Describe an outdoor audience for a PA enquiry
An outdoor PA enquiry needs a description of the place and the people you want to reach. Guest numbers alone leave important questions unanswered: where people gather, where the speaker stands and what other activity happens nearby. Use a labelled site brief to explain the event to Fables. Ask the supplier and venue to review the actual arrangement, including any conditions affecting the equipment and its use.
Draw the intended listening area
Mark the expected listening area and speaker/performance position on the site plan. Use the same area names on the timetable and photographs. Mark where guests are expected during each speaking or performance moment, including any group located apart from the main gathering. Describe the desired result without placing speakers or other equipment yourself.
Connect the audience to the programme
State expected audience numbers and event moments without applying an invented coverage formula. State whether guests are seated, standing or arriving throughout the moment in question. Include intended announcements and performances separately. An audience gathered for one speech presents a different brief from guests moving between several activities over a longer period.
Add site and venue information
Record venue restrictions, existing supply details and proposed equipment location. Ask the venue for its actual supply and operating information at the proposed position. Identify delivery routes, gate restrictions and periods when access is shared. Label photographs so Fables can connect an equipment question to the correct location rather than guessing from a view of the garden.
Ask about the proposed outdoor arrangement
Ask the supplier to confirm equipment suitability and conditions for the actual outdoor arrangement. Request confirmation of the equipment, positioning, protection and operating responsibilities for your particular site. Keep any conditions supplied by the venue with the enquiry. A product description alone does not confirm suitability for every outdoor location or changing event condition.
Send a reviewable site brief
Produce a site/audience brief with unresolved protection, weather and operating questions. List unanswered points visibly, with the person who can resolve each one. Share the same version with the organiser, venue and relevant providers. If the intended audience area or programme changes, flag those changes before treating an earlier equipment discussion as final.
| Record | Detail to agree |
|---|---|
| Area reference | Label matching the site plan and photographs |
| Audience | Expected group and how it uses the space |
| Programme moment | Speech, announcement or performance and time |
| Site information | Known supply, access and venue requirements |
| Supplier review | Equipment conditions and unanswered suitability questions |
Questions about this worksheet
Can you choose an outdoor PA from guest numbers alone?
Send the intended audience area, programme, positions and venue information as well as guest numbers. Ask Fables to review the proposed arrangement for those actual requirements; this worksheet does not provide a coverage formula.
What if the planned outdoor position changes?
Send an updated labelled plan and explain which audience, supply, access or programme details change with it. Ask the venue and supplier to review the new arrangement rather than carrying an earlier position's approval across automatically.