Industry Jargon Explained

AV Equipment

AV equipment, short for audio-visual equipment, is the sound, video and display gear used at events, such as microphones, speakers, mixing desks, projectors, LED screens and lighting.

Access Rider

An access rider is a document where a disabled or neurodivergent artist, crew member or speaker sets out the access needs they require to do their work, shared with venues and organisers.

Accreditation

Accreditation is the process of approving who can access an event's restricted areas, such as backstage or the media pit, and issuing them a pass or wristband to prove it.

Advance

An advance is the process of confirming every practical detail of a show, from load-in times to hospitality, between the artist's team, the venue and the promoter before show day.

All-in Pricing

All-in pricing means showing customers the full price of a ticket, including booking and other unavoidable fees, from the first time the price appears rather than adding fees at checkout.

Artist Agent

An artist agent, also called a booking agent, is the person who secures and negotiates live performances for an artist, handling offers, fees and contracts with promoters and venues.

Artist Bio

An artist bio is a short written profile of a musician, band or performer, used by promoters, venues, festivals and media to introduce the act and promote their shows.

Artist Itinerary

An artist itinerary is the day-by-day plan for an artist and their touring party, listing travel, hotels, show times and appearances for every date on a tour or event.

Artist Liaison

An artist liaison is the person at a festival or venue who looks after performers on show day, acting as their main contact for arrivals, dressing rooms, schedules and requests.

Artist Manager

An artist manager is the person who runs an artist's career and business, setting strategy, building the team and negotiating deals with labels, agents and promoters.

Avails

Avails, short for availabilities, are the open dates a venue or an artist has free to book, shared with agents and promoters when they plan shows and tours.

Backend Deal

A backend deal is a show deal where the artist receives a guaranteed fee plus a percentage of the profit once the show has covered its costs and broken even.

Backing Track

A backing track is pre-recorded audio played alongside a live performance, adding instruments, vocals or effects that the performers on stage don't play live.

Backline

Backline is the band equipment that sits on stage behind the performers, such as guitar and bass amplifiers, drum kits and keyboards, supplied by the artist, venue or a hire company.

Backstage

Backstage is the restricted area behind and around a stage where performers, crew and staff prepare, rest and store equipment, out of the audience's view.

Banquet Event Order (BEO)

A banquet event order (BEO), also called a function sheet, is a venue's internal document listing everything needed for an event, from room set-up and timings to food, drink and AV.

Booking

Booking is the process of securing an artist or act to perform on a specific date at a venue or event, from checking availability and making an offer to signing a contract.

Box Office

A box office is a venue's ticket sales point, selling and collecting tickets in person or by phone, and the term is also used for a show's total ticket income.

Buyout

A buyout is a cash payment made instead of providing something agreed in the rider, most often a meal buyout paid to the artist and crew instead of catering.

Call Sheet

A call sheet is a one-day document telling every crew member when and where to report, what they are working on, and who to contact, issued before each working day.

Capacity

Capacity is the maximum number of people allowed in a venue or at an event, set by its licence and safety limits, and adjusted for each show's layout.

Cashless

A cashless event is one where food, drink and merchandise are paid for by card, phone or a topped-up wristband, instead of notes and coins.

Chain Hoist (Motors)

A chain hoist, usually called a motor, is an electric lifting device that raises and holds truss, lighting, speakers and screens above a stage, controlled from a motor controller.

Changeover

A changeover is the period between two acts on the same stage, when the crew removes one act's equipment, sets up the next and checks everything works before they play.

Comms (Talkback)

Comms, also called talkback or intercom, is the headset system that lets show crew talk to each other hands-free during a show, usually directed by the show caller or stage manager.

Comps (Complimentary Tickets)

Comps (complimentary tickets) are free tickets given out by the promoter, venue or artist, such as to press, industry, competition winners or partners.

Conference

A conference is a planned event where people from the same industry or field meet to hear talks, take part in sessions and network, usually over one to three days.

Conference Manager

A conference manager is the person who plans and delivers a conference, managing the venue, budget, speakers, suppliers and on-the-day operations from first booking to final report.

Credentials

Credentials are the passes, wristbands and badges issued to accredited people at an event, showing who they are and which restricted areas and days they can access.

Crew Call

A crew call is the scheduled time crew members must arrive at a venue or site to start work, set for each department and shift from load-in through to load-out.

Crowd Barrier and Pit

A crowd barrier is the strong, freestanding fence between the audience and the stage, with a pit behind it where security, medics and photographers work during the show.

