SMARTSOURCE | THE EVENT PLANNER’S INVISIBLE TECH CHECKLIST

The Event Planner’s
Invisible Tech Checklist

Every item you cannot check off is a conversation worth having with your current AV partner

✓ Takes under 3 minutes | ✓ Built for event planners | ✓ No fluff, real insights

How to use this checklist

Go through each section at least three weeks before your event. Items marked with a note explain why the item matters and what to do if you cannot check it off. This is not a vendor evaluation tool. It is a readiness tool; use it for yourself first.

1 / 4

Section 1: Pre-Event Planning

The invisible events are always the ones where the hard conversations happened weeks before the room was built. This section is about those conversations.

I have shared the full event agenda and room layout with my AV or tech partner at least three (3) weeks out, not just the event start time and headcount.

My AV partner has walked the venue or reviewed the floor plan before load-in day.

We have discussed what success looks like for the attendee experience, not just what equipment will be on-site.

All display content, speaker decks, and video assets have been tested on the actual equipment being used, not just on a laptop.

A run-of-show document has been shared with the tech team that includes all transitions, speaker changes, video cues, and session timing.

Backup plans exist for the three most mission-critical tech elements at my event.

2 / 4

Section 2: The Room Setup

The room communicates before anyone says a word. These items make sure it is saying the right things.

Digital signage displays accurate, current information and updates with the program rather than running static graphics.

Wayfinding is clear enough that attendees can navigate from registration to their first session without asking anyone for help.

Display content in general areas is readable by someone walking past at a normal pace, not just by someone standing directly in front of it.

Lighting has been planned for session transitions and reflects the different energy of the keynote, breakout, and networking portions of the day.

Stage and speaker areas are lit for the room AND for a phone camera in the front five rows.

All cable runs are concealed or protected, and no cords cross walking paths uncovered.

3 / 4

Section 3: Hybrid and Streaming

Even if most of your attendees are in the room, someone important is not. This section is for them.

Camera placement frames the speaker at the center and captures their full face, not the back of their head or the projection screen behind them.

A clean program audio feed is being sent to the stream, not the room's ambient microphone pickup.

The streaming platform has been tested on the same network connection that will be used on event day, not on a different building or hotel floor.

Remote attendees have received clear, tested access instructions before the event, not a link sent the morning of.

Someone is monitoring the stream quality from outside the room during the event and has a direct line to the tech team.

4 / 4

Section 4: On-Site Support

Equipment does not fix problems. People do. This section is about making sure the right people are there when it counts.

My tech partner has confirmed that on-site support will be present during the event, not just during setup.

I know the name and direct contact of the person who owns problem resolution if something goes wrong during my event.

My tech partner has run this type of event before and can speak specifically to challenges they have encountered and resolved.

The on-site team has done a full technical rehearsal or walk-through that includes all AV cues, transitions, and contingency scenarios.

All on-site tech support personnel have a printed or digital copy of the run-of-show and know their specific responsibilities for each segment.

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Want to discuss your quiz with someone who has seen all of these scenarios?

The SmartSource team has run events across every vertical, every size, and every format. If something in this checklist surfaced a real gap in your current setup, that is the conversation worth having before your next event locks in.

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The Event Planner’s Invisible Tech Checklist