Shoutout to the venue coordinator who proved me wrong about load-in times

I insisted for two years that our 8 AM load-in was fine for a 6 PM event because we had a solid crew. Then last Saturday we hit a city construction detour that added 45 minutes, and the venue coordinator's backup plan saved us. How long do you actually budget for load-in after factoring in real world delays?

2 comments

2 Comments

robin_roberts8411d ago

I get what you're saying about the backup plan saving the day, but I think you might be overcomplicating load-in times with that specific story. Eight AM for a 6 PM event is still plenty of time even with a 45 minute detour, you just got unlucky with a one-off situation that a good crew can handle. Honestly, budgeting more than 2 hours for load-in on a regular day is usually overkill unless you're dealing with a ton of gear or a tricky venue.

charles_kelly4311d ago

I had a buddy who ran a small festival and he swore by his 10 AM load-in for a 7 PM show, just like you said about the 2 hour thing being enough. One time he got stuck behind a train that blocked the only road to the venue for almost an hour, then the venue's dock was double-booked and he had to wait. His whole crew was just standing around while his schedule fell apart. He told me later that he started padding his load-in by at least an extra hour after that, not because his crew was bad but because the world is unpredictable. It's not about the crew, it's about all the stuff you can't control that pops up out of nowhere.