Crowd Management

Crowd management is the planning and running of an event so that crowds can arrive, move, watch and leave safely, covering capacity, entry, layout, staffing and emergency plans.

Cue Sheet

A cue sheet is a document listing every technical cue in a show, such as lighting, sound and video changes, with its number, trigger and timing.

Curfew

A curfew is the latest time a show or event must finish, set by the venue, its licence or the local authority, after which all music must stop.

DI Box (Direct Input Box)

A DI box (direct input box) converts the unbalanced signal from an instrument such as a keyboard or bass into a balanced, mic-level signal that can reach the mixing desk without noise.

DMX

DMX (DMX512) is the standard digital control signal used in live events to send instructions from a lighting desk to lights, dimmers, haze machines and other effects.

Date Holds

A date hold is a free, provisional reservation of a date at a venue, kept for an agreed period while the client decides, and released unless they confirm with a contract or deposit.

Day Sheet

A day sheet is a one-page schedule for a single show day that lists load-in, sound check, doors, set times, curfew and key contacts for the artist, crew and venue.

Deal Memo

A deal memo is a short document confirming the main agreed terms of a show, such as date, fee and deal, so both sides can move ahead before the full contract is issued.

Deposit

A deposit is part of a fee paid in advance to secure a booking, such as a promoter paying part of an artist's fee or a client paying part of a venue hire fee.

Dimmer Pack

A dimmer pack is a portable unit that controls how much power reaches conventional stage lights, letting a lighting desk set their brightness over DMX.

Door Deal

A door deal is a show deal where the artist is paid a percentage of ticket income, either of the gross takings or of what is left after agreed costs, instead of a fixed fee.

Doors

Doors is the time a venue opens its doors to the audience, which is usually 30 minutes to an hour or more before the first act or the main show begins.

Downstage

Downstage is the area of the stage closest to the audience, at the front edge, and the opposite of upstage, which is the area furthest from the audience.

Dressing Room

A dressing room is a private backstage room where performers change, rest and prepare before going on stage, usually allocated to one act and fitted out to their rider.

Dry Hire

Dry hire is renting a venue space or technical equipment without venue staff, technicians or catering, so the hirer brings and manages their own team.

Duty Manager

A duty manager is the senior person in charge of a venue during an event or shift, responsible for safety, licensing, staff and customers until the building is closed.

Dynamic Pricing

Dynamic pricing is a way of selling tickets where prices change with demand, so the same seat can cost more when many people are trying to buy and less when demand is low.

dB (Decibel)

A decibel (dB) is the unit used to measure sound level on a logarithmic scale, used at events to set safe volumes, protect hearing and meet noise limits.

Equalizer (EQ)

An EQ, short for equalizer, is a tool that boosts or cuts chosen frequency ranges in a sound, used by engineers to make each instrument clear and to suit the sound system to the room.

Event Debrief

An event debrief is a structured review held after an event, where the team captures what went well, what went wrong and what to change for the next event.

Event Enquiry

An event enquiry is a request from a potential client asking a venue or supplier about availability, prices and options for an event, and the first step towards a confirmed booking.

Event Itinerary

An event itinerary is the schedule shared with guests or attendees, listing what happens, when and where across an event, from arrival to the final session or departure.

Event Management

Event management is the planning, organising and running of events such as concerts, festivals, conferences and weddings, from the first idea and budget through delivery and review.

Event Management Plan (EMP)

An event management plan (EMP) is the master document setting out how an event will be organised, staffed and kept safe, often submitted to the local authority before it can go ahead.

Event Organizer

An event organizer, or organiser, is the person or company that plans and runs an event, taking charge of the venue, budget, suppliers, promotion and delivery on the day.

Event Production Agency

An event production agency is a company that designs and delivers events for clients, handling the creative concept, staging, technical production, suppliers and on-site crew.

Event Rundown

An event rundown is a segment-by-segment list of a hosted event, such as an awards show or gala, giving each item's start time, duration, people involved and cues.

Event Technical Director

An event technical director is the person responsible for the technical side of an event, designing and overseeing its sound, lighting, video, staging and power, and the crews that deliver them.

Festival

A festival is an event, often lasting several days, that brings together many performances or activities across multiple stages or spaces around a shared theme such as music, film, food or literature.

Festival Manager

A festival manager is the person who runs a festival's operations, managing the budget, site, suppliers, staff and safety plans from early planning through the live days and wrap-up.

Festival Production

Festival production is the planning and delivery of everything needed to run a festival on the ground, from site infrastructure and stages to artists, crew, safety and the final break down.

