How to Read an AV Technical Rider Before You Sign It
A line-by-line guide to the audio-visual technical rider Kenyan organisers are asked to approve, and the clauses that decide whether your event sounds and looks right.
The technical rider is the only document that says exactly what equipment will arrive at your venue. Most organisers approve it without reading it, then discover on site that "sound system" meant four speakers on sticks.
Events by Cara owns and operates its own AV inventory in Nairobi, so our riders list real serial-numbered kit rather than a category. Here is how to read any rider you are handed.
Look for models, not categories
"PA system" and "LED screen" are not specifications. A rider should name the console, the speaker model and count, the screen pixel pitch and panel count, the projector lumen rating and the lighting fixture types.
If a supplier cannot name models, they have not yet sourced the kit and are planning to subcontract it after you sign.
Count the crew, not just the boxes
Equipment does not operate itself. The rider should list a sound engineer, a vision or screen operator, a lighting operator, a stagehand crew and a technical manager, with call times for each.
One technician covering sound, screens and lighting is the most common cause of a visible failure mid-programme.
Redundancy clauses
Ask what is doubled: spare wireless microphone channels, a backup laptop with the deck mirrored, a spare projector lamp or LED panel, and a second radio for the stage manager.
A rider with no redundancy line is a rider that assumes nothing will break in an eight-hour day.
Load-in, rehearsal and strike
Timings matter as much as kit. Confirm load-in access hours with the venue, a full technical rehearsal slot before doors, and a strike window that does not incur overtime charges.
Compressed load-in is where quality is lost, because cable management and sound checks are the first things sacrificed.
What to ask before approving
Who owns this equipment, who is the named technical lead, what happens if a panel fails at 11am, and what is excluded from the price. Four questions, and the answers tell you everything.
To review a rider with our engineers, email info@cara.co.ke or call +254 719 822 888.
Have our team review your rider
Send the rider to info@cara.co.ke and our production leads will mark it up against what your programme actually needs. See how we scope technical delivery on our event management services page.
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