A stage plot tells the crew where things go. A tech advance tells them everything — what you're carrying, what you need, how your show runs, and what to expect. It's the difference between a band that shows up with a one-pager and a production that arrives with a complete playbook.
If you're graduating from club gigs to theaters, festivals, or touring support slots, a full technical advance document is what separates "easy to work with" from "we'll figure it out at load-in." Here's everything that goes into one.
The first page of your advance should include:
This page gets photocopied and handed to the venue's production coordinator. Make it easy to scan at a glance.
Include your ideal day-of-show schedule with the understanding that it's a starting point for negotiation:
If you're opening: Your advance should note that you understand schedule is at the headliner's discretion. Specify your minimum soundcheck needs ("15-minute line check is sufficient") so the production manager knows you're flexible.
This is the visual layout you already know — a top-down view showing every item on stage, oriented from the audience's perspective. If you need a refresher, see our guide to building the ideal stage plot. In a full advance, the stage plot is one page of a larger document, not the whole thing.
Your stage plot should reference your input list by using the same labels. If the plot says "GTR 1" and the input list says "Electric Guitar (Tom)," someone's going to patch the wrong channel.
The input list is the most technical document in your advance. It should include, for every channel:
If you use sub-snakes or a digital split, note that separately. The FOH engineer needs to know if they're getting an analog fan or a Dante feed.
Don't forget outputs. List every monitor mix, sidechain send, recording feed, and broadcast split:
Note whether you carry your own IEM transmitters or need the venue's monitor system.
Separate what you carry from what you need the venue or promoter to provide. Be specific:
For festival and support gigs, include acceptable substitutions. "Fender Twin or equivalent tube combo" is more useful than just "Fender Twin" when the rental company doesn't have one.
This section is critical for larger productions and often overlooked by smaller ones. Include:
At minimum, note where you need power drops on stage. A guitarist whose pedalboard is 30 feet from the nearest outlet is a guitarist with a very long extension cord and a potential ground loop.
If you carry a lighting director or have specific lighting requirements, include:
If you don't carry an LD, say so: "No lighting director traveling. House LD welcome to run lighting as they see fit. Color preference: cool tones, no red." Giving the house LD a direction is always better than silence.
If your show includes video elements:
Keep this section concise but clear. Reference a separate hospitality rider if you have one — our hospitality rider guide covers how to structure it — or include the essentials inline:
If you sell merch, note:
Your tech advance should be a single PDF, clearly labeled with the artist name and "Technical Advance" in the filename. Don't send a folder of loose files. Don't send a Word doc. PDF is universal, looks the same on every screen, and can be printed at the venue without formatting issues.
Total length: 4–8 pages for a mid-level touring act. Festival headliners might run longer. Club acts should aim for 2–4 pages. If your advance is over 10 pages, you're probably including information that nobody reads.
Timing matters: Send your advance 2–4 weeks before the show. Earlier for festivals. Follow up one week out with a "anything you need from us?" email. This simple cadence makes you dramatically easier to work with than 90% of touring acts.
A complete tech advance is a sign of professionalism. It tells every person at the venue — from the production manager to the stagehand to the catering coordinator — exactly what to expect. It reduces questions, prevents surprises, and makes your load-in faster. Start with a great stage plot, then build everything else around it.
Start with the stage plot. Build the rest from there.
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