Article
What's taking up time?
Running a successful live music venue is a juggling act. From booking artists to coordinating equipment and managing soundchecks, the process is often chaotic, especially for grass roots venues. Many rely on a patchwork of spreadsheets, emails, messaging apps, and one overworked person trying to hold it all together.
The result? Miscommunications, lost information, unnecessary delays, and hours of wasted time, time that could be spent growing the venue, improving events, or securing better bookings.
So, what are the biggest time-wasters in event planning, and how can venues fix them? Let’s break it down.
Many venues still rely on spreadsheets to track bookings, artist details, and event logistics. While this might work for a handful of gigs, it quickly becomes overwhelming as schedules fill up.
Manually inputting and updating data is slow and prone to errors.
Different team members may have outdated versions of the same document.
Important details, like artist riders or tech specs, can be buried in endless rows of data.
Instead of relying on static spreadsheets, centralised event management platforms allow venues to keep all booking details, tech requirements, and schedules in one place, accessible and always up to date.
Coordinating an event often involves long messaging chains and endless back-and-forth contact between venues, artists, sound engineers, and booking agents.
Key details get buried in overflowing inboxes.
Staff waste hours searching for the latest updates.
Miscommunication leads to double bookings, missing equipment, or last-minute chaos.
Venues need a single, shared communication hub where all event-related conversations stay organised and searchable, reducing the risk of lost details and confusion.
Many small venues rely on one person to manage all the logistics, from booking artists to coordinating load-ins and soundchecks. While this may seem efficient, it often leads to delays and stress when that person is unavailable.
Essential knowledge isn’t shared, if the main contact is unavailable, the team is left scrambling.
Bottlenecks slow down decision-making and event execution.
Increased stress leads to burnout and costly mistakes.
Using a centralised event management system ensures that all team members have access to critical event details, reducing reliance on any one person and making transitions seamless.
Last-minute surprises at soundcheck are a nightmare for venues, whether it’s missing equipment, unprepared sound engineers, or artists expecting a setup that wasn’t communicated.
Tech riders often get lost in email chains, are incorrect or are missing.
Equipment needs may not be clearly documented, leading to missing gear on the day of the event.
Sound engineers' time is wasted troubleshooting preventable issues.
A dedicated system for managing tech riders and soundcheck schedules ensures that everyone, artists, sound engineers, and venue staff—is on the same page before show day.
Stage Portal is designed specifically for independent venues, eliminating the common inefficiencies that slow down event planning. Here’s how:
Keep bookings, artist details, and schedules in one place, reducing reliance on spreadsheets and scattered notes.
No more hunting through emails—all event-related messages and updates stay in one centralised platform.
Give access to all key team members, so no one is left in the dark when making decisions.
Ensure that tech specs, rider details, and soundcheck times are documented and shared in advance.
By switching to Stage Portal, venues can cut down hours of wasted time per event, reduce stress, and focus on what really matters—creating incredible live music experiences.
If you’re tired of the chaos and inefficiency of event planning, it’s time to streamline your workflow.
🚀 Start your free trial of Stage Portal today and take control of your venue’s event management.
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