Although keeping tabs on every aspect of a special event can be daunting, event producer Clare Sullivan Jackson, CSEP, has a simple solution: create a master checklist.
Jackson, president of Houston-based Sullivan Group, led more than 140 participants in the workshop "Check It Off! The Design and Implementation of a Master Checklist" at The Special Event '99 in Orlando, Fla.
"In the workshop, we were trying to come up with a master list that could be used by everybody in the business to provide an understanding of every event element," Jackson says. "Com-bining different aspects of the profession brought things to light that I never would have thought of."
Jackson created and distributed a checklist outline for the participants to flesh out. Each group (e.g., rentals, lighting) was assigned a team leader for guidance. "Then we came together to share our lists and give the whole room an opportunity to add to them," she says. "The real value of it was getting input from more than 140 event professionals from various disciplines.
"Going into an event with this type of checklist leaves very little to chance," Jackson says. "If more people would manage their businesses this way, we could raise the level of professionalism in our industry."
Below is the checklist outline Jackson provided in her workshop. See page 84 for the items the workshop teams suggested for the Facility-Indoor section.
General Event Categories:
Facility-Indoor 1. Usable square footage
2. Location of loading dock and hours
3. Lighting controls/power availability/supplemental power
Facility-Outdoor 1. Water source
2. Power supply
3. Type and sizes of tents
Security 1. Type of security
Armed/unarmed
Plainclothes/uniformed
2. Number of security checkpoints/roaming
3. Consumption of alcoholic beverages
Parking 1. Define parking for staff, rigs, trailers
2. Define parking for guests
3. Define traffic pattern
Transportation 1. Type and number of vehicles
2. Driver instructions/exact routes
3. Signage
Restroom Facilities 1. Permanent or convenience
2. Location and number of units
3. Supplies
Lighting for Load In/Load Out 1. Existing or temporary
2. Location
3. Power needed
Emergency Risk Management 1. First aid/EMS/fire marshal on-site
2. Fire extinguishers, type and quantity; chain-of-command
3. Flame-resistant materials only
Permits and Licenses 1. Off-premise beverage license
2. Sound permits/special effects permits
3. Parking permits
Insurance 1. Proof of liability insurance
2. Proof of workers' compensation
3. Proof of liquor liability
Overall Power Requirements 1. Functional lighting/decorative lighting
2. Caterer requirements-oven, coffeemaker, etc.
3. Entertainment
Equipment List-Rentals and Purchases 1. Tables/chairs
2. Stage-type, size, height
3. Tenting-type, size, color
4. Miscellaneous
Decor 1. Entrance
2. Ceiling
3. Stage
Site Plan 1. Conceptual
2. CAD drawing of tables, staging, etc.
3. CAD drawing of lighting and technical plan
Audiovisual 1. Sound requirements
2. Screens-type of projection, size, quantities
3. Lighting-functional/ambient
Entertainment 1. Dressing rooms for talent
2. Performance schedule
3. Hair/makeup/costuming requirements
Food and Beverage 1. Guest ratio for buffets and bars
2. Walk-up bars or cocktail service
3. Define traffic flow
Staff 1. Hosts/hostesses
2. Directions
3. Registration
Signage 1. Alpha signs for registration
2. No smoking
3. Restrooms
Special Services 1. Special trash pickup
2. Lift operators
3. Disabled needs
Contingency Plan 1. Rain/flooding
2. Loss of power
3. Speaker/emcee/entertainer cancels
how did you do?
During the "Check It Off" workshop, more than 140 participants named 34 elements for the first category, Facility-Indoor. Here are their suggestions:
Facility-Indoor 1. Usable square footage
2. Location of loading dock and hours
3. Lighting controls/power availability/supplemental power
4. Facility contact
5. Space capacity
6. Floor plan/room dimensions, ceiling height, HVAC system, smoking/nonsmoking, exits, entrances
7. Water source available
8. On-/off-site catering
9. Kosher facility
10. Disability access
11. Green room
12. Kitchen facility-available equipment, location, size
13. Available storage
14. Available staging
15. Lost and found-items, children
16. Signage-traffic control
17. Decor rental available
18. Adult-to-child ratio
19. Liquor licenses
20. Trash disposal-dumpsters, recycle, portable restrooms
21. Ingress and egress
22. Union house
23. Dressing rooms
24. Parking-size, location (guest), location (staff)
25. Valet service
26. Coat-check service
27. Overnight accommodations
28. Room dividers
29. In-house support
30. Decor restrictions
31. Setup/breakdown hours
32. Contract development-deposit requirement, contract, raid date
33. Pre-convention meeting
34. In-house audiovisual equipment list
