Event AV production brief template: describe outcomes and handoffs

State the audience experience before listing equipment

Open with event purpose, audience size and format: in-person, hybrid or virtual. Name the rooms and important moments. For a keynote, perhaps every seat must hear speech clearly and see detailed slides; for a panel, the audience needs to distinguish each speaker and ask questions; for a hybrid workshop, remote participants need a real route to contribute. The leading AV result starts from these outcomes rather than a shopping list. That makes a better basis for a technical proposal, but describe your own event, not the vendor’s stock examples.[1]

Mark priorities and tradeoffs. If a sponsor wants a dramatic reveal but legibility and interpretation are essential, record both requirements. Ask the supplier to flag where the venue layout, budget or available rehearsal time affects those outcomes. Do not specify an equipment model just to look prepared; if a model is already mandated by the venue or content producer, label that constraint and its source.

Turn the programme into cue-level requirements

Attach the latest run of show with a version and owner. For each key moment record time, presenter, microphone or playback need, display content, camera/recording need, caption or interpretation route, and who calls the cue. MIT’s run-of-show template records roles, contacts and timing; use a comparable shared reference so suppliers can connect content to production handoffs.[2]

Ask who receives final slides, videos, scripts, lower thirds and brand assets; which format they accept; the content lock or review date; and who can approve late changes. Keep one current version. A content file arriving after the technical rehearsal is a change requiring a fresh cue check, not just an upload.

Give the supplier venue facts and approval boundaries

Send room plans, seating layout, stage dimensions if confirmed, load-in/out windows, rigging or mounting restrictions, existing house AV, known power and Internet contacts, and where suppliers can store cases. Label information as confirmed, provisional or unanswered and include the person who can resolve it. Avoid copying site-specific Melbourne or Australian certification details from the leading result into an event elsewhere.[1]

If screens, lighting or speaker clusters will be suspended or used outdoors, request a qualified site-specific plan and venue approval. HSE warns that outdoor supporting equipment requires suitable design, installation, maintenance and competent people; a general brief cannot replace engineering or local safety review.[4]

Describe access and inclusion needs early. For streamed or recorded media, W3C planning guidance covers captions and other media accessibility needs; tell the supplier which audiences and delivery channels require them, who provides the service, and how it will be rehearsed. Do not assume automatic captions alone meet every participant need.[3]

Ask for a comparable, reviewable proposal

Request a response that maps each audience outcome to the proposed solution, with equipment, operators, setup, rehearsal, show and strike time, content handling, recording deliverables, support during the event and fallback approach. Ask suppliers to separate included items, assumptions, optional upgrades and exclusions. This makes quote comparison meaningful without turning the brief into a fixed shopping list.

Record questions in one issue log with owner and due date. If venue access changes, a speaker joins remotely or a playback file is replaced, send a dated revision and ask the supplier to identify cost, crew, rehearsal and cue impacts. The general supplier RFQ may handle commercial terms; this brief defines the audiovisual work and its acceptance points.

Download the AV production supplier brief (Markdown, English)