Festival Programme

A festival programme is the schedule showing which acts, talks or activities take place on each stage or space, on which day and at what time, used by the audience, artists and staff.

Festival Rider

A festival rider is a version of an artist's rider adapted to festival conditions, scaling back technical, backline and hospitality requests to fit shared stages, short changeovers and festival facilities.

Festival Timeline

A festival timeline is the planning schedule for a festival, setting out every milestone and deadline from the first bookings and licence application through the live days to the final review.

Followspot

A followspot is a powerful spotlight aimed by hand by an operator to follow a performer around the stage, keeping them lit wherever they move during the show.

Front of House (FOH)

Front of house (FOH) means the parts of a venue the audience uses and the team that runs them, and in live sound, the mixing position in the audience where the main sound is controlled.

Front of House Manager

A front of house manager is the person who runs the audience-facing side of a venue, leading ushers, box office and bar staff and looking after audience safety and experience.

Get In & Load In

A get in, called a load in in the US, is the process of bringing a show's equipment into a venue and building it, from unloading the trucks to the final line check.

Grassroots

A grassroots organisation is an independent, community-led group that runs events from the ground up, driven by local people and volunteers rather than large companies or institutions.

Green Room

A green room is a shared backstage lounge where performers, guests and presenters wait and relax before and after going on stage, in theatres, venues, festivals and TV studios.

Guarantee

A guarantee is the minimum fee a promoter agrees to pay an artist for a show, whatever the ticket sales, set out in the booking contract and paid at or before settlement.

Guest List

A guest list is the list of people allowed into an event without buying a ticket, with places given by the artist, promoter or venue and checked at the door against ID.

Hall Fee (Merch Split)

A hall fee (or merch split) is the percentage of an artist's merchandise sales that a venue takes as commission for letting the artist sell merch at a show.

Haze Machine

A haze machine is a device that fills a performance space with a fine, even mist, making lighting beams and lasers visible without blocking the audience's view of the stage.

Headliner

A headliner is the main act on a show or festival bill, the biggest draw for ticket buyers, who is billed at the top and usually plays last and for the longest set.

Hire Agreement

A venue hire agreement is the contract between a venue and a hirer that sets out the space, dates, fees, deposits, rules, insurance and liability for an event.

Hire Out

A hire out is an event at a venue that is organised, marketed and run by an external client renting the space, while the venue provides the room, building operations and agreed services.

Holdbacks

Holdbacks are tickets kept out of the general sale, set aside for the artist, promoter, sponsors or production, or released later once the stage layout is final.

Holds

A hold is a tentative claim on a date in a venue's diary while a promoter confirms a show, ranked first, second and so on when several promoters want the same date.

Hospitality

Hospitality at live events is how artists, crew and guests are looked after on show day, covering catering, dressing rooms, rider items, accommodation and transport.

Hospitality Rider

A hospitality rider is the part of an artist's contract that lists their requests for food, drink, dressing rooms, accommodation and transport on show day.

Hybrid Event

A hybrid event is a live event with both an in-person audience at the venue and an online audience watching and taking part remotely, usually through a live stream.

In-Ear Monitors (IEMs)

In-ear monitors (IEMs) are earpieces that deliver a performer's personal monitor mix straight into their ears, usually by wireless, instead of using wedge speakers on stage.

In-house Promotion

In-house promotion is when a venue books, funds, markets and runs its own shows with its own team, taking the financial risk and keeping the ticket and bar income.

Infrastructure

Event infrastructure is the temporary site services an event needs to run safely, such as power, water, fencing, toilets, trackway, waste and communications, especially at outdoor events.

Input List

An input list (or channel list) is a numbered list of every sound source an act needs on stage, showing which microphone or DI box each one uses and where it goes on the desk.

Light Plot

A light plot is a scale drawing of a stage and venue showing where every lighting fixture is hung, with its type, colour, channel and control address, used to build the rig.

Lighting Designer

A lighting designer (LD) is the person who creates the look of a show with light, designing the lighting rig, choosing colours and effects, and building the cues for each moment.

Lighting Engineer

A lighting engineer is the technician who installs, programmes, maintains and operates the stage lighting for concerts, theatre and events, often working from the lighting desk during the show.

Lighting Gel

A lighting gel is a thin, heat-resistant coloured filter placed in front of a stage light to change its colour, correct its colour temperature or soften the beam.

Line Array

A line array is a PA system made of several speaker cabinets hung in a curved column, usually flown above each side of the stage, to send even sound across large audiences.

