From Warehouse to Show Day: How We Prepare for Live Events

At GSL Events, we provide sound, lighting, staging, power, and video solutions for everything from festivals and theatre to corporate and private events. Our work is about making complex setups look simple – and that starts long before the audience arrives.

When you walk into a live event and everything looks effortless – the stage is set, the sound is clear, and the lights are perfect – it’s easy to forget what happens behind the scenes. For us, the journey from warehouse to show day is where the real work begins.

It starts long before the first truck leaves. Every project begins with a detailed conversation: what’s the event, who’s attending, and what are the technical requirements? From there, we build a plan that covers everything from stage size and power distribution to sound coverage and safety. This planning stage is critical – if we get it right here, the rest falls into place.

Once the plan is locked, the warehouse comes to life. Every piece of kit is checked, tested, and packed methodically. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s essential. A missing cable or a faulty connector can ruin a show, so we take no chances. Everything is labelled, loaded, and ready to go.

Then comes the logistics. Moving gear isn’t just about transport – it’s about timing and coordination. We schedule load-in windows with venues and make sure the right crew is on site. Everyone knows their role before arriving: who’s handling rigging, who’s running sound checks, who’s managing power. Clear communication here saves hours later.

On site, the work varies hugely depending on the event. Some days it’s a full festival stage with towers and lighting rigs; other times it’s discreet audio for a corporate presentation or complex power distribution for a temporary venue. Whatever the job, the principle is the same: get the infrastructure in place, test every system thoroughly, and solve problems quickly and calmly so the client never sees the stress.

MR1 Stage at Thorpe Park Fright Nights

A good example? Last autumn, we provided an outdoor stage for Merlin Entertainments at Thorpe Park’s world-famous Fright Nights. It wasn’t just about dropping a stage in place – it meant working around tight site restrictions, unpredictable weather, and a hard deadline. By the time the first guests arrived, everything was ready, and the show ran without a hitch. That’s the pa

rt we love: making complex setups look simple.

Before the event goes live, we carry out thorough checks to make sure everything is working as it should. That might mean testing audio feeds, confirming power distribution, or walking the site to ensure safety and access. The aim is simple: when the client is ready, so are we. It’s about being prepared, not leaving anything to chance.

If you’re planning an event and need a team that handles the details so you don’t have to, get in touch.

We manage events, create experiences – and we do it without drama.

Find out more at https://www.gslevents.co.uk.