Setting Up Your Venue for a Day-Two Party

I've seen brilliant acts sound terrible because of where they were put, and average acts sound great because someone thought about the room. Setup is the cheapest upgrade you'll ever make.

Put the music where the people are

Not in the side room. Not at the far end of a function room while everyone's at the bar. Put the act near the bar or the seating, with a bit of floor in front. People follow the music, but only if they can see it.

Sockets, and then more sockets

Ask the act what they need and walk the room before the day. Extension leads trailing across a dancefloor are a trip hazard and a fuse waiting to go. In a marquee or garden, sort a proper safe power supply and cover for the act — this is Ireland, it will rain.

Check for a sound limiter

Lots of hotels have one, and many couples only find out when the power cuts mid-song. Ask the venue directly. If there's a limiter, tell your act — a good act will set up for it, and it might change which act you book.

Sofas early, floor later

Day two is a sitting-down party until it isn't. Give people comfy seating and tables to start, and leave a clear patch of floor that can become a dancefloor when the mood turns. Keep the food well away from the speakers so people can actually talk while they eat.

Sort load-in before the day

Tell the act where to park, which door to use and when they can set up. Ideally they're set up before guests arrive — nobody wants to watch a sound check over their breakfast roll. And agree a finish time with the venue so the night ends on a high, not with the lights coming on mid-chorus.