Line Check

A line check is a quick test of every audio input, from each microphone and instrument on stage through to the mixing desk, to confirm signals are working before a performance.

Load Out

A load out, or get out, is the process of taking a show down after an event, packing every piece of equipment and loading it into trucks, then leaving the venue as it was found.

Load-In and Load-Out Crew

A load-in and load-out crew is the team of stagehands, loaders and riggers hired to unload, build, take down and reload a show's equipment at each venue.

Mains (Sound System)

The mains are the main loudspeakers of a sound system, usually left and right of the stage, that carry the full mix from the front of house desk to the audience.

Manager

In live events, a manager can be any of several roles, such as artist, tour, production, stage, venue or festival manager, each responsible for a different part of the event.

Meal Tickets

Meal tickets are vouchers given to crew, staff, volunteers and artists at an event, which they exchange for meals at the catering area during their shift.

Merch (Merchandise)

Merch, short for merchandise, is branded products such as T-shirts, records and posters sold by artists and events at shows, often a major source of tour income.

Mic Check

A mic check is a quick test of a single microphone, made by speaking into it before a show or presentation, to confirm it works, sounds clear and is at the right level.

Mixing Console (Desk)

A mixing console, usually called a desk, is the control surface where a sound engineer combines, balances and processes every microphone and instrument to create the mix.

Monitor Engineer

A monitor engineer is the sound engineer who mixes what performers hear on stage, creating a separate mix for each musician through wedges or in-ear monitors.

Monitor World

Monitor world is the position at the side of the stage where the monitor engineer mixes what each performer hears through their wedges or in-ear monitors.

Offer

An offer is a promoter's written proposal to an artist's agent to book a show, setting out the date, venue, fee, deal, costs and conditions for the agent to accept or negotiate.

On-sale

An on-sale is the date and time when tickets for a show or festival go on general sale to the public, usually after an announcement and any presales.

Opening Act

An opening act, or support act, is the artist who performs before the headliner at a show, usually with a shorter set, to warm up the audience.

Patch List

A patch list is a document showing where every microphone, DI and playback feed on stage plugs in, matching each input to a stage box socket and mixing desk channel.

Pencils

A pencil is an early, informal reservation of a date in a venue's diary, made while a show or event is still being planned and before the promoter or client is ready to hold it.

Per Diem

A per diem is a daily allowance paid to each member of a touring party to cover food and personal expenses on the road, usually paid in cash by the tour manager.

Permits

Event permits are the official approvals an organiser needs to hold an event legally, such as licences for the event itself, alcohol, music, noise, food and road closures.

Pitch Fee

A pitch fee is the charge a trader, such as a food vendor, stallholder or exhibitor, pays an event organiser for the right to run a stall or stand at an event.

Premises Licence

A premises licence is a licence from the local council that lets a venue in England and Wales sell alcohol, put on regulated entertainment or serve late-night food, subject to conditions.

Presale

A presale is a limited window to buy tickets before the general on-sale, usually for fan club members, mailing list subscribers, venue members or holders of certain bank cards.

Press Assets & Press Pack

A press pack, or set of press assets, is a collection of approved photos, biographies, logos, press releases and media links that helps journalists and promoters cover an artist or event.

Private Hire

A private hire is a booking where a client hires a venue or room exclusively for a private event, such as a party, wedding or company event, that is not open to the public.

Producing House

A producing house, or producing theatre, is a venue that creates, casts, rehearses and stages its own productions, rather than mainly hosting touring shows from elsewhere.

Production Director

A production director is the senior person responsible for all production across a festival, venue or events company, leading production managers and setting budgets, standards and safety policy.

Production Manager

A production manager is the person responsible for the technical and logistical delivery of a live event, from advancing and budgets to crew, rigging and safety.

Production Office

A production office is the backstage room where the production team runs a show, festival or tour, handling schedules, paperwork, settlements and problems throughout the day.

Production Rehearsal

A production rehearsal is a full run-through of a show with every technical element in place, including lighting, sound, video, staging and effects, before it opens or tours.

Production Schedule

A production schedule is the timetable for building, running and taking down an event, listing every deadline, delivery, build, rehearsal and load-out the production team must hit.

Programming

Programming is choosing which artists, shows and events make up a venue's season or a festival's line-up, balancing audience, budget, dates and the organisation's identity.

Promoter

A promoter is the person or company that puts on live events, booking the artist, securing the venue, marketing the show and taking the financial risk on ticket sales.

