Event Manager Guide
Responsibilities before event day
Snacks
You will also have a €20 budget for light snacks and drinks for the crew and musicians, which will be reimbursed. Water, soft drinks, bananas, biscuits and nuts are good options. Purchase the snacks before meeting your crew.
Rent MyWheels Car
You will book the car using our business MyWheels account, set a meeting point and time for the crew, and drive together to the venue.
*Always drive responsibly, any fines will be paid by the manager
Stage Setup
Ideal Stage Setup
The ideal stage setup, where space allows, is 5 stage planks with the legs set to 70 cm.
Position the stairs at the back of the stage, either on the left or right side. Make sure there is enough clearance for the musicians to get on and off the stage comfortably without bumping into the shelves or candles on stage.
Note: Lumos prefers setups with straight lines and square or rectangular shapes, especially when using our own stage. Avoid curves unless they follow the natural layout or existing stage shape of the venue.
Some venues may require one stage plank to be positioned at the back of the stage. If there is limited space at the front but enough room behind the stage, this plank can be carefully placed, provided there is enough clearance for the musicians to move safely and comfortably around the setup.
Adjust to the venue
Each venue is unique, so adjust the stage setup to make the best use of the available space. The exact configuration can vary, as long as it follows the general stage + shelves layout and allows enough space for the musicians to move safely and comfortably.
Make sure the stairs are secured correctly, set the inlays first and then clamp the stairs, use the tool to tighten the bolts. Also clamp the side to the correct position.
It’s recommended to place one of our rubber cable mats under the stage stairs. The metal stairs can easily slip on the stone floors found in many churches, so the mat helps keep them securely in place.
Shelves Setup
Venues with their own stage
If a venue has its own stage, follow the shape and layout of the existing stage when positioning the candles. Make sure the candles are evenly aligned and spaced to make the setup look as full as possible, without leaving obvious gaps.
Setups to avoid
In this example, the correct layout is being used, but the candles are placed too close together. This can make them appear as one large orange/yellow block in photos, especially in darker venues when the candles are glowing.
Placing the candles too close together also makes the setup look smaller, even when all the candles are being used. Leave enough space between them to create a fuller, more balanced setup.
Make sure to use as many candles as possible around the front of the stage. The stage is the main focal point, so prioritise this area to create the full candlelit atmosphere and immersive experience our guests expect.
In this example, there are only a few rows of candles on the stage and in front of the stage skirt, the space was big enough to place a lot of candles. This leaves the setup looking too small and reduces the immersive candlelit effect. Prioritise filling these areas with more candles whenever possible.
In this example, the correct stage setup is being used, but the candles are arranged in a curved line. The candles should instead follow straight lines and a rectangular layout, as indicated in the Stage Setup section.
In this example, the gradient concept is correct but applied backwards. The outer edge of the setup should have the candles closer together and arranged in a straight line. As you move inwards, gradually increase the spacing between the candles to create the gradient effect.
Tips
Start the first few rows with the normal spacing between the candles.
Gradually increase the spacing as you move further back, creating a subtle gradient effect.
From the guests’ point of view, the front of the stage will still look full, while the wider spacing makes it appear that there are more candles than there actually are.
This works especially well when the venue has a much larger stage than our standard 5-plank setup.
Sound
The Xvive is a 2.4 GHz digital wireless system with a Transmitter (clips onto the mic) and a Receiver (plugs into the speaker).
Charge the transmitter and receiver when you get to the venue.
Check that the channel dial on both Transmitter and Receiver are set to the same channel number.
Turn both units on right before the show starts. Press and hold the POWER button on each.
No need to turn off between the two showings since you charged it during the show setup, leave them on for the full evening.
TIP: The blue LEDs on the channel dial show the selected channel. Match them visually — they should light up on the same number on both units.
Connect the tablet to the speaker via Bluetooth and select the Music App.
There are 3 playlist: "LUMOS", "Welcome" and "Goodbye" .
Use the Lumos playlist to have background music while you are welcoming guests to theirs seats, press play right before opening doors and check that the volume is correct.
Use the "Welcome" audio 2 minutes before the start of the concert, the audio lasts 1:35 minutes and the musicians walk out at the end of the audio so that the crowd can welcome them with an applause (sometimes the crew applauses and that triggers an audicen applause).
Use the "Goodbye" audio when the musicians already stepped down the stage, wait until they step off because some audiences take longer and give a standing ovation; we do not want to play the goodbye audio while the musicians are receiving their applause
Set the "Lumos" playlet again after the goodbye audio and have it as background music while gusted are taking pictures with the setup.
