Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Gig Planner

🎯 Role Definition

A Gig Planner is the operational backbone of live events and touring: coordinating schedules, negotiating vendors, managing rider and technical requirements, ensuring venue compliance, running on-site logistics, and delivering smooth artist and audience experiences. Successful Gig Planners blend logistical rigor, strong stakeholder communication, budget stewardship, and hands-on production knowledge to execute single shows and multi-date tours reliably and profitably.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Event Coordinator (live events, festivals, venues)
Production Assistant or Stagehand (theatre/venue production)
Logistics or Operations Coordinator (transportation/warehouse)

Advancement To:

Senior Gig Planner / Lead Touring Coordinator
Tour Manager or Production Manager (for bands or talent)
Head of Live Operations / Director of Touring
Venue Operations Manager or Head of Artist Relations

Lateral Moves:

Event Producer (corporate or festival)
Artist Relations Manager / Booking Coordinator
Vendor Partnerships Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, own, and maintain the master gig and tour schedule across multiple artists and venues, ensuring accurate crew call times, travel windows, load-in/out windows, and hotel allocations for each date and updating changes in real time.
Negotiate, draft, and execute vendor and subcontractor agreements (transport, production, catering, security) to secure cost-effective, reliable services while protecting the organization from operational and financial risk.
Coordinate and confirm technical riders, stage plots, sound and lighting specifications, and backstage hospitality requirements with artists, production teams, and venue technical staff to ensure every show meets performance standards.
Prepare and manage gig budgets and P&L for individual shows and mini-tours, tracking expenses against forecasts, approving supplier invoices, and reconciling settlements with finance teams post-event.
Serve as the primary venue liaison for operational requirements — obtaining permits, confirming load-in/load-out access, coordinating parking and routing for trucks, and ensuring venue compliance with local regulations and noise ordinances.
Build and maintain daily operations run sheets, call sheets, and production timelines for front-of-house, back-of-house, tech crews, and artists, and distribute updates across stakeholders using centralized tools.
Plan and execute transportation and logistics for equipment, instruments, and crew, including routing optimization, customs and carnet coordination for international dates, and contingency plans for delays or cancellations.
Lead on-site show operations: supervise load-in and load-out, manage crew and volunteer assignments, oversee stage management and show calling, and coordinate with security for access control and crowd flow.
Manage artist relations and hospitality: confirm arrival times, coordinate local ground transport, handle rider fulfillment, and provide artist support to maintain strong, professional relationships.
Implement and document risk assessments and safety plans for each gig, coordinate with security and local authorities, and ensure compliance with venue and insurance requirements.
Oversee ticketing and access control logistics including will-call, guest lists, credentialing, and FOH/DOOR staffing plans; work with box office and ticketing partners to address capacity and access issues.
Track and maintain equipment inventories, coordinate rental returns and replacements, and manage relationships with production vendors to ensure availability of essential gear.
Respond to real-time operational issues during shows (technical failures, travel disruptions, artist changes), make rapid decisions, and execute escalation protocols to minimize audience and artist impact.
Produce post-event reports summarizing KPIs such as attendance, revenue reconciliation, incident reports, vendor performance, and operational lessons learned to inform future planning and vendor selection.
Maintain and update a centralized gig database and CRM with contact details, contract terms, venue tech specs, travel preferences, and lessons learned to streamline future bookings and improve repeatable processes.
Forecast capacity and resource needs for upcoming tour legs and seasonal demand, recommending crew levels, equipment hire, and staging requirements to balance cost and service levels.
Coordinate rehearsal, soundcheck and tech run scheduling with management, artists, and venue techs to ensure sufficient load-in and performance readiness.
Manage local permits, licensing, and insurance certificates required for specific gigs (alcohol service, public performance licensing, street closures), liaising with municipalities and legal advisors as needed.
Collaborate with marketing and promotions teams to align promotional timelines with operational logistics, ensuring cohesive event communications, poster/asset placement, and press access logistics.
Execute vendor performance reviews and maintain preferred supplier lists based on cost, reliability, service levels, and coverage area to support rapid scaling of multi-date events.
Maintain clear and proactive communication channels with internal and external stakeholders (artists, managers, venue teams, promoters, security, transport companies) to set expectations and drive operational accountability.
Coordinate payouts and settlements with promoters and third parties, ensuring correct rider fulfillment and timely financial reconciliation in partnership with accounting.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc reporting requests, build basic financial reconciliations and operational dashboards (attendance trends, cost-per-gig) to inform executive decisions.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, and playbooks for gig setup, risk mitigation, and emergency response.
Train and mentor junior planners, production assistants, and local contractors on processes, safety protocols, and company standards to increase operational consistency.
Assist artist services and management teams with travel logistics including visa paperwork, accommodations, and local amenity arrangements when required.
Work with procurement and finance to manage vendor onboarding, contract renewals, and cost-savings opportunities across multiple tours or venue relationships.
Participate in cross-functional sprint planning and project meetings for special events or festival programming to ensure logistics are integrated early in planning cycles.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in gig and tour scheduling tools and calendar management (e.g., Google Calendar, Outlook, Tour Management software like Master Tour, Scenechronize).
Experience with ticketing and access control systems (Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, FareHarbor, PatronManager) and FOH operations.
Strong budgeting and financial reconciliation skills using Excel or Google Sheets (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, basic macros).
Contract negotiation and vendor management experience, including writing and interpreting service agreements and SOWs.
Familiarity with production technical riders, stage plots, patch sheets, and basic audio/lighting terminology to communicate effectively with tech crews.
Logistics planning and route optimization skills, including experience coordinating ground transport, trucking, and equipment freight (domestic and international).
Proficiency with CRM and centralized operations databases to capture contacts, venue specs, contract terms, and historical notes.
Knowledge of permitting, local licensing, and insurance requirements for live events and public performances.
Comfortable using project management and collaboration tools (Asana, Trello, Slack, Microsoft Teams) to manage workflows and updates.
Experience preparing post-event KPI reports, incident reports, and vendor performance evaluations to drive continuous improvement.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication with artists, promoters, venue staff, and internal teams.
Strong stakeholder management and diplomacy skills to balance artist expectations, promoter needs, and budget constraints.
Acute attention to detail and organizational ability to track hundreds of moving parts across multiple simultaneous gigs.
Rapid problem-solving and calm decision-making under pressure during live-event disruptions.
Time management and prioritization skills to juggle pre-show logistics, on-site execution, and post-event reconciliation.
Customer-service orientation with the ability to represent the organization professionally to artists and partners.
Adaptability and flexibility to work irregular hours, weekends, and extended travel during tours.
Leadership and crew management skills to supervise onsite teams, temporary staff, and volunteers.
Negotiation and conflict-resolution skills to resolve vendor disputes, artist grievances, and operational conflicts.
Cultural sensitivity and emotional intelligence for managing diverse artists, crews, and international logistics.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent with demonstrable live events, logistics, or production experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Music Business, Hospitality Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Event Management
Music Business / Arts Management
Hospitality & Tourism Management
Logistics / Supply Chain Management
Business Administration / Project Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of progressively responsible experience in live events, venue operations, touring logistics, or production coordination.

Preferred:

4–7+ years of experience planning and executing gigs or tours for artists, festivals, or multi-venue circuits, including proven track record of vendor negotiation, budget management, and on-site production leadership.