Event rain plans: prepare before the last-minute scramble

A backup venue is only the starting point

The concert starts at 6 pm, the stage is outdoors and an indoor venue is available. Having a second address helps, but the crew needs more answers: what equipment is already there? Who prepares the space? How long does the move take? And who confirms it?

For an event service company, a rain plan means answering these questions before the event and keeping the answers alongside the schedule. Start with each individual session: different activities have different requirements, and moving them is not always straightforward.

Choose a venue that can actually accommodate the session

Compare the alternative venue with the session’s needs: space for performers and the audience, stage and control positions, audio, video and lighting equipment, load-in access and preparation time. Agree the venue suitability checks with the people responsible.

Check the destination’s programme too. A room that is free in the morning may be occupied during the evening concert. If several sessions share a backup venue, review the full sequence, including setup, rehearsals and changeovers.

Separate available equipment from what needs to move

“We’ll move everything inside” leaves too much open to interpretation. Prepare a specific list instead:

• Equipment on site: what is already available at the alternative venue.
• Additional equipment: what must be added for this particular session.
• Transfers: what needs to come from the original venue, with which people and vehicles.
• Timings: venue access, setup, rehearsals and doors opening.

Keep venue documents with the venue and session-specific requests with the session. A rider change needs to be considered for the alternative space as well.

Agree how the switch will be communicated

Decide who can confirm the move, who needs to hear about it and which communication channel to use. A programme note helps people find information, but the operational decision must be explicit.

A useful message includes the session name, date, confirmed or revised time, destination venue and crew instructions. Make sure nobody mistakes the presence of a backup venue for confirmation that the session has moved.

How to show a rain plan in CronoVent

1. Open the main session for editing.
2. In the Rain plan field, choose an alternative venue already included in the event, different from the original venue.
3. Save the session and check the schedule and the alternative venue’s view.

CronoVent also displays the session at the destination, marked “Rain plan”. It represents the same activity and links back to the main session, rather than creating a separate entry that needs to be maintained.

Venue technical requirements can be viewed for the selected day or all days, with rain-plan requirements shown separately. You can print the summary or save it as a PDF from the print dialog.

Adding a rain plan does not automatically move the session. The system shows the prepared alternative; the operational confirmation and any programme changes still need to be coordinated with the crew. Rain plans are not duplicated in the Recordings view.

Explore an example in the demo

On the first day of the English demo, “Voices among the trees” is scheduled from 18:00 to 19:00 at Garden of Voices. Its rain plan is assigned to Workshop 21. The schedule shows the session at its original venue and the labelled alternative at the destination.

The venues are fictional. The example also highlights a practical consideration: an alternative venue may be in another town, affecting travel time for both crew and audience.

Open the CronoVent demo, select the first day and look for “Voices among the trees”.

A checklist before sharing the programme

• Does each affected session have a specific alternative venue?
• Is the space available for setup, rehearsals and changeovers too?
• Is existing equipment clearly separated from additional requirements?
• Have people, transfers and timings been agreed?
• Is it clear who confirms the move and how they communicate it?
• Can the crew distinguish a planned alternative from a confirmed change?

Continue planning with our guides to venue technical documents and festival production schedules.