Stage design and implementation
Turn the creative vision into a stage that can actually be built, on budget.
A beautiful render. Now build it.
Creative teams design the look. What decides the show is whether that look fits the site, the budget, the weight limits and the load-in window.
- Renders that three vendors quote three different ways?
- A stage that changed on site because nobody checked weight, power or sightlines?
- LED, lighting and audio specs written by whoever is selling them?
- A design that fits the venue on paper but not through the loading door?
Why it hasn’t been fixed yet.
It’s rarely effort. Owners in this business work harder than anyone. It’s usually one of these.
Vendors running their own piece
The spec is written by the people selling it
When the LED company writes the LED spec and the lighting company writes the lighting spec, each package is right for that vendor. It isn’t always right for the show or the budget.
Production planned last
The site comes after the design
The look gets approved before anyone has checked the ground, the power, the weight limits or how long the build takes, so the stage changes on site.
Production as a second job
Creative teams aren’t production teams
Agencies and in-house teams design beautiful events. Turning a render into staging, rigging, power and a build schedule is a different job.
What I do
What the work includes
- Stage plot and stage size, height, wings, risers and thrust from the creative and the site
- Staging, roof or ground support spec matched to the site, the wind plan and the rigging
- LED, IMAG, lighting and audio package sized to the room, the crowd and the budget
- Power plan with the generator or house power, distro and cable runs
- Sightlines, FOH position, camera positions and barricade
- Build and strike schedule, so the design fits the load-in window
What changes
The look you sold to the client or the artist, built the way it was drawn.
Scoped to your event. On the first call we go through the date, the venue, the talent and the budget, and decide how much of the production you want me to run.
Proof
Shows I’ve sold and project managed.
Concerts, festivals, tours and brand activations from my time at production companies. They’re my experience, not clients of this business.
- County Line Music FestivalConcert or festival
- Deep Roots FestivalConcert or festival
- REVOLT WORLD 2024Concert or festival
- Robin Thicke TourConcert or festival
- Skillet ConcertConcert or festival
- Atlanta Wine & Jazz Festival 2023Concert or festival
- Pacific Feats Festival 2024Concert or festival
- Kentuckiana Pride FestivalConcert or festival
- Toyota Music Den 2024Fan event
- Credit One Credit Tip Off College TourFan event
- Atlanta United 2023 Block PartyFan event
- New York Fashion WeekLive show
Most production help sells you gear. I’ve worked every side of the show.
I’ve worked every side of a show, from the loading dock to the sales desk. That’s how I know where a production goes wrong, and why I work for you, not the vendors.
Devon RaceManaging Director, Event Production Partner
Outsiders: A designer sees the render.
I see the decking, the roof load, the cable runs and how many hands it takes to build, from building stages as a stagehand.
From the crew, as a stagehand
Outsiders: A vendor sees its own package.
I see the whole stage and how every package lands on it, from prepping and loading those packages in the warehouse.
From the warehouse, as warehouse manager
Outsiders: A creative team sees the moment.
I see the build window, the changeovers and the camera lines, from project managing concerts, festivals and corporate stages.
From the show, as project manager
The production mistakes that cost events the most
I’ve watched each one happen from inside the company. You get the lesson without the bill.
Where I saw it: StagehandLoad-ins, audio, LED and staging
The mistakeApproving the stage before anyone has walked the site
What it costs
A rebuild on show day, with the crew on overtime
What to do instead
Check ground, power, access and the load-in window before the design is final
Where I saw it: Warehouse managerInventory, prep, trucks and returns
The mistakeTaking the lowest bid without checking what’s in it
What it costs
Cable, power and labor added back later at full price
What to do instead
Bid one scope and equipment list, and compare line by line
Where I saw it: Project manager$500K+ projects, crews and clients
The mistakeLeaving the artist advance until show week
What it costs
Backline bought in a rush, and a soundcheck that runs into doors
What to do instead
Advance every artist as soon as they’re confirmed
Where I saw it: Head of sales and marketingScaled companies from $750K to $3M+
The mistakePromising the client a look before it’s costed
What it costs
Your margin pays for the difference
What to do instead
Get a production budget before the pitch or the deal is signed
Relevant experience and expertise are the top criteria buyers use to evaluate potential service providers.
Took production houses local to regional to national. Built client relationships with Fortune 500 brands.
Common questions
Concert and festival stage design and production
What promoters, agencies and brands ask about this before the first call.
Do you do the creative design?
I work from your creative, your agency’s renders or the artist’s production, and turn it into something buildable. Where there’s no creative yet, I can shape the stage and the look from the brief and the budget, and bring in a lighting or set designer where the show needs one.
Devon
Can you work with the artist’s own production?
Yes. Touring artists often bring a lighting rig, video content or a set. I advance it with their production manager and design the house stage, power and rigging around it.
Devon
What do vendors need from a stage design to quote it?
A stage plot with sizes and heights, the roof or rigging plan, the LED, lighting and audio package, the power plan, the site and access details, and the build window. With those, every vendor quotes the same thing.
Devon
Do you sign off engineering?
No. Structural and rigging sign-off belongs to the staging company’s engineers, the venue and the authorities. I make sure the design gets to them early and that their requirements are built in.
Devon
Keep reading
More of the production I run
- What I run for youVendor procurement and biddingBids you can compare line by line, from vendors who can deliver them.Read more
- What I run for youArtist liaison and rider procurementEvery rider advanced, sourced and confirmed before the artist arrives.Read more
- What I run for youLabor and crew managementThe right crew, called for the right hours, briefed before doors.Read more
Start with a conversation
Let’s talk about your next show.
- A 15-minute callBy video, about your company
- A short written planWithin three business days
- You decideNo packages, no pressure