---
title: "Event production manager questions answered"
description: "Get straight answers to 22 questions production managers ask, from what your buyers pay and when your ticket money reaches you to how your team runs the day."
canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions/production-managers/questions"
---

1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/)
2. [Solutions](https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions)
3. [Production managers](https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions/production-managers)
4. Production managers: your questions answered

# Production managers: your questions answered

  [Get started free](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome?utm_source=compare&utm_campaign=solutions-production-managers-questions) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo)

- **22** questions answered
- **18** pages that show you how

Have every act's needs on stage before they walk on, and keep each stage to time. Here you can find out how you advance every act from one link, hire exactly the backline their riders ask for, catch clashes before show day and call every cue on time.

1. [Does the artist's team need an account?](#does-the-artist-s-team-need-an-account)
2. [Do I have to type up each act's stage plot and input list?](#do-i-have-to-type-up-each-act-s-stage-plot-and-input-list)
3. [Does the hire list change when a rider changes?](#does-the-hire-list-change-when-a-rider-changes)
4. [Can suppliers see each other's orders?](#can-suppliers-see-each-other-s-orders)
5. [Can my electrician see the power sheet without a login?](#can-my-electrician-see-the-power-sheet-without-a-login)
6. [Do effects operators need their license on file?](#do-effects-operators-need-their-licence-on-file)
7. [If a stage runs late, does the rest of my plan move by itself?](#if-a-stage-runs-late-does-the-rest-of-my-plan-move-by-itself)
8. [Do backstage TVs need a login?](#do-backstage-tvs-need-a-login)
9. [Which acts can I stream?](#which-acts-can-i-stream)
10. [Does Fai change anything without asking?](#does-fai-change-anything-without-asking)
11. [How do I catch clashes in the running order before show day?](#how-do-i-catch-clashes-in-the-running-order-before-show-day)
12. [Can Fai draft my run of show, and can I name who calls each stage?](#can-fai-draft-my-run-of-show-and-can-i-name-who-calls-each-stage)
13. [How do my show callers run each stage on the day?](#how-do-my-show-callers-run-each-stage-on-the-day)
14. [Can each team get a day sheet with only their part of the day?](#can-each-team-get-a-day-sheet-with-only-their-part-of-the-day)
15. [How do I give every act a dressing room around their set?](#how-do-i-give-every-act-a-dressing-room-around-their-set)
16. [Can I plan build and break days with the show?](#can-i-plan-build-and-break-days-with-the-show)
17. [How do hire suppliers book their deliveries into the site?](#how-do-hire-suppliers-book-their-deliveries-into-the-site)
18. [How do I send each supplier their hire list and raise a purchase order?](#how-do-i-send-each-supplier-their-hire-list-and-raise-a-purchase-order)
19. [How do I check what arrived before I pay a hire invoice?](#how-do-i-check-what-arrived-before-i-pay-a-hire-invoice)
20. [Can I sign off rigging and structures before doors?](#can-i-sign-off-rigging-and-structures-before-doors)
21. [Can I build one dressing-room shopping list from every rider?](#can-i-build-one-dressing-room-shopping-list-from-every-rider)
22. [Can my production team run the production work without managing the rest of my team?](#can-my-production-team-run-the-production-work-without-managing-the-rest-of-my-team)

## Does the artist's team need an account?

No. They open their own link, fill in their part of the advance and upload riders. They can sign their contract on the same page.

On the event, you select Operations, then Advancing, and open the act. Under Their team, you select Add a contact for the tour manager, then select Ask their team, choose the sections they can see and fill in, and select Send. The link works for 30 days unless you choose between 7 and 90.

The contact opens the link on any phone or computer with no sign-in and sees only the sections you chose, with what is still needed at the top. They can add their tour book or rider for Fai to read. Their answers show as Received on your advance, and each section stays yours to confirm.

Stop link beside a link ends it at once. Anything their team already filled in stays on the advance.

[Advance your performers before the show](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/advance-your-performers-before-the-show)

## Do I have to type up each act's stage plot and input list?

No. Each act's stage plot, input list and power fill in from their technical rider for your production team to check.

Each stage lists the stage plot, the input list and the power each act needs, act by act through the day. Your stage manager, monitor engineer and electricians work from the same spec, and the stage is set for each act before they walk on.

