Sound and lighting for a corporate awards night

One room, four jobs

An awards night asks the same room to be a drinks reception, a dining room, a theatre and a party. The lighting and sound change with each. The uplighting that warms the walls during dinner is the lighting the room keeps all night; the microphone used for the welcome is the one the winners use; the playlist between courses gives way to the band, or the band gives way to the DJ.

Speech comes first

• A radio handheld for the host, with a wired microphone on a stand for the winners and as the spare. We hold one wireless handheld, so a second is a hire-in or a swap at the lectern.
• A wired microphone on a stand is a sensible spare for the lectern and costs very little to add.
• Ask the venue whether they supply the lectern and the house system before assuming either. Most hotels have both, and their lectern is usually the one that matches the room.
• Run the levels with someone standing where the winners will stand. A ballroom that sounds fine on stage can drop a whole sentence at the back tables.
• Ask whether the room has a hearing loop or an in-house feed before we patch anything.

Lighting the stage and the room

• A front wash across the presentation area keeps faces lit for the photographer and for anyone filming on a phone.
• Light behind the stage separates the winners from the wall behind them. Two vertical pixel bars do more for a photograph than a brighter front light.
• Uplighting in the company colour ties the room to the branding on the slides. Six fixtures suit a small function room; ten cover a wide ballroom or a room with columns.
• Keep the audience out of the light. Light in the eyes of the top table makes for squinting photographs, and light in the eyes of the room makes for a restless dinner.
• House lights on a dimmer through the meal, down for the awards, and off for the party. Agree the levels with the venue before the first course.

From the last award to the first dance

The change from presentation to party is the part that usually stalls. Programmed scenes mean the room moves from a lit stage and a warm wash to a party look in a moment, without a technician walking the room. If there is a band, the PA needs the channels and monitors for it; if there is a DJ, the same system takes a playlist from the desk or a phone.

Timings and access

• A party PA takes about 45 minutes to place and check. A full awards rig with uplighting and a stage wash takes two to three hours.
• Hotels usually hand the room over after the morning set-up and want it clear the same night. Confirm both times, and whether the loading bay is free at each end.
• Rehearse the walk to the stage and the microphone handover once, before the room fills. It takes ten minutes and saves the evening.
• Check the noise curfew, the loading bay height and whether haze sets off the fire alarm before haze is planned.

What it costs

Six wireless uplighters are £70 for the event, or £100 for ten. The essential stage and band wash is £120. The plug-and-play party PA is £115, or £140 with local setup, and includes a wired microphone for the speeches. Where the evening ends with a band, the live music atmosphere package is £460 including setup and programming, and the full production with moving heads and haze is £620. The quote sets out the exact figures for your date, venue and access.