Meeting Planners: Here’s Why You Should Budget for Pre-Vis

If you're planning an event with custom lighting, screens, or motion graphics, there's one line item that can save you time, money, and stress: previsualization or pre-vis.

Pre-vis gives your technical team time to program lighting and media cues before arriving on-site. Our Technical Director, Diana, recently pointed out that without this time, Lighting Designers often end up programming during load-in, putting them into overtime and holding up rehearsals.

Using tools like Vectorworks, the LD can pre-program lighting looks, using a full 3D model of the set, lights, and video. Everything is timed precisely to the second, so once your team gets on-site, the creative vision is already approved and ready to run.

And it’s not just lighting. The media server programmer and motion graphics artist can also pre-program content, test transitions, and ensure the screen configurations work exactly as intended, days before the crew steps into the venue.

Why does this matter to you as a meeting planner? Because when programming happens onsite, delays can cascade, especially when 15+ crew members are on the clock, waiting for things to get sorted. With pre-vis, you’re paying just a few key people to prep in advance, avoiding costly overtime and keeping your production timeline on track.

So, next time you’re building a show budget, especially for a high-impact general session or awards show, consider adding a pre-vis day or two. It’s a small addition that leads to smoother show days, fewer surprises, and a better experience for everyone, especially you.

Ready to make your show run like clockwork? Let’s talk pre-vis.