The stage's own equipment comes from its technical specification in Stages. Fai compares each act's technical rider with that specification, including lines such as No drum riser, so you see a gap with time to hire the gear, agree a substitute or move the act.

[Give each stage manager one page for their stage](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-operating-system/production-and-technical/production-schedule-and-stages)

## Does the hire list change when a rider changes?

Yes. The list changes with the rider, except lines your team changed by hand, which are flagged for you to review.

You review each item marked Rider changed in Hire and shopping, where you select Use the rider or Keep ours on the need. A rider change never overwrites a need your team changed by hand. Change the rider corrects the rider itself on the act's advance.

On any item, How we worked this out shows each day and stage with what is needed, what is already on the stage and what to hire. Acts on one stage and day share, reusable gear is hired once for the busiest day, and what the stage or your own kit already has comes off the number.

[Work out the backline and production to hire](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/work-out-the-backline-and-production-to-hire-for-your-event)

## Can suppliers see each other's orders?

No. Each supplier opens its own page and sees only the lines you ordered from it, its quotes and its delivery times.

Under Suppliers on their own page in Hire and shopping, you select Set up their page beside the supplier and choose its outside team. You then email the link from that team in Outside teams. The supplier opens it with no sign-in and sees What we ordered from you, with each line's dates, stages and price.

The supplier confirms the lines in one go, or selects Ask for a change or Ask to change times. They upload their quote as a PDF or a photo, and Fai reads it against your list. Prices change only when you approve her suggestion.

[Get hire suppliers to confirm orders and count deliveries](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/get-hire-suppliers-to-confirm-orders-and-count-deliveries)

## Can my electrician see the power sheet without a login?

Yes. You can send them a link to the power sheet for one zone or the whole site. They need no sign-in, the sheet always shows the latest pitches, and you can stop the link at any time.

On the event, you select Operations, then Traders and Pitches. Under Power sheets, you choose the zone or Every zone, choose how long the link works, from 3 to 60 days, and select Make link. It is worth copying the link straight away, because the address shows only once.

The sheet lists each pitch with its trader, the amps they need and whether they need water, grouped by zone with the totals at the top. It never shows a trader's contact details. Each link shows how many times it was opened, and Stop link ends it at once.

[Share a power sheet with your electrician](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/share-a-power-sheet-with-your-electrician)

## Do effects operators need their license on file?

Yes. Each effect names its licensed operator, and their license is checked against the documents they added for their shifts.

Operators add their license on their own My shifts page, with its expiry date, and it counts at every event of your brand until it expires. Your team checks it with Mark as checked, or uses Send back with a reason.

To ask for a license, you open the event, select Operations, then Licenses and certificates and People, and select Ask for a document. You choose who needs it, such as everyone on one team's shifts. Fai leaves anyone without it out of shift offers, and you can add someone anyway only with a reason, which stays with their place on the shift.

[Collect crew certificates and licenses before a shift](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/collect-crew-certificates-before-they-work-a-shift)

## If a stage runs late, does the rest of my plan move by itself?

No. The planned times change only when someone moves the rest of the day. Meanwhile, Now and next and shared day sheets show the delay.

On Now and next, Go live and Done record when each cue really started and finished. Once a stage has a recorded time, it shows how late it is running, such as Running 10 min late, and each cue still to come shows when it is expected. A warning says by how many minutes a stage will finish after it closes.

To catch a stage up, the button to move the rest of today, such as Move the rest of today by 10 minutes, then Move them, shifts every later cue. Cues already done stay where they are. Fix the time with a reason corrects a cue called late, and the earlier time stays in the cue's history.

[Call your show live on show day](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/call-your-show-live-on-show-day)

## Do backstage TVs need a login?

No. Each TV opens its own private link, which you can stop at any time.

On Now and next, you select Backstage screens, then New screen or calendar and Backstage screen. You name the TV, choose one stage or Every stage, and select Make link. The TV's browser opens the link or scans its QR code.

The TV shows the act on now with the minutes left, the act next, the changeover between them and whether the stage is on time. It updates every 20 seconds and never shows notes, phone numbers or your team's names. Each link says when it was last shown, and Stop link turns the TV off within 20 seconds.

[Show now and next on backstage screens](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/show-now-and-next-on-backstage-screens)

## Which acts can I stream?

The acts whose contracts give you streaming rights. Each act shows its streaming rights beside your stream schedule.

Your stream schedule starts from the running order, with each act on its stage and set time, and it moves when the running order moves. Each act's streaming rights come from their contract, so agree streaming in the contract before the show.

