How to brief sound and lighting for an event

Start with what happens, not with a kit list

Many briefs arrive as a list: two speakers, one microphone, some coloured lights. The supplier can quote that, but it may be wrong for the room, and nobody notices until a speaker cannot be heard at the back. A better brief describes the event and lets the production team decide the equipment.

Write a short paragraph on the purpose of the event and its audience, then walk through the programme in order. For each part, note what the guests should hear and see. “Welcome drinks with background music where people can talk without shouting” leads to very different choices than “a DJ set from 22:00 that should feel like a club”. If you already have a draft run-of-show, attach it, even if the timings will move.

Add the basics that shape every technical decision: the date, the guest count, whether people stand or sit at tables, and whether the event is streamed, filmed or recorded. A seated dinner for 120 with three short speeches needs a modest, discreet system. A standing launch for 300 with a product reveal, a video and a band needs much more, and it needs it in a different place in the room.

The venue facts a supplier cannot guess

Most surprises on the day come from the building. Ask the venue for these details and pass them on, ideally with a floor plan and photos:

• Room size and ceiling height, and whether the space is long and narrow, square or split across levels.
• Power: where the sockets are, which circuits they share, and whether there is three-phase power (in Denmark usually red CEE outlets of 16, 32 or 63 amps) for larger lighting and sound systems.
• Rigging: whether you may hang anything from the ceiling, where the load points are, and whether the venue insists on its own riggers.
• Access: load-in route, lifts, stairs, parking for a van and the earliest time crew may enter.
• In-house equipment: built-in PA, projectors or lighting that can be used, and who operates it.
• Acoustics: hard surfaces, glass and concrete make speech harder to understand, which affects speaker choice.

Older Copenhagen buildings often look perfect and turn out to have limited power and strict rules about fixing anything to walls. Knowing this a month ahead is cheap. Finding out at load-in is not.

What the sound section of the brief needs

Sound for events falls into two jobs: speech that must be understood, and music that must feel right. They need different handling, and most events have both.

Voices

List every person who will speak, sing or present, and how. Handheld microphones suit hosts and Q&A; headset or lavalier microphones suit presenters who move or use their hands. Panels need one microphone per person, plus one for the moderator. Audience questions need at least one roaming handheld and someone to carry it.

Playback

Note every moment where sound comes from a laptop or a screen: walk-on music, videos with audio, a sonic logo before the keynote. Say who supplies the files and in what format, and send them before the day. Videos with sound are a common failure point, so ask for a test.

Music

For background music, say whether it is a playlist, a pianist or a DJ, and the level you want during dinner. For live acts, get their technical rider early: it lists their stage plot and input requirements, and it often contains needs that change the quote. If the night ends with dancing, the brief should say from when, and the sound and lighting plan can shift from a speech set-up to a fuller system without a long break.

What to say about lighting

Lighting has three tasks at most events: making the people on stage visible, giving the room a mood, and making the event look good on camera. Brief all three.

• Stage and speakers: where people will stand, and whether faces must be lit evenly for filming or streaming.
• Room mood: colours, whether brand colours matter, and how the light should change from arrival to dinner to party.
• Daylight: a summer event in Denmark can be fully light until late evening, which makes coloured lighting almost invisible. Blackout options or a later start may matter more than extra fixtures.
• Effects: haze makes light beams visible, but it can trigger smoke detectors. Many venues require detectors to be isolated by their own technician, sometimes at a fee. Ask before planning it in.

If the event will be filmed or photographed, say so here. Cameras need more even light on faces than a room full of guests does, and the capture crew and the lighting designer should speak before the day.

A one-page brief at a glance

The table below is a compact version of what a supplier needs. If every row has an answer, a quote can be accurate and the plan realistic.

Noise limits, permits and the hours nobody budgets

Indoor venues usually set their own volume and finish-time rules, often because of neighbours. Outdoor events are different: in Denmark, the municipality may set conditions on noise and hours as part of permission to use a public space, and the details vary between kommuner. Check the conditions early, because they affect speaker placement and the size of the system.

Time is the other hidden cost. A realistic schedule includes load-in, set-up, a sound check with the actual presenters and performers, a rehearsal of transitions, a break before doors, and load-out after the last guest. Squeezing these to save a crew hour usually shows. Ask for the timing plan with the quote and check that it fits the venue’s access hours.

What to ask when the quote comes back

A brief is the first half of a conversation. When the quote arrives, read it against your programme rather than comparing totals between suppliers. Two quotes can look similar and cover very different amounts of work.

• Crew: how many technicians are on site, for which hours, and whether someone stays at the desk for the whole programme or only for set-up.
• Spares: whether backup microphones, cables and a second playback source are included.
• Transport and parking: often listed separately, and in central Copenhagen parking for a van is not trivial.
• Overtime: the rate if the party runs past the agreed finish, and when it starts to apply.
• Insurance and safety: who is responsible for rigging and cable runs across walkways, and whether the supplier has liability cover.
• Changes: the deadline for adding a microphone or a video, and what late changes cost.

If something is missing, ask before you sign. A supplier who answers these questions clearly is usually the one who will also answer the radio calmly when the keynote speaker arrives late.