They say all the world’s a stage. If you run events or exhibits, you know the feeling. How do you put on a “show” that makes attendees feel the investment of time and money is worth it. I suggest thinking about your event as “theater” and to support that here is my list of 20 top “theater” terms every event professional (be they in association meeting planning, corporate planning or exhibit marketing) should be familiar with. You’ll hear many of these thrown around by production crews, entertainment agents etc. While you may not feel your event is “theater” remember we all should be challenged with making each of our events and exhibits an experience, not just a meeting, so it can't hurt to think a little theatrically. While you may not be staging a two-act play or a named entertainment act at every event, you are most likely booking some sort of “production” and you should be familiar with these terms. You probably already are, but it was a fun list to make and share:
1. Stage Right/Left: Right and left from the person standing on the stage perspective.
2. House Right/Left: Same thing but from the audience perspective.
3. Upstage: Moving away from the audience toward the back of the stage.
4. Downstage: Moving toward the audience and front of the stage.
5. Proscenium: Short for Proscenium Arch. You don’t hear this one too often in hotel ballrooms, but if you stage an event at a theater venue, this is the area that separates the stage from the house. Usually contains a curtain that closes to separate the stage from the audience. We like to think of this as the “Frame” of the stage. Some call this the frame of the “Fourth Wall.”
6. Fourth Wall: Not heard that often in the event world, but it’s the imaginary surface at the edge of the stage through which the audience watches the presentation. If a presenter walks on/off the stage, this is known as breaking the fourth wall.
7. Stage Plot: This is the diagram used to outline the position of elements on stage.
8. Spike marks: Usually a piece of tape marking the placement of things on a stage deck. Particularly useful if you have several “sets” that require placement of items on the stage. Really important to a:
9. Light Plot: A diagram of various light placements for the various sets used. For example, if you set a panel discussion on a stage, the chairs need to be on their spike marks and the light plot needs to be drawn to adequately light that area.
10. Gobo: Lots happening in the world of lighting today, from LED instruments to the line between projection and lighting blurring, but you still hear words like Gobo and Leko thrown around in ballrooms and on showfloors today. In it’s simplest form a Gobo is just a round piece of metal with a cutout the light shines through. Useful for corporate and sponsor logos, wall washing effects etc. Lighting is a very flexible element of any event experience.
11. Gaff Tape. Kind of like the ubiquitous gray duct tape but better at an event site. Has a cloth backing and a strong adhesive, but is does less damage on removal than duct tape. It really does come in colors other than black. The precise origin of the name is unknown, one theory being that it is named for the gaffer (chief lighting technician) on a film crew.
12. Technical Rider: This is a document that details out the technical needs of the artist/entertainer/speaker. This generally includes musical instruments, sound, lighting risers and in some cases a full backline since some bands don’t travel with heavy equipment.
13. Backline: A generic term today that could be anything from drums, piano, amplifiers. Cables, risers, etc. Used to be just the “behind the curtain stuff” like amplifiers. But not anymore. Make sure the backline list is spelled out in the technical rider.
14. Hospitality Rider: A list of hospitality items for the “talent” be they the band, a speaker or VIP. Food, beverage, etc. This can really be a fun read if booking some big name talent. Believe it or not, I have had entertainers not go on stage due to hospitality rider disputes. Better to clear them up before getting to the green room.
15. Green Room: Lot’s of theories on why this waiting room for speakers/entertainers is named Green, but it is. Simply a lounge/waiting area for folks to use before they go on stage. This is usually where the hospitality rider is fulfilled- and be aware specific furniture may be asked for. If you don’t have a hospitality rider in play, this is where presenters using lavaliere microphones should be mic’d up, and you should have a full-length mirror available, lots of water etc. If it’s a larger event, make sure to have a monitor in that room so speakers/presenters can keep track of what is being presented on stage while they wait. A happy speaker is a good speaker so they say.
16. Lav Microphone: Short for a lavaliere microphone, this is the small microphone connected by a short wire to a battery pack/transmitter hidden inside clothing. Usually requires some level of undressing to route the wire, so make sure there is an area not in front of everyone to "lav up" the speakers.
17. Run-of-Show: I’ve seen ROS today that include every staff assignment, event logistics, room leads etc. At Message Blocks, since we are into event technology, we call those ROE’s or run-of-event documents and share them widely via our electronic binder. A run-of-show, on the other hand, is document specific to that session that will occur on that stage, in that room. It includes video cues, lighting cues, presentation cues, audio cues and the like. Per the Event Leadership Institute, “Any event with some type of activity on a stage needs a Run of Show document to tell all the behind-the-scenes players what to do. Whether it's stage managers, lighting technicians, audio technicians, technical directors, or your voice of god (announcer), the Run of Show serves as the architectural blueprint and roadmap for a successfully executed program."
18. Voice of god: I hate this term, but it is simply an unseen announcer making an announcement. We usually shorten it to VOG on our ROS!
19. SM and ASM: Stage Manager and Assistant Stage manager respectively. These are the people responsible for implementing the run-of-show, or calling the show. Usually the people in the production booth at the back of the ballroom with headsets on sometimes looking nervous. Or sometimes bored if the run-of-show is clear and the rehearsals went well.
20. IFB: Short for Interruptible Foldback, or sometimes interruptible feedback, this isn’t directly related to the theater, but we see it asked for on events from time-to-time, more frequently on hybrid events. It’s simply a cueing system to allow the SM or director to communicate in the ear of the presenter or host. It’s the squiggly thing you sometimes see TV newscaster have in their in. It sometimes sends a mix-minus feed to the host of a multi-location or hybrid events.
Okay, it may be a stretch to make every event a theatrical production, but I hope these terms help. These are just my top 20, based on my years of planning and operating production heavy events and tradeshows. I’m sure you have lots more or different ones. What other terms have you heard during your events? Let me know. Feel free to share, agree or disagree, comment and connect with me on the various social sites.