The stream plays on your event page, where fans already buy their tickets.

[Stream your sets to fans who cannot be there](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-operating-system/production-and-technical/production-schedule-and-stages)

## Does Fai change anything without asking?

No. Fai suggests answers, fixes and drafts, and a person on your team accepts each one. Fai treats riders, emails and tour books as information only, never as instructions.

When an act's tour book, rider or email reply arrives, Fai lists each answer she found under Answers to check, with the words she found it in. You select Accept for an answer that fills an empty question, Replace to change one already there, or Reject to drop it. The old answer stays in the advance's history.

Running-order fixes, call times and hire list changes work the same way. Fai shows you what moves or changes, and nothing is saved or sent until a person on your team approves it.

[Fill in advances from tour books, riders and emails](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/fill-in-advances-from-tour-books-riders-and-emails)

## How do I catch clashes in the running order before show day?

The running-order checks sit under the day's stages on Run of show. Fai checks each day every time it changes, for overlapping sets, short changeovers, an act booked on two stages, flights that land after soundcheck, sets past curfew and riders a stage cannot meet.

Each problem is marked Serious, Check or Minor and comes with up to two fixes Fai has tried against the rest of the day. The button that starts with Fix: shows which cues move and where to, and you then select Apply fix. Undo in the message straight after puts the cues back.

Timing rules sets each stage's shortest changeover and its opening and closing times, how long an act needs between two appearances and how early it should be on site. Fai never moves a cue on a locked stage or one already called on the day.

[Check your running order for clashes before show day](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/check-your-running-order-for-clashes-before-show-day)

## Can Fai draft my run of show, and can I name who calls each stage?

Yes. On the event's Operations page, Run of show has Ask Fai to draft the run of show. Fai builds doors, soundchecks, sets, changeovers and curfew from your schedule, and you save the cues you want.

Add cue covers anything else, with its start time, what happens and the stage. Under More details, you set the departments who act on it and who calls it. A cue that needs a check is outlined and says why, such as Runs past curfew.

When the plan is final, Lock this day beside the stage keeps it final. Nobody can change that stage's cues until someone selects Unlock, and calling cues on show day still works.

Under Show callers, you select Add show caller and choose the team member and the stage they call. A show caller can call cues and lock or unlock their stage, and nothing else.

[Plan your run of show and who calls it](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/plan-your-run-of-show-and-who-calls-it)

## How do my show callers run each stage on the day?

They open Now and next on the event's Operations page and call each cue with Standby, Go live, Done or Skip. Each stage shows its cue now, the next one with a countdown and the rest later.

Now and next runs on the event's own clock, so everyone reads the same time wherever their phone is set. It updates every 20 seconds, and the phone remembers the stage it was on. Undo takes a cue one step back, and both calls stay in its history.

When two people call the same cue at once, the first call counts and the second is shown where the cue is now. If the phone loses signal, the page keeps the last version it loaded and catches up when the signal returns.

[Call your show live on show day](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/call-your-show-live-on-show-day)

## Can each team get a day sheet with only their part of the day?

Yes. You set up your departments and their leads under the run of show, then print or share a day sheet for each department, performer or stage. Anyone with the link reads it on their phone without signing in.

Under Departments on Run of show, you open each department, add its people and tick Leads this department for the person who runs it. A department's sheet lists its cues, people, pickups and arrivals, key contacts and its rota shifts.

In Day sheets, you choose the sheet and the day, then Share link, or select Send to department leads to email every lead their own sheet. A shared link always shows the latest run of show, so every team that opens it sees a moved cue at its new time.

[Share day sheets with your on-site teams](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/share-day-sheets-with-your-on-site-teams)

## How do I give every act a dressing room around their set?

You add your rooms under Dressing rooms on Run of show, then select Let Fai assign rooms. Each performer gets a room from two hours before their set until an hour after it, headliners first.

Each room is added once with its stage, or as Shared by the site, and it is there for every day. Fai lists anyone she could not place, and she never moves a booking you made yourself.

Book a room books one by hand, including for a crew or catering team. A booking that overlaps another in the same room is stopped, and you select Book anyway only when the room is shared. Every booking shows on the run of show, the day sheets and the performer and stage pages.

