Sound, power and internet for temporary venues

A tent, a field or a pop-up space has no built-in sound, power or internet. Each one has to be arranged, and each needs a name next to it. Settle this before a recording or streaming team arrives.

For a permanent venue, the questions are in what to ask a venue before booking event videography. This guide covers sites that have to be built from nothing.

What must be arranged?

How do we deal with sound?

Ask who is supplying the speakers, microphones and mixer, and who will run them on the day. If there is a mixer, ask for a clean feed to the camera. That avoids recording the speakers from across the room and picking up wind, crowds and echo.

If there is no sound system, tell us. We can place our own microphones near the speaker and the stage, which helps for speeches and ceremonies. For a large crowd, a proper system is still worth hiring. Our event audio brief builder helps you list the moments that must be heard.

How do we deal with power?

Power is the item most often forgotten. Ask the organiser or the site:

1. Where is the nearest power point or generator?
2. Is it shared with sound, lights and food stalls?
3. Can the camera crew have a separate supply?
4. Who will run and refuel the generator?
5. Where can cables run so that nobody trips?

A shared circuit that trips would stop the recording and the music together. For how cable routes and responsibilities are usually shared, see camera cables, power and safe routes in public event spaces. Venue guidelines such as those of the KL Convention Centre also expect camera positions and cable runs to be coordinated with the venue, so tell the site early.

How do we deal with internet?

If you want a livestream or a live feed to another location, you need a tested internet link and a backup. Guest Wi-Fi is shared with every phone in the crowd and is rarely enough.

Ask the organiser or the site what connection exists, who can check it before the day and who to call if it fails. Livestream, hybrid and live feed are available on request, confirmed for each event, after we check the connection. See event livestreaming and the livestream planning checklist.

If you only want a recording, internet is not needed for the day. It will matter only for sending files afterwards.

What about weather and noise?

Outdoor and tented sites bring wind, rain, generators and traffic. Ask where equipment can be sheltered and what happens if the programme moves indoors. Our guides to filming an outdoor event with a wet-weather plan and the weather and venue-change filming plan cover this.

A worked example

This is an illustration, not a past job. Imagine a community fun-run prizegiving held under a tent on a field.

1. The organiser hires a sound company and confirms who runs the mixer.
2. The sound company agrees to give the camera crew a feed from the mixer.
3. A generator powers the sound and lights. A separate extension supply is arranged for the camera area.
4. No livestream is planned, so internet is only needed to send files later.
5. A named person at the site is the contact for sound and power on the day.

The result is simple: each item has a supplier and a name beside it.

What we confirm for your event

• What we need from you for sound, power and internet.
• Whether we bring backup power and microphones.
• What we do if the sound feed fails.
• How we test the internet before a livestream.
• Who we call on the day.

Use our venue filming questions checklist on a site visit.

Where we can help

We work through these questions with you and tell you what we still need to confirm for your date. Message us the site, the date and what you want recorded or streamed. For the wider service, see event videography in Malaysia.