Lighting is what completes the Lumos atmosphere. The candles create the visual foundation, while the three LED lights extend that warmth into the venue and highlight its architecture.
The orange/amber lights blend with the warm yellow glow of the candles, making the space feel as though the light is naturally coming from the candle setup itself. The red light adds depth and warmth to the background and helps create the immersive atmosphere of the concert.
The goal is not to make the venue look artificially lit, but to enhance what the candles are already creating.
Light 1 – Stage left: Fill light for the left side of the performers.
Light 2 – Stage right: Fill light for the right side of the performers.
Light 3 – Behind / upstage: Back light to illuminate the background and create atmosphere.
TIP: Placement will vary depending on the venue. Walk the space first and adjust the lights around the architecture, columns and performer positions. In some cases the lights work better wihout the cone installed.
Lighting & Atmosphere
BEFORE OPENING DOORS
Before guests enter, walk through the entire setup and make sure the event is ready.
Check that all candles are on and correctly positioned, the stage and stairs are secure, lighting is finalised, the PA and microphone are working, the seating is correct and the venue is clean, all flyers placed on the chairs and everything is guest-ready.
Make sure the crew have changed into their show clothing, know their positions and understand their ticket scanning and ushering responsibilities.
Have a final crew meeting before doors to communicate any important information about seating, ticket sales, show timings, guest access or anything unusual about that particular venue.
Before the event
EXTRA TIPS
Creat useful alarms that may include:
1 Hour to Finish Setup
30 Minutes to Finish Setup
Check Seating
Crew Clothing Change
Final Crew Meeting Before Show
10 Minutes to Open Doors
You can create different sets of alarms for double and triple-show days and reuse them for future events.
This is particularly useful because you don't have to constantly check the time while working—the alarm tells you when it is time to move on to the next priority.
SETUP PHOTOS
Once the setup is complete, take several clear photos from different angles and send them to the Event Managers WhatsApp group.
Don't take only one photo. Try to document the stage, candle placement, shelves, lighting and the overall layout of the room.
These photos are not only for the current event. They become an important visual reference for future Event Managers returning to the same venue, making it much easier to reproduce or improve the setup next time.
Whenever possible, also take a few good photos during the event showing the finished setup with the lighting, musicians and audience.
SAVE THE VENUE FOR NEXT TIME
PRO TIP
The day after an event, look up the venue on Google Maps and add a review with your best photos from the event.
Choose photos that clearly show the finished candle setup, stage and lighting, as well as photos taken during the performance where the atmosphere and audience can be seen.
This creates an easy visual archive organised by venue. When Lumos returns in the future, the Operations Manager and Event Manager can quickly look up the venue and see how it was previously set up when preparing the event briefing.
It also means you don't have to search through months of WhatsApp photos to find the last event there.
After each event, send a post-event email to Evelin and the Operations Manager. Include any information that can help us improve the next event at that venue.
It is a good idea to take notes throughout the event while details are still fresh. Pay attention to what worked well, what caused problems and anything that should be changed next time.
For new venues, pay particular attention to seating capacity. The capacity provided by the venue may not always reflect how many guests can comfortably fit with the actual seating layout.
Seating & capacity: Note whether all guests were seated comfortably and compare this with the number of tickets sold for that sitting. If there was additional space, estimate how many more guests could reasonably be accommodated. If the sitting was oversold or too tight, recommend how many fewer tickets should be made available next time.
Crew performance: Give brief feedback on each crew member, including what they did well and anything that could be improved.
Load-in & load-out: Was access more difficult than usual? If so, explain why and include anything that would make the process easier next time. Pictures are great to assest these issues for the future.
Stage requirements: Some churches don't provide enough pictures to confirm whether the venue requires us to bring our stage or whether the existing venue stage/setup is suitable.
Lighting & sound: Note anything that should be adjusted. For example, smaller venues with white walls may require lower lighting levels. In very large venues, our speaker may not provide enough coverage for the microphone; in this case, recommend using the venue’s sound system for the musicians and microphone, while keeping our speaker for background music and soundbites.
Parking: Note where the best parking is, how far it is from the load-in point, the cost, and whether EV charging is available. If suitable EV parking or charging is too far from the venue, recommend using a petrol car for future events. We cannot afford to have a crew member away from the venue for too long parking or collecting the car, especially during load-in and setup when every pair of hands is needed.
Venue observations: Include useful pros and cons for future teams. For example: columns or other structures blocking sightlines, difficult access, limited backstage space, or whether the venue uses chairs, benches or a combination of both.
The aim is simple: the next Event Manager should arrive already knowing the venue’s challenges, requirements and best setup.
Post-Event Report
