How to plan venue logistics for a show

Save the venue’s usual contacts, technical specifications, and access instructions in Venues. Link that venue to the gig, then use the gig’s Venue → Load-in & access fields and This show only notes for exceptions. Put the crew call and show times in the gig’s timeline or Run of Show. This workflow helps a production company, venue team, entertainment agency, or band answer three practical questions: Where do we arrive? What do we bring? When does each part of the day happen?

​

Before you start

• Have a gig and a saved venue to link to it. The venue directory requires Team or Enterprise with CRM enabled for your organization.
• Use an owner, admin, or gig coordinator account with permission to manage the gig and venue.
• Gather the venue’s production information and confirm the date-specific arrangements with the venue contact. A saved record is a starting point for that conversation.

These steps describe the web app. Crew with access to the gig can read its load-in/access instructions and show notes; the full venue contact and specifications panel follows role permissions.

​

1. Prepare the venue record

Open Crew & contacts → Venues and select the venue. Record information you expect to reuse: Stage size and house tech are venue facts. Load-in, load-out, dock, elevator, parking, and access code are the six fields with show-specific overrides. See the Venues reference for the complete field guide.

​

2. Link the venue and review its defaults

Open the gig, choose Venue, and link the saved venue. Review Load-in & access against the arrangements for this date. For example, a fictional venue, Harbor Hall, normally uses its rear dock and west crew lot. Linking it to Friday’s conference brings those instructions into the gig. Review whether that route and parking still work for Friday’s production before briefing the crew.

​

3. Set exceptions for this show

Select a field under Load-in & access, enter this show’s instructions, and choose Save. The field receives an Override badge and shows the replaced venue default beneath it. Each override belongs to this gig and this field. Friday’s parking exception does not change the venue default or another gig at the same venue.

​

Restore the default

Edit the overridden field, clear its text, and save. The gig uses the venue default again. Saving text that matches the current default also clears the value override. If there is no venue default, the field becomes empty. A separate show note may still mark a field as overridden. Remove an outdated note too; clearing a field value does not delete notes. Managers can remove show notes, and other members can remove their own.

​

4. Match the crew and equipment to the arrival plan

Use Manage Team to staff the positions required for setup, show operation, and strike. Review availability and accepted commitments before sending invitations, then track responses in Mailbox. Compare the house-equipment list with what this show needs. Assign your own gear from the gig’s Inventory tab by item and quantity. Record delivery and rental arrangements in the gig’s notes or attached production documents, and confirm responsibility with the crew or supplier handling them. For the fictional Harbor Hall conference, the coordinator might assign an additional monitor from inventory, give the audio crew a call after the confirmed dock opening, and note the catering handoff in This show only.

​

5. Put times and working documents on the gig

On Details, use the timeline or Run of Show for crew call, load-in, soundcheck, doors, show, strike, and departure. The timeline covers key times; Run of Show adds ordered sections and cues when enabled. A fictional schedule could be: Upload the stage plot, technical rider, and arrival map to the gig’s Attachments section. Put essential arrival instructions in the logistics fields and show notes as well, so crew can read them without access to the full venue directory. Before the show, review the saved fields, notes, roster, and schedule together. Resolve contradictory instructions and tell the crew about changes through your usual communication channel.

​

6. Close the loop after load-out

1. Record equipment returns in Inventory so available quantities reflect what came back.
2. Keep temporary incidents on the gig. Correct venue defaults when a change should apply to future shows.
3. After the gig’s effective end—the later of its event date and end date—have an Owner, Admin, or Gig Coordinator explicitly mark it Completed. Passing the date alone does not complete the gig; follow How a gig completes.
4. Complete the relevant closeout steps and capture a venue review where useful. Have the authorized finance manager review crew payouts. The gig can be Settled once completion is saved, payouts have cleared, and any enforced closeout requirements are satisfied.

​

Related guides