The first was the exhibit of the finalist’s work, next was the awards where they give the grant out and it finishes with an after celebration. However, unlike in previous events the designs couldn’t be showed off on a catwalk because the designs were more abstract. The idea of using the overhang was suggested but we were told to make sure that we used bright lights because previously put on in there, the lights used weren’t very bright. At this point we ended the meeting and said we would next meet up once contact was made with the rotary club or if we have any progress to report back with.
Before the next meeting we investigated other options for where to host the event because we felt that the overhang was too small a location. One suggestion was to use the theatre and have the designs on stage then the people could sit in the seating bank, but the problem was that how would people know when to move and to leave without being forced. Another idea was to have the designs displayed on the 3rd floor corridor outside the theatre then we would open the doors to the theatre to let people know to start coming in then for the celebration after to happen in the foyer so we can close the theatre doors.
A meeting was then held on the 27th to propose this idea. Mr Panesar liked this idea of the 3rd floor corridor, so we continued with that plan. It was also discussed that the rotary club had not responded to the emails that were sent to them. This wasn’t ideal but we asked that Mr Panesar continue to email. The question of catering was asked for us to investigate but that lead to the question of budget and who would pay, so we asked that the matter of budget be asked of the rotary club. We then ended the meeting.
Soon after this meeting we were informed that the reason the rotary club had not made contact was because the person running the event on their side and who would be delivering the speech was unwell and was in the hospital, so the event was to be moved into June of 2023. At this point we shelved all work on this project to focus on other projects.
England FIFA Screening
We were informed of an event that we would be putting on the following Monday. We were asked to put on a screening of the FIFA game. The first thing that we asked was if we have a TV licence to stream the event because as of the communications act 2003, they are a legal requirement. Once confirmed, we brainstormed ideas, and I suggested using our Panasonic DLP projector pt-dz13kej over our NEC PA550W Projector because the Panasonic projector has a stronger lens which would create a cleaner image and can be easily moved to allow us to rear projecting onto the screen because that way we would be getting the best quality and it wouldn’t be projecting from the back of the auditorium where people could stand in front of the NEC projector. It also appeared as a common link between multiple examples It was also suggested that we sell refreshments during the game as well.
When we decided to see if we could rear project, we realised that we didn’t have the rear projector screen, but Mr Cook knew there was one with it, so told me to email the Teaching Aids as we had gotten the screen from them. After emailing the Teaching Aids they confirmed that they had the screen and Mr Cook said that he would collect the screen during the week.
Once I was done emailing the Teaching Aids one of other people on the course asked me to show them how to create an excel spreadsheet for all information they found regarding refreshments. I showed them how to create a spreadsheet, how to use formulars and helped them pick the final items to show to Mr Cook. At this point there was a break in communications. Me and the person who created the list thought refreshments classed as food and drinks but Mr Cook just meant drinks, when we told him how much money we would need after showing him the list he agreed and told us to come and get the money from him the next day.
Next, me and the other person went to go and get the list of refreshments but the items were either not in the store or more expensive so we couldn’t get everything. When we returned Mr Cook was annoyed that we had spent £50 on food and drinks and wanted to know how much we were selling thing for and what profit we would make. After a few minutes working out the most reasonable prices we could sell the items for and working out how much profit we could make, I showed the calculations with Mr Cook and he agreed that the prices were ok.
The next week we set us the projector on the stage along with the mac we would be streaming the game on and the analogue sound console and the speakers. Once those were all set up on the stage, we set up the rear projection screen. While the others were making sure the screen lined up with the projector, I set up the refreshment stand as I was taking on the job of Sales Manager. While I was showing one of the others on my course the excel document, I had created to keep track of what items we had, sold, how much they were sold for, and profit made he said that there might be a way to add a button that when clicked would automatically update all the info at once. Before we started the screening, he showed me how to add the buttons basically turning the excel document into a till.