[Book dressing rooms and plan build and break days](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/book-dressing-rooms-and-plan-build-and-break-days)

## Can I plan build and break days with the show?

Yes. On Run of show, Add build or break day lets you choose the day and tick the usual cues. A build day gets load-in at 08:00, rig at 10:00 and sound check at 15:00, and a break day gets de-rig at 09:00 and load-out at 13:00.

Build and break days can be up to 14 days before or after the event and work like any show day, on the run of show and the day sheets. You change or remove the usual cues like any other cue, so your crew sees their call times the same way all week.

[Add build and break days to your run of show](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/book-dressing-rooms-and-plan-build-and-break-days)

## How do hire suppliers book their deliveries into the site?

In Arrivals and parking, arrival times open by gate, with how many vehicles can come each time. Suppliers and other outside teams book a delivery on their own page and get a code your gate team checks.

You select Arrival times, then Add an arrival time, and choose the day, start, end and number of vehicles. Under Who can book it, you choose Outside teams, Traders, or both. You add the gate and what drivers need to know.

On the day, your gate team selects Gate on a phone or tablet, enters the driver's code or number plate under Reference or number plate and selects Check in, then Check out when the vehicle leaves. The top of the page counts the vehicles expected, here, gone and late.

[Book delivery times and check vehicles in at the gate](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/book-delivery-times-and-check-vehicles-in-at-the-gate)

## How do I send each supplier their hire list and raise a purchase order?

In Hire and shopping, Suppliers under the list has Send the list. Fai drafts the email from the supplier's items, dates, delivery and collection, and it goes when you select Send.

After the first send, the button reads Send the changes and the draft lists only what changed. Each changed item says Changed since you sent it, so the supplier never works from an old version. Print gives a sheet with each item, how many and the hire dates.

On the supplier, Make a purchase order, then Make the draft, starts the order. The draft waits in Contracts, where you approve it and send it. Every item needs a price in one currency first, and the approved order counts once as a committed cost in Budget.

[Send your hire lists to suppliers](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/send-your-hire-lists-to-suppliers)

## How do I check what arrived before I pay a hire invoice?

Each delivery counts in and out under Goods in and out. The supplier's purchase order then shows any shortfall or damage before you pay.

When a delivery arrives, your team selects Count in beside the line, enters how many arrived and how many are damaged, and selects Save count. Count out works the same way when the supplier collects. Undo under Latest counts reverses a wrong count, and both stay in the history.

Before you pay, Contracts, then Purchase orders, shows the supplier's order with What arrived. It compares each line ordered with what was counted in and back.

[Count hire deliveries in and out](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/get-hire-suppliers-to-confirm-orders-and-count-deliveries)

## Can I sign off rigging and structures before doors?

Yes. Your rigging points, stages and structures get the same timed inspections as your fence and barrier lines, each with its build checklist. Your inspector signs each one off, and its full history stays with it.

Your safety lead works from one list of everything that needs checking. Every sign-off keeps who made it and when, and nobody can rewrite it after the fact, so you can show a licensing officer exactly what was checked.

[Sign off power, effects and rigging before doors](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-operating-system/production-and-technical/power-effects-and-connectivity)

## Can I build one dressing-room shopping list from every rider?

Yes. The Shopping list in Hire and shopping adds up every act's hospitality rider and your standard packages, with how much to buy for each day and which dressing room it goes to.

Under Standard packages, you select Add package, enter the items each act gets each day and select Save. Add it automatically gives it to kinds of act, such as every DJ set, and Add to acts lets you choose them by hand.

With By day above the list, Print on a day gives the runner's shopping sheet. When a rider changes, Fai updates the list, and an item your team changed by hand keeps your version and is marked for you to review.

[Build a dressing-room shopping list from artist riders](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/build-a-dressing-room-shopping-list-from-artist-riders)

## Can my production team run the production work without managing the rest of my team?

Yes. The Producer role runs the production work on a brand without managing the team. You can open the production pages with an owner, admin or producer role on the event.

Advancing, Hire and shopping, Run of show, Now and next, Arrivals and parking and Licenses and certificates all open from the event's Operations page for those three roles. Your production team joins on the brand's Team page with the Producer role, and their access reaches every event under the brand.

A show caller with another role calls cues on their own stage by asking Fai, and Fai waits for their yes. Suppliers, electricians and tour managers use their own links and never need a login.

[Invite your team and choose what each person can do](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/invite-your-team)

[Ticket Fairy for production managers](https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions/production-managers)

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