What is a 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. On tour, it is often the first room the tour manager and production manager set up when they arrive at a venue. It is where most questions are answered and most decisions are made on show day.

How a production office is used

A production office runs through the whole show day:

  1. Set up: the team arrives, sets up laptops and printers and posts the day sheet.
  2. Coordinate: meet the venue team, confirm times and handle crew questions.
  3. Handle paperwork: print passes, guest lists and schedules.
  4. Solve problems: deal with lost equipment, late deliveries and changes.
  5. Settle: the settlement often takes place here at the end of the night.

Production offices juggle dozens of jobs at once, which teams keep on top of with tasks in Crescat.

Venue production office vs tour production office

A venue production office belongs to the venue and is offered to visiting tours. A tour production office is the touring team's own setup, which moves from venue to venue. At festivals, a site production office runs the whole event, with smaller offices for each stage.

What a production office should have

  • Desks, chairs and plenty of power sockets
  • Reliable Wi-Fi, often a dedicated network
  • A printer and paper
  • A lockable door for cash and equipment
  • Radios and chargers
  • Posted schedules, contacts and site plans
  • Water, coffee and somewhere to eat between jobs

Frequently asked questions

Who works in the production office?

The production manager, tour manager, production coordinator and assistants, plus venue or festival production staff. Other crew drop in throughout the day with questions.

Why do riders ask for a production office?

Touring teams need a private working space with Wi-Fi and power for their whole day, often from early morning until after the load-out. It is usually listed in the technical rider or hospitality rider.

Do small venues have a production office?

Often not a separate room. A corner of the green room or a dressing room may be used instead. Telling the tour in advance avoids surprises on the day.

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