​
Before the screening we realised that the macro buttons would not work on the iPad we wanted to use as the till instead of a laptop because the iPad would take up less space. We solved the problem by screen sharing the laptop with the iPad so we would be using the iPad to control the laptop.
After the screening we took down the screen and the projector and put them away, returned the mac to the tech box, then we put the speakers and the analogue desk away. After the event I reflected on the day and came to the conclusion that the event felt thought through as other events that we had completed and that was due to a fundamental lack of operational processes.
We lacked a written production schedule that stated who was working on each area and as such some people were left with little to do. From this I have learnt that one use that a production schedule has is that it is a visual representation of the workload and how even the workload is. Now that I am aware I would make sure to track peoples work hours on my production schedule and use it like a workload plan.
Diversity in Diversity
We were asked to run 2 music shows called Diversity in Diversity, for the music department that was being put together by the Level 3 Second years. This type of gig is called a public event and it is a good way for the music students to create a solid portfolio. We had a month to choose a job role, create a production plan, gather any important paperwork, interview and hire a technical crew, pre plot the lighting and set the stage up.
The first thing we all did was to pick a job role and I decided to be the Health & Safety Manager. My responsibilities were; to find out if there is anyone in the cast and crew that have any illnesses or conditions that need to be relayed to other departments, collect risk assessments from departments or to write up/collect risk assessments for the rooms that people would have access to, to ensure that everyone is aware of the risks and obeying the risk assessments and to ensure that the stage is safe before we allow the bands onto it. Risk Assessments are a legal requirement as of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
After picking my job role I looked through my laptop to find the basic Evolve Theatre risk assessment, I then messaged Mr Cook asking if the dressing rooms backstage had risk assessments. Mr Cook replied saying that the dressing rooms didn’t have risk assessments, so over the next week, I wrote one up from a combination of a standard classroom risk assessments and any risks I spotted that wasn’t on the standard risk assessment. I also collected all the Standard Operating Procedures (S.O.P) that were written for the college. A S.O.P is a document that explains to someone how to perform a common and repetitive task in a safe way. It is useful for multiple purposes from training new people to ensuring peoples safety. There are multiple pros and cons to S.O.P with the pros, such as reduced production time, outweighing the cons like reduced creativity.
The template I used was the colleges standard risk assessment which is based off of the Health and Safety Executive Risk Assessment Template, specifically the Educational section. It also shares a few key aspects with the General Risk Assessment from HSE.
After a while there was a production meeting to discuss who we were and what we were doing with the music students, unfortunately I was unable to attend. But when we were next in the people in the meeting told us everything that they learned, such as that there were 4 band that were preforming, the stage layout for those bands and the band names and with the information we learnt we started to create the production schedule. One of the key characteristics of the stage layout was the drum riser, which is makes the communication between the drummer and other performers, which is a key part of live music.
The production schedule is the master document which contains all the information for the show and are very important. They contain information from the stage plan, to set list to the daily schedule. Usually, the production schedule is made around 6-8 months before the show and contains deadlines, meetings and delivery dates for all departments, but as we only find out about the shows we are working on and what our job roles would be 2-3 months before so we have to scale ours down and rush the process.
We also messaged the band to find out more information like the set lists and if any cast have any medical conditions that the tech team needed to know about such as epilepsy or asthma. They informed us that no one was epileptic or asthmatic but that they were waiting for the bands to get back to them about the setlists.
Later that week we had another meeting. In this meeting we discussed what type of music would be played and what made it diverse, who is advertising it, what equipment is being brought in and informing the band that we can’t have a standing audience due to the buildings fire regulations which wouldn’t be in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Then we set a date for our next meeting.
The next week we were sent the setlists and told that one of the bands had dropped out. Then the next day our technical manager went and did interviews for the tech team. Once the tech team had been decided, I messaged the lighting designers and the music sound crew and asked them to send me their risk assessments by the end of the week by the latest.
Later that week we had another meeting. In this meeting we had to show the music students the production plan, talk them through it then we had to do a quality test with each band.
