Describe the actual route

Provide the designated entrance, loading instructions and route to the event space. Include any booking process, height or vehicle restrictions supplied by the venue. A street address alone does not tell a crew where equipment can enter or when access is allowed.

Name the person who can decide

Give the crew a reachable on-site contact who can confirm the station position and resolve access questions. If the organizer and venue have separate responsibilities, identify both. A shared schedule is useful only when someone can act on it at the venue.

Separate arrival from opening

Allow for unloading, movement, setup and checks before guests use the station. The necessary window depends on the equipment and venue. Record the approved access time explicitly rather than deriving it from the public event start time.

Illustrative planning scenario

Example: the public entrance is not the loading entrance

A crew arrives at the venue’s public address, but equipment must enter through a scheduled service route. Include the actual loading instructions and the approved arrival time in the brief. A map pin for the building is not a complete access plan.

A working decision sheet

Keep the brief concise enough to use while arriving, with the current venue instructions attached or linked. Separate confirmed facts from questions awaiting a venue answer. If several vendors share the access window, identify who coordinates that sequence. Avoid adding guessed vehicle limits, service-elevator capacities or loading permissions; those details must come from the venue.

Decision sheet: Write a load-in brief people can use
DecisionRecord or reviewPlanning note / owner
ArrivalApproved time and entranceUse the venue’s actual access instructions.
MovementRoute from loading to the event spaceInclude any required venue coordination.
ContactReachable person with decision authorityName an alternate if appropriate.
Setup locationCurrent station position and planConfirm changes before unloading.

Put it into your brief

  • What entrance and access window are actually approved?
  • Who can resolve an arrival problem on site?
  • Where will the crew find the current station drawing?

Use these questions to record the decisions you already know and identify what needs review. Keep the brief with the current product specifications and event documents.