Live Event Production Mistakes That Waste Money & Hurt the Show

Live Event Production Mistakes That Waste Money & Hurt the Show

By TechArts

What actually makes a live event feel professional—and what mistakes can quietly undermine the entire production?

TechArts sits down with Scott Clement, founder of Level 11, to discuss the decisions behind successful live event production, including AV crew, sound, lighting, video, event technology, budgeting, planning, and execution.

Scott brings years of experience as a live sound engineer and event producer working across professional productions, corporate events, churches, and live environments. In this conversation, he explains why expensive gear alone does not make an event successful—and why the right crew, clear communication, proper planning, and understanding the purpose of the event often matter even more.

We discuss how many AV crew members an event actually needs, why asking one technician to handle audio, lighting, video, presentations, and multiple other jobs can hurt production quality, and why clear, intelligible sound throughout the room is fundamental to the audience experience.

Scott also explains how he approaches event budgets and equipment choices, why the biggest or most expensive console is not always the right solution, how production teams prepare for technical failures and unexpected situations, and why some flashy event elements may cost thousands of dollars without meaningfully improving the experience.

One of Scott’s core principles summarizes the episode:

“Complexity is the enemy of execution.”

Whether you’re planning a corporate event, church event, conference, live production, or professional AV environment, this conversation provides a practical look at how experienced production teams balance technology, crew, budget, and planning to deliver a better event.

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