DOS – Day of Show – My favorite planning tool for producing a show.
One of the most important aspects of my job is planning and preparation. I plan everything from when the venue opens to how large the crew will be, to when doors open to the last box being loaded in the truck. One could say my morning job is planning, my afternoon job is to teach and set up, and my night job is to put it all away (with help of course.)
It becomes most intense when national acts come through the venue. It is my job to contract all the appropriate entities to make the day a success. My job goes from teaching and running technology to planning and managing acts, security, ticketing, and everything else it takes to set up and run a show.
My work starts when the list of potential artists is under consideration. I read through all the tech riders to make sure we can meet the requirements of the band in the space available. I keep in mind that the rider may be out of date, and I take the best guess at what production might cost and contact companies to provide a quote. Many of you know and understand the frustrations of never getting the correct tech rider. How is this still an issue? It seems that it would be easy to update word documents and email the correct rider.
Once the budget is set and the artist’s contract is in final negotiations, I move on to the other details of the show. Areas such as hiring and coordinating security, filling out paperwork for payments, and a variety of other tasks in advance of the show. (i.e. finding volunteers for strike, coordinating meet and greet activities etc.) All of these tasks are important and as the day of the event approaches it’s valuable to have everything planned in advance. It is vital for me to plan and delegate as much of the day as possible so I can work on last-minute details and adjustments that will come up.
During the entire planning process, there is one document I feel is the most important to create. It is my first reference when someone asks what time anything is happening. I live by this and will edit it up until the night before. This document is the “Day of Show” or DOS or Day Sheet and this simply put is the schedule for the day and the contact numbers for all the players involved.
The first component of the DOS is a timeline listing everything that is happening and what time the activity is expected to start and end. A DOS that I put together may look like the example below but can contain more information, depending on the show.
6:00 am – Venue opens to production
7:30 am – Loading dock clear for artist arrival.
12noon – Lunch Break in Conference Rm
2:00 pm – Hospitality room setup
3:00 pm – Sound Check
5:00 pm – Venue cleared
6:00 pm – Security Meeting
7:00 pm – Doors
8:00 pm – Support Band
8:30 pm – Set Change
9:00 pm – Headliner
11:00 pm – Venue Clear and Strike
My DOS lists the activities for the entire day. Sometimes if it is particularly vital, I will also list the person that is responsible for completing certain tasks. I also try to make the content of the DOS fit onto one page so someone can easily store it in their pocket and I post them around the venue. I also email it in advance to those that need it, production crew, security, etc. Of course, some things get off schedule, but the DOS provides the general idea of the time and location of many tasks throughout the day, and can also double as a checklist to make sure everything is getting done.
Another item I include with the DOS is contact information, usually printed on the back. I include the direct contact for Production, Facilities, Electricians, Security, Hospitality and more. I pass this part out to those people critically involved with the event. It is a way to ensure we have the ability to communicate and to stay on schedule. I provide the following information in the contact portion of the DOS:
Name
Title/Role
Cell Number
Email
It’s quite the process to get everything ready for a show; reviewing riders, working with contractors, getting the house crew lined up, etc. The day of the show can be intense and stressful and all the planning must come together. I have been grateful many times for having a DOS document prepared for myself and the key players on the event day.
Time Lapse of one Heather’s Shows