Promoter Hire

A promoter hire is a venue rental where an outside promoter hires the space to put on their own show, taking the ticket risk while the venue provides the room, staff and licence.

RFID Wristband

An RFID wristband is an event wristband with a small chip inside, used to scan people in, control access to areas and, at many festivals, pay for food and drink without cash.

Radius Clause

A radius clause is a contract term that stops an artist playing other shows within a set distance and time period of a booked show, to protect its ticket sales.

Receiving House

A receiving house is a theatre or venue that mainly hosts touring productions, concerts and external events, rather than creating its own shows.

Rider

A rider is the part of an artist's performance contract that lists everything they need for a show, covering technical, hospitality, security and other requirements.

Rigging

Rigging is the safe suspension of lighting, sound, video and set pieces above a stage or venue, using rigging points, motors, truss and certified hardware.

Riser

A riser is a raised platform placed on a stage to lift a drum kit, keyboards, performers or equipment higher, so they are more visible and easier to set up.

Risk Assessment

An event risk assessment is a written review of the hazards at an event, who could be harmed and the controls in place to reduce each risk to an acceptable level.

Roadie

A roadie is a member of an artist's touring crew who travels with the show to set up, run and pack down equipment at every venue, such as a backline, sound or lighting technician.

Rota Management

Rota management is planning and running the schedule of who works when at an event or venue, making sure every shift is covered by the right people with the right skills.

Run Down Sheet

A run down sheet is a timed, segment-by-segment list of an event, showing what happens, when, for how long and who is responsible, used by the team to keep the event on schedule.

Run of Show

A run of show (ROS) is a detailed, minute-by-minute plan of an event, listing every segment, technical cue and responsibility so the whole team can deliver the show the same way.

Runner

A runner is an all-round helper at a live event or production who drives artists and crew, collects supplies and runs errands for the production, artist and hospitality teams.

Running Order

A running order is the sequence and timing of the acts or segments in a show or event, showing who appears when, for how long and with what changeovers between them.

SIA Licence

An SIA licence is a licence from the UK's Security Industry Authority that security staff, such as door supervisors, must hold to work legally at licensed venues and many events.

SPL (Sound Pressure Level)

SPL (sound pressure level) is the measured loudness of sound at a given point, expressed in decibels, and is used at live events to manage audience safety, noise limits and the mix.

Security & Event Control

Security and event control is the set of people, plans and systems that keep an event safe, from stewards and security staff on the ground to the event control room coordinating them.

Setlist

A setlist is the ordered list of songs an artist plans to play during their set, used by the band and crew to run the show and often taped to the stage floor.

Settlement

A settlement is the end-of-night meeting where the promoter and the artist's tour manager go through ticket income and show costs and agree exactly what the artist is paid.

Show Caller

A show caller is the person who calls every cue during a live event, telling lighting, sound, video and stage crew exactly when to act so the show runs to plan.

Show Stop

A show stop is the planned procedure for immediately halting a live performance for safety reasons, such as a crowd crush, medical emergency or severe weather, until it is safe to continue.

Site Map

A site map is a scaled plan of an event site showing stages, entrances, exits, facilities, emergency routes and production areas, used for planning, licensing and guiding the audience.

Sound Check

A sound check is the session before a show where the band plays on stage while engineers set levels and tone for each instrument and microphone, in front of house and in the monitors.

Sound Engineer

A sound engineer is the technician who sets up, operates and mixes the sound system at a live event, so the audience and performers hear a clear, balanced sound.

Sponsorship

Event sponsorship is a deal where a brand gives money, products or services to an event or festival in return for marketing rights, such as branding, naming rights or access to the audience.

Stage Box (Multicore)

A stage box is a box of connectors on stage where microphones and instruments plug in, sending all their signals to the mixing desk through a multicore cable or a digital network link.

Stage Crew

Stage crew are the stagehands and technicians who build, run and take down the stage at live events, moving equipment, rigging, setting up and handling changeovers during the show.

Stage Left

Stage left is the left side of the stage from the performer's point of view when facing the audience, which means it is on the audience's right.

Stage Manager

A stage manager is the person who runs the stage during a live event, keeping acts and speakers on time, managing changeovers and leading the stage crew so the show runs to plan.

Stage Plot

A stage plot is a simple diagram showing where an act's instruments, microphones, monitors and power go on stage, sent to venues and festivals so the stage is ready when they arrive.

Stage Right

Stage right is the right side of the stage from the performer's point of view when facing the audience, which means it is on the audience's left.

