The importance of lighting your event space

August 03, 2017

With everything else you need to think about when planning an event, lighting the space may be the last thing on your mind. Whether you’re planning a wedding, bat mitzvah, anniversary, or a corporate soiree, lighting is something that can make or break the festivities.

Imagine arriving at an event to find the space illuminated by garish fluorescent overheads. It’s nobody’s best look. If you’ve ever worked in an office, you’ll know exactly what we mean.

Lighting that warms the atmosphere and sets the mood is a key consideration for any well-planned event, so we thought we’d take a minute to offer a few pointers on how to do it right.

Do your homework.

Your event is too important to leave the lighting to chance. You’ll need to not only visit the venue, but ensure that you’re visiting at the time the event you’re planning is slated to take place. This ensures you’re seeing it the way it’s going to appear on the big night.

Make sure the venue manager is on hand for your visit. Don’t forget to ask if the lights may be dimmed and how that’s done. Also ask whether the lighting is fluorescent (as discussed above) or incandescent. Incandescent lighting is much more suitable for events, as it imparts a soft glow, eliminating the harshness fluorescents are known for.

While you’re there, take in the whole room. Locate available lighting and decide whether you need to supplement it. Then, decide which type. You may want to drape the stage with LED lights which lend the venue a magical atmosphere. You may want spots trained on the stage.

Take note of which features you wish to highlight and those wish you’d rather people didn’t take much notice of. Then plan your event lighting accordingly.

Photos and video.

The importance of lighting your event space adequately and intelligently can’t be over-emphasized, if a photographer or videographer will be present to document the party.

Lighting must answer the needs of these professionals, as well as create ambience, so it’s important to know you have adequate lighting to accommodate their needs. Consult with them. If you suspect there may be a problem with lighting at the venue, perhaps invite your photo and video people to make suggestions as to how you can fix it.

Because you’re probably not a lighting professional, it’s helpful to have a professional with access to the right tools to arrange your lighting for you. It’s one less thing to think about, for starters. Also, if you’re paying for photos and video at the venue, then isn’t it worth ensuring you get the lighting right? There’s nothing worse than being disappointed after the fact.

CTO Artists.

For almost 30 years, CTO Artists has been bringing the highest quality live entertainment to events like yours. From the Northeastern USA to California, from Florida to the Caribbean and Latin America, we have successfully created over 10,000 events for our discerning clients.