AV Proposals for Festivals and Touring: Managing Complex Quotes

Festival and touring AV proposals are the most complex documents in live events. Multiple stages, multiple days, multiple acts, sub-hires across regions, kit changes between shows. By the time the contract is signed, half the spec will have shifted. By the time the load-in starts, the other half will be changing on the day.

The proposal cannot prevent that. It can absorb it cleanly. Here is how to structure proposals that survive the chaos.

Where the complexity actually lives

Five layers of complexity that drive up the difficulty of a festival or touring proposal:

1. Multiple stages or rooms, each with its own spec, crew, and timeline.
2. Multi-day load-in and de-rig with kit being moved between stages day to day.
3. Talent riders that arrive late and contradict each other.
4. Sub-hires from multiple regional suppliers, each with their own pricing and terms.
5. Weather, power, and venue infrastructure that only firm up close to the show.

A clean proposal acknowledges this and structures around it.

The structure that holds

Three principles:

• One proposal, multiple quote sections. Do not try to flatten a four-stage festival into one kit list. Use one quote section per stage or area.
• Versioned brief confirmation. The brief confirmation section gets re-versioned as the brief evolves. Every version is dated.
• Clear inclusions, exclusions, and pricing assumptions. The proposal states what would trigger a re-quote: scope change, additional acts, late spec from talent.

Sections to include

1. Cover and personal opening

Same as any proposal. Name the festival or tour, name the client, name the lead contact on your side.

2. Production summary

A short overview of what you are providing across the whole event. One paragraph. The client will use this as the brief for internal stakeholders.

3. The stages or rooms

One section per stage or area, each with:

• Location and audience size
• Your scope for that stage (audio, video, lighting, rigging)
• Crew assigned
• Run pattern (load-in time, sound check, doors, show, changeover, end of night)
• Stage-specific kit list (as a sub-quote)

4. Shared infrastructure

Power, comms, rigging, transport, accommodation, per diems. These are the cross-cutting costs that do not sit on one stage. Pull them into a single shared section.

5. Talent rider absorption

A short note on how late riders are handled:

• Up to X days before, accommodated within scope
• Late additions priced at standard sub-hire markup
• Crew added at agreed day rates

This protects you from the inevitable late changes without surprising the client.

6. Sub-hires

For festivals, sub-hires are a significant chunk of the cost. Be explicit about which kit is owned vs sub-hired, and the markup applied. Some festivals will push back on markup; have the conversation up front, not on the day.

7. Logistics

Transport, fuel, accommodation, per diems, tour buses for touring. For multi-day or multi-region tours, this layer is bigger than most non-touring companies expect.

8. The team

Name the leads. For festivals: lead PM, stage managers, lead engineers per discipline. For tours: production manager, FOH engineer, monitor engineer, lighting designer, video director, stage techs.

9. Risk and contingencies

Weather contingencies for outdoor events. Spare kit. Backup engineers. Power redundancy. Network redundancy if streaming. Insurance.

10. Schedule

A full multi-day schedule, by stage or area where useful. Load-in days, build days, show days, de-rig days, travel days for touring.

11. Total and terms

For festivals: typically a deposit on acceptance, a second payment 30 days before the event, balance after. For tours: weekly invoicing with a deposit per leg or per region.

Be specific about payment timing. Cashflow on a festival or tour goes wrong fast without it.

Managing the inevitable revisions

A festival or touring proposal will go through more revisions than any other type of AV proposal. Three rules that help:

• Keep the proposal at one link. Do not let v3 escape into email as a PDF that someone is still acting on.
• Version the brief confirmation explicitly. "Brief v4, 28 May 2027. Changes from v3: added a third stage on Friday, removed the silent disco rig."
• Lock kit lists by stage. A change on Stage 2 should not break Stage 1's quote.

Pricing patterns that work

Two patterns common in this segment:

• Per-stage pricing rolled into a total. Useful when stages are independent and the festival might cut one.
• Master spec with optional add-ons. Useful for tours where each city is broadly the same, with city-specific extras.

Pick the one that matches how the client's decision will be made.

What clients in this segment actually want

• A proposal that proves you have managed complexity at this scale before
• A pricing structure that survives change without renegotiation
• A named PM who is reachable 24/7 from build to de-rig
• Clarity on what triggers an extra invoice

If your proposal does not show all four, you are competing against suppliers whose proposals do.

A note on insurance and credentials

Festivals and touring jobs frequently need:

• Higher public liability cover (£5m or £10m, sometimes more)
• Working at height certifications for rigging crew
• Country-specific paperwork for international touring (carnets, work permits, tax registrations)

Include the relevant certificates as attachments. For international tours, mention up front which countries you are equipped to cover.

pro-posal.io supports multiple quote sections in one proposal, full revision history, and per-section content management. The complexity stays manageable because the structure does the work. Try it free for 60 days: pro-posal.io.