Translate the floor plan into routes
Start with the current, approved venue drawing. Mark receiving, temporary holding, empty-case storage, player areas, broadcast control and technical support. Add the route between them, including lifts, doorways, ramps and any protected surfaces. Verify actual dimensions and capacities with the venue rather than estimating from a marketing floor plan. A case that fits through the loading door may still fail to reach its destination.
Keep public circulation, emergency exits and restricted areas distinct from equipment movement. Plan how routes change when rehearsals, players or spectators enter the building. At venues such as Messe Berlin, RAI Amsterdam and Bella Center Copenhagen, local arrangements vary by hall and event. The venue’s current access and safety instructions take priority over a generic logistics sequence.
Wide load-in sequence / release each dependency
Confirm delivery identity, case count, visible condition and destination.
Approve routes, staging, power and network before dependent work begins.
Install labelled equipment at the assigned operating positions.
Prove the complete workflow and record acceptance or exceptions.
Make receiving an active control point
Assign a receiving lead who can reconcile the load and direct cases without blocking the dock. Set aside a holding area for unassigned or damaged equipment, but do not let that area become an undocumented overflow store. Confirm who can authorise a case to leave receiving and who updates the manifest when its destination changes.
Use a simple exception process. A missing network case, a broken wheel and an incorrect display model have different consequences, even if all appear as delivery problems. Record the affected dependency, the responsible role and the next review point. Tell the setup lead which tasks can continue and which must wait. Avoid dispersing incomplete kits across the venue before their contents are understood.
Install infrastructure before dependent equipment
Coordinate staging, electrical and network teams around an agreed drawing. Temporary electrical systems require competent design, installation and verification under applicable local requirements. Do not infer circuit capacity from the number of available sockets or create improvised distribution chains. The IEC 60364 series provides an international reference framework, but the venue and local competent professionals determine the applicable installation requirements.
Network infrastructure needs the same discipline. Confirm topology, switch allocation, addressing, access policy and the connection to tournament services. Label both ends of cables and document relevant ports. IEEE 802.3 describes Ethernet technologies, while ISO/IEC 11801 addresses generic cabling; neither alone proves that an event network can support the intended match workflow. Test the actual design and expected operating conditions.
A powered station is an installation milestone. A proven match path is an acceptance milestone.
Place equipment against a position schedule
Give each station a position identifier that matches the floor plan and configuration record. Check furniture stability, display placement, cable reach and access for support. Keep equipment ventilation paths clear and route cables without creating avoidable trip hazards or obstructing maintenance. Do not conceal an unresolved infrastructure issue beneath a finished-looking player desk.
Confirm ownership of every connection between disciplines. For example, a broadcast feed may involve an observer computer, a capture interface and a production input, each managed by a different team. Agree the signal format and test method before rehearsal. Establish which team can change configuration after acceptance and how those changes are communicated to tournament operations.
Test the whole operating path
Build a repeatable station acceptance checklist covering device identity, approved software, input devices, display behaviour and network access. Then test the match workflow: joining the correct environment, communicating with officials, producing required observer outputs and recovering from a realistic fault. Avoid using a successful web page load as a substitute for a game-specific network check.
Record results by station and system, not merely by room. Identify who witnessed acceptance and what remains conditional. If an issue is deferred, document its impact, workaround, owner and decision deadline. Competition-related changes require the appropriate tournament authority; a logistics or technical team should not independently accept a substitution that could affect competitive consistency.
| Release point | Releasing role | Accepting role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery received | Carrier representative | Receiving lead | Case count and condition exceptions |
| Infrastructure ready | Relevant technical leads | Setup lead | Required tests and approved routes |
| Stations ready | Station technical lead | Tournament operations lead | Position-level acceptance record |
| Live configuration released | Technical operations lead | Show and tournament leads | Known issues, recovery plan and change control |
Protect the accepted state
After sign-off, move into controlled operations. Restrict unnecessary changes, retain accessible spares and keep the current issue log available to the duty team. Confirm who is on call for venue, power, network, station and broadcast faults. A clear escalation path reduces the temptation to make undocumented fixes during a match.
Before doors open, walk the equipment routes again. Remove surplus packaging, confirm empty-case storage and verify that temporary work has not compromised exits or service access. Hand over a known operating environment, not simply a completed task list. The next team should know what is ready, what is conditional and who has authority to act.