loadins

Load-ins refer to the process of bringing equipment, scenery, and materials into a venue for a production, installation, or exhibition. The plural form load-ins is used to describe multiple events or crews.

Planning a load-in involves coordinating transportation, access routes, unloading zones, and scheduling crew calls within the venue’s timetable. A typical load-in includes unloading from trucks or containers, moving through loading docks or elevators, staging equipment in designated areas, assembling scenery, rigging lighting and audio systems, and connecting power and data lines. It is usually followed by technical rehearsals (tech) and a final run-through before opening.

Roles commonly involved include a production manager or venue production coordinator, stage manager, crew leads, carpenters and riggers, and audio-visual technicians. Equipment ranges from scenery and props to lighting fixtures, sound systems, projectors, video walls, and cabling. Efficient load-ins rely on advance site surveys, clear labeling, contingency planning, and strict safety procedures to manage manual handling risks and working at height.

After the event or installation, a load-out (or strike) reverses the process, with equipment packed, transported, and returned or stored. The concept is closely related to the broader workflow of staging and event logistics.