The tools working event professionals use

Learning the industry, not just the theory

Courses teach planning frameworks, budgets and risk assessments. What's harder to learn from a textbook is the toolkit: the registration platforms, run-of-show tools, timers, streaming software and communication apps that teams actually use, and the vocabulary that comes with venues, such as rigging points, load-in, branding screens and power distribution.

Knowing those tools and terms before your first placement makes a real difference.

Explore the tools directory

Our directory groups event tools into clear categories, from planning and registration to show running, streaming and production. Each tool has a short write-up explaining what it does and where it fits in an event workflow. It's free with no account, and new tools are added regularly. Many tools offer free tiers or trials, which is a good way to practise.

See what venue information looks like

Professional events depend on detailed venue information: floor plans, capacities, rigging, screen locations with resolutions and specs, power and access. Look through the example venue pack to see how that information is organised; the venue is fictional, but the structure is what working teams need.

Understand the roles

Events need many different specialists. Our audience pages explain how BES helps each of them. Reading them is a quick way to understand who does what:

• Event managers and conference organisers
• Production companies and AV technicians
• Stage managers and freelance crew
• Venue managers and agencies

See them all on the who it's for page.

Practise with real-world tasks

A good way to learn is to plan a mock event end to end: pick a format, choose a registration tool, draft a run of show, and write a technical brief for an imaginary venue using the example venue pack as a guide. Doing it with real tools, most of which offer free tiers or trials, gives you something concrete to talk about in interviews and placements.

When you start working, you'll notice how much of the job is getting accurate information to the right people at the right time. That's a skill worth practising early.