Abstract Productions — audio, video, lighting, LED walls and staging
Stage set with audio, lighting and staging ready for a general session

Guide

Event production guide: sound, lighting and staging

A planner's walkthrough of the three systems every event stands on — what to spec, what it costs to rent, and who has to be in the room on show day.

Plan it

Sound systems

Audio is the one system nobody forgives. Start with the room: ceiling height, hard surfaces and headcount decide the speaker package long before the budget does.

Decisions to make first

  • Count every source: podium, panel, presenter lav, playback, band inputs.
  • Add one spare wireless channel for every four in use.
  • Coordinate frequencies with the venue and any broadcast crew on site.
  • Confirm where the mix position lives — back of room beats a side wall.

What we rent for it

  • Line array or point-source PA sized to headcount (150–2,000+)
  • Digital console with a dedicated A1 for panels and general sessions
  • Shure wireless handhelds, lavaliers and headworn mics
  • Stage monitors or in-ear systems for bands and worship teams
  • Program playback, comms and a recorded feed for the client

Plan it

Stage & event lighting

Lighting does two jobs: make faces readable on camera and make the room feel like an occasion. Budget those separately so neither gets cut by accident.

Decisions to make first

  • Front light every speaking position at 3,000–3,500 lux for clean video.
  • Keep uplight color inside the brand palette — sample it on site.
  • Check rigging points and weight limits with the venue before load-in.
  • Decide who calls cues: a board op, or a preprogrammed timecode look.

What we rent for it

  • LED wash and profile fixtures for stage key and back light
  • Battery or cabled uplighting around the perimeter
  • Gobo and logo projection for branding
  • Moving heads and haze for bands, galas and reveals
  • Console, dimming and distro with a lighting tech on show days

Plan it

Staging & scenic

Staging sets sightlines. Decide deck height from the last row's view, then work backwards to the ramp, skirting and scenic that surrounds it.

Decisions to make first

  • 16" for a panel of 60, 24"–32" for a general session of 300+.
  • Every stage over 30" needs guardrails; every stage needs an ADA ramp path.
  • Leave 4' of wing space for talent, comms and a stage manager.
  • Confirm dock access, elevator size and load-in window in writing.

What we rent for it

  • Modular decking with skirting, stairs, rails and ADA ramps
  • Podiums, monitors and confidence displays
  • Pipe-and-drape, backdrops and soft goods in black or brand color
  • Custom scenic, headers and printed hard set
  • Crew for load-in, show call and strike

Pricing

What full event production costs

Ranges below cover gear, delivery inside our regular service area and the crew listed. Every quote is itemized so you can move scope without guessing.

Meeting / breakout

$850 – $2,400

Up to 150 guests, half-day install.

  • Speaker pair, mixer and two wireless mics
  • Basic stage wash lighting
  • Podium, 16" deck and skirting
  • Delivery inside 90 minutes of Hammond, plus one tech

General session

$3,500 – $9,500

150–600 guests, full production day.

  • Line array PA, digital console and A1
  • Stage key, back light and room uplighting
  • 24" stage with ramp, rails and drapery
  • Projection or LED wall with a video tech

Gala / festival

$12,000+

Multi-day builds, bands and broadcast.

  • Full PA with monitor world and band inputs
  • Moving-light rig, haze and cue-called show
  • Large-format staging, scenic and custom set
  • LED walls, cameras, IMAG and a full crew

Questions

Common event production questions

Four to eight weeks is comfortable for a general session; peak conference and gala weeks in New Orleans book three to six months out. We still take short-notice calls — dates inside two weeks depend on what is already on the truck.

Meeting and breakout packages run about $850 to $2,400, general sessions $3,500 to $9,500, and multi-day galas or festivals start around $12,000. Every quote is itemized across gear, delivery and labor so you can see exactly what changes if the scope moves.

Both. You can rent gear and run it yourself, or we staff the show with the same technicians who prepped your racks — load-in, show call and strike included.

Yes. We hold current insurance, send certificates directly to the venue, and coordinate load-in windows, rigging points and power with their operations team before show day.

We ship from Hammond, Louisiana and regularly serve New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the Northshore and the wider Gulf South.

Go deeper on one system: microphone plan guide, lighting rental and staging rental.

Price my event production

Send the date, venue and what has to happen on stage. Most requests are priced the same day.

Prefer to talk? Call 504-837-1527 or email sales@abstractproductions.net.

Plan the whole show with one crew

Audio, lighting, video, staging, drapery and scenic from a single Hammond warehouse — with the technicians who prepped your gear on site.

Start a QuoteCall 504-837-1527