Stage Timer

A stage timer is a countdown clock placed where speakers and performers can see it, showing how much time is left in their slot so the event stays on schedule.

Start-up

A live events start-up is a newly founded company in the events industry, such as a new festival, promoter, venue or events service, working to prove its idea and grow.

Steward

A steward is a member of event staff who guides and helps the audience, manages queues and crowd flow, and watches for problems, reporting them to supervisors or event control.

Strike

A strike is the process of taking down the stage, set, lighting, sound and other equipment after a show or event, ready for it to be packed and loaded out.

TBC

TBC (to be confirmed) is a label for a detail that is planned but not yet final, such as a date, set time or venue, which is expected to be confirmed later.

Talent Buyer

A talent buyer is the person who books artists for a venue, festival or promoter, choosing acts, making offers to agents and negotiating fees within a budget.

Technical Rehearsal

A technical rehearsal (or tech) is a rehearsal focused on the crew, where every lighting, sound, video and set cue is run and fixed before the show opens.

Technical Rider

A technical rider is the part of an artist's contract that lists their technical needs for a show, including sound, lighting, backline, stage layout, power and crew.

Temporary Event Notice (TEN)

A temporary event notice (TEN) lets someone in England or Wales hold a small, one-off event with alcohol or entertainment without a full premises licence, within set limits.

The Purple Guide

The Purple Guide is the UK industry's main guidance on health, safety and welfare at music and other events, used by organisers, suppliers and local authorities to plan safe events.

Ticketing

Event ticketing is the process of pricing, selling, delivering and checking tickets for concerts, festivals and other events, from the first on-sale to scanning at the door.

To Be Announced (TBA)

TBA (to be announced) is a label for an event detail that has not been made public yet, such as a venue, support act or set time, which will be shared later.

Tour Bus

A tour bus is a sleeper coach fitted with bunks, lounges and storage that carries a band and crew between shows, often driving overnight so they wake up in the next city.

Tour Manager

A tour manager is the person who runs an artist's tour on the road, looking after travel, schedules, money, the touring party and communication with every venue and promoter.

Truss

Truss is a lightweight metal framework, usually aluminium, used to hang lighting, speakers, screens and set pieces above a stage or to build ground-supported structures.

Two-way radio

A two-way radio is a handheld radio that lets event crew, security and staff talk to each other instantly across a venue or festival site, using shared channels for each team.

Upstage

Upstage is the area of the stage furthest from the audience, towards the back wall, and the opposite of downstage, which is the area closest to the audience.

VIP

VIP (very important person) at live events means guests who receive extra access or perks, whether through a paid VIP ticket package or as invited guests of the artist, promoter or sponsor.

Vendors/Suppliers

Event vendors and suppliers are the outside companies that provide equipment, services, food and goods for an event, from sound and staging hire to caterers and traders.

Venue Diary

A venue diary is a venue's master calendar of every confirmed booking, provisional hold, event and maintenance day, used by the whole team to see what is happening when.

Venue Management

Venue management is the running of an event venue day to day, covering bookings, events, staff, safety, the building and finances, so every show or event runs smoothly.

Venue Manager

A venue manager is the person responsible for running an event venue, overseeing bookings, events, staff, safety, the building and the budget so the venue runs well.

Venue Types

Venue types are the categories of spaces used for live events, from clubs, theatres and concert halls to arenas, conference centres, outdoor sites and unusual spaces.

Venue for Hire

A venue for hire is an event space rented to outside clients, such as promoters, companies or private hosts, who run their own events there while the venue provides the space and support.

Versus Deal

A versus deal is a show deal where the artist is paid either a guaranteed fee or a percentage of the show's net income, whichever is higher.

Volunteer Acquisition

Volunteer acquisition is the process of finding, recruiting and signing up volunteers for an event or festival, from advertising roles to collecting applications and confirming places.

Volunteer Manager

A volunteer manager is the person who recruits, trains, schedules and supports an event's volunteers, making sure every role is filled and volunteers have a good experience.

Walkthrough

A walkthrough is a planned visit through a venue or event site to check the layout, safety and readiness, either during planning or just before the event opens.

Wedge

A wedge is an angled floor monitor speaker placed on stage facing the performer, so they can hear their own voice or instrument and the rest of the band while performing.

Welfare

Welfare at events means the services and spaces that look after people's wellbeing, from safe spaces and support for anyone distressed or vulnerable to water, rest and lost property.

Wet Hire

Wet hire is renting a venue or equipment with the owner's staff, technicians and services included, so the hirer gets a ready-to-run space rather than an empty room.