Testing/rehearsal times should be absolutely non-negotiable for any event. Having worked in events for a number of years, at planet planit, I am still surprised that people do not test properly. In fact some people don’t even test/rehearse at all. I understand that we live largely in a world of immediacy and have become used to pushing buttons and expecting everything to work, but we still need to test.

Maybe testing/rehearsal is viewed as a waste of time, maybe it’s too much effort, maybe it’s another reason but I believe that if you want to produce your best possible event then it’s essential that the testing is carried out properly.

In my experience I have found that testing/rehearsing is simply essential to give you the best opportunity for the smooth running of an event. It enables for the sound and lighting to be checked, for the speakers/entertainers to become familiar with the environment and for the niggles to be ironed out before the main ‘live’ production.

Can you imagine what your event would look like if you don’t know how to make the kit work and on the morning of the live event and in front of you there are 100 plus people all waiting for something to happen? Can you imagine what an event looks like when the speaker walks out of shot because he/she wasn’t aware there was a fixed camera in place? Can you imagine what it would sound like if the microphones haven’t been properly set up?

The good news is that the sound and lighting technicians want to show your event off to be as good as it possibly can and they are our ‘unsung heroes’, make sure they understand what you want to do and they will help you get there. And remember that they don’t care about your content so take the time to test and rehearse in front of them. After all if you speakers cannot speak in front of a few technicians it is highly unlikely that they will suddenly become better in front of a larger set of delegates.
Every event needs to be the best it possibly can so please don’t skimp on testing. Every event really does need testing times.