During that meeting I had realised that I forgot to get a PAT done for the speaker that was being brought in for one of the bands. A Portable Appliance Test is not a legal requirement but under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, there is a legal requirement to ensure that all electrical equipment is maintained to prevent damage. So as Health and Safety Manager I wouldn’t let an untested speaker be plugged in, in the theatre. I messaged Mr Cook about whether it would be possible to get a speaker tested in time. He said it could, but it probably wouldn’t be done in time. In response I spoke to the music sound people about if there were enough speakers and if the speakers that they do have would work for the guitar player and if so if we could use one instead. They said there were more than enough speakers that worked for that performer that were a high enough quality, so I spoke to the person who was bringing it in and the person who wanted to use it and explained what was happening, which they were both good with.
While I was explaining the production schedule Mr Dudley Informed me that one of the teachers who might be in the theatre during the show has epilepsy and suggested that I should message them to find out the triggers or to see if we had to remove any strobe lighting. I sent an email to them and got a quick response which I then passed onto the lighting designers.
The next week we had the get-in, the morning was for the sound get in and for lighting and AV to finish their get in and the afternoon was Desk plotting for both lighting and sound. While the get-in was happening, I was making sure people were remaining safe by not lifting anything more than 25KG by themselves, by taping all trip hazards down and by marking any trip hazards that are taped down with white gaffer tape. To do this efficiently I supervised the sound tech students. As the performance is a public event and usually have a small PA system, but as we have more advanced technology available to us we were able to use 12 channels, 10 of those channels were used by one of our multi-coils because 2 of the channels died. We also set up our speakers to reduce feedback and to maximise the sound quality.
In the afternoon, while the tech team were plotting, I was making sure that the dressing rooms were ready and that AV were ready as they are an important part of the show, as now a days lots of music shows are embracing things like AV and projection after music gigs like Glastonburybrought them to the forefront of music.
We also ensured that lighting set up the haze machine in a safe location 3M from a performer, according to the manual. We also ensure to keep the fluid for the haze in a bright lockable container that adheres to the COSHH guidelines.
On the following day we were running sound checks then performing a full run through. The first thing we did when the Music students were there, we gave them a quick plan for the day and what we expected from them. Next, I gave a quick safety briefing about all the risks and how to avoid them such as making sure not to stand in front of the side lighting or if they hear someone shout “Going dark” to stop moving until the lights were off. Safety briefings are an important part of being the Health and Safety manager. Here is an example of a safety briefing.
When we got to the sound checks Mr Dudley was running them, but it started to take a while to get through them, so we ran the last check while Mr Dudley helped the sound team. The reason it was taking so long is because unlike other shows such as acting and dancing, is that music is a live event were things change show to show so you need to be able to balance the sound quickly unlike with backing tracks that can be pre-programmed. We brought in Mr Dudley because we for sore that having us lead the sound tech with people in our peer group could cause some push back, so we brought in Mr Dudley to lead to avoid that problem. During the run through one of the tops fell off tis sub. This was noticed by Mr Cook who was front of stage who then went and got two ratchet straps and strapped the tops to the subs. It was later discovered after the run through that when the speaker fell over it landed on an XLR cable and sliced it in two which led to the whole cable being replaced.
On the day of the show, we started off with another sound check to make sure that nothing broke overnight. We ran these sound checks quickly then while the music students were on lunch, I set up the refreshment stand. After the show the music students took their instruments and everyone else helped clear the stage and put everything away.
Over the course of this show I have learned from my mistakes and There are things I would do differently, such as request the risk assessments earlier and make sure I leave myself notifications to remind myself to get things done sooner. I also learned that in a college setting S.O.P are less effective because you are working with people of a similar age who might not listen to you when you ask them to read the S.O.P and you have no way of confirming that they have read the document. I would also like to learn how to write a Production Schedule by myself as I have only ever written one as a part of a group.