Load in/Load out/Strike Issues

[Anonymous067]

How do you handle this situation:

You are striking a show at a shared public venue. Your show ended at 10 pm. You are scheduled and have the space reserved until 5 am for your load out. The next day's show shows up at about 3 am and begins rushing you to finish your load out. They begin their load in at 3:30am while you are still trying to strike your show. How do you handle this situation?

 

[rochem]

How do you handle this situation:

You are striking a show at a shared public venue. Your show ended at 10 pm. You are scheduled and have the space reserved until 5 am for your load out. The next day's show shows up at about 3 am and begins rushing you to finish your load out. They begin their load in at 3:30am while you are still trying to strike your show. How do you handle this situation?

Never experienced this, but I'll throw out some ideas of what I would do. First, find whoever was in charge of scheduling the venue and find out what's up. If they don't have the space until 5, they legally shouldn't be on-site at all, unless other arrangements have been made. The incoming show more than likely doesn't start until late that evening, maybe noon at the absolute earliest, and I can't believe they'd need every minute of those 18 hours to get their show up.

If that isn't possible for whatever reason, I'd say work with the new show to compromise. If there's a space that you're not using somewhere, maybe work out a deal where they can unload everything and keep it out of your way, assuming the loading dock is large enough to accomodate two opposite-direction streams of cases. Likely by the time they get all the trucks unpacked, you'll be gone and they'll have the venue to themselves.

If you couldn't reason with the incoming show's people at all, I'd just say do whatever you need to do to get your show packed and out. Don't go out of your way to cause trouble, but if they have a road case in your way, move it. In the unlikely event that something does get damaged, you shouldn't be held accountable if they weren't even scheduled to be there for another two hours. Just double check the paperwork to make sure you really did have the venue reserved until 5 am!

 

[MNicolai]

Agreed. Check the schedules. I've worked in theatres where if you are scheduled to start at 8am, even if it's 15F below outside, they won't let in the backstage door until the clock has actually struck 8:00am. Then the space is yours. Sometimes you can work out a deal with them to leave gear there after your strike to pick up the next day or so, but that's usually only if you've worked with them before and they know/like you.

If a group isn't out on time (depending on the circumstances for the delay), they may even go as far as adding a penalty fee for being in the facility. That would be the cost of still keeping the theatre staff there and the standard hourly rental fee multiplied for the penalty markup.

That's all if you're a rental going over your established strike time. If you're a group they've hired in, all they can really do is shoo you out the door. On the other end, the group coming in, if they aren't on the schedule until 5a, shouldn't be in the building until 5a. I know guys who have had strikes end at 4a with load-ins at 7a who will lock the doors, hang some cots up in the scene shop, and make every attempt to get some sleep before the next group rolls in the door. Especially with situations like that, the last thing any staff member wants is a group start their load-in early. Even if they can only get a power nap in, they'll try their hardest to do that.

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I wrote that reply before noticing you said shared public venue. Can you elaborate a little more on that? If there are shows taking place with those kinds of extended work schedules for events, someone has to be representing the scheduling of the facility who should at least have a grip on when turnovers between groups work.

 

[jstroming]

You just deal with it. Someday you'll be the one needing to load-in at 3am for a noon show!!

You're going to get the people who say "refuse to let the other group load-in", "cause a stink with the venue manager" etc. In my experience, this does not help. I've been in both positions, and although I hate to admit it, it really depends on the size/scope of your show vs. the other show. Intimidation is a BIG part of this industry, and if your loading-out the olympics while a local a/v company is setting up a wireless mic and projection screen, they will not step on your toes.

Typically, I try not to introduce myself to the Crew-Chief's loading out a show if I'm on their heels. I don't like to bring all the attention to our load-in, expecially if our trucks just "happened" to show up a few hours early HAHA. Alot of times (75-90%) the Crew-Chief on the load-out of the other show will just suck it up and deal with it.

Conversely, I DO like to introduce myself to the other Crew-Chief if I'm loading out. I'm normally a bigger show than whoever's coming in after me, and I just want to give them a head's up they can start loading in, as it doesn't really bother me.

The one thing that becomes extremely important in this situation is ASSET MANAGEMENT. I've seen cases get put on trucks "by accident", cases get wedged in service hallways & other rooms until I leave, etc. Just keep a HUGE eye towards your equipment, or better yet delegate one guy just to wrangle equipment to one area. They may be the nicest guys in the world...but....don't trust them

 

[BrianWolfe]

I would try to find a way where I can finish a portion of my load out so they can have room to begin their load-in in a limited area of the facility. Theatre is a small world. Do for them as you would like done for yourself and you may receive the same gift down the road. You may be "right" and you might get the management to back you up but you will have created a lot of drama, angst and resentment where you could have worked creatively to come up with a solution that serves everyone well. Forget about your rights and concentrate on working together. A great manager takes a possible "problem" and decides on a course of action where everyone is satisfied. You will be well remebered and have done best for all involved.

 

[Anonymous067]

"Shared public venue". Sorry, guess I don't know the technical term for this. I was referring to a venue such as...the Sprint Center, the Pepsi Center, the Xcel Center (you get the picture). 20,000+ seat venues.

So in essence, neither show is at "home" they're both renting out the venue.

As far as those comments to "suck it up"-what if letting them in early delays your load out further, causes you to not make it out on time, and then you get charged a fee for being in the venue past your scheduled time?

 

[mstaylor]

I agree it's best to try and coexist if possible. What you want to make sure of is that they aren't taking your locals before you done with them. A nice touch is to give him some of your guys if you can do with less but make sure is is pilfering your labor. Also, even the most honest guys can mix gear up so keep an eye on your stuff and do a good idiot check when you are done.
I do a lot of shows that have multible suppliers and keeping gear straight is a constant battle. The locals, my crew, doesn't always know what belongs to who and can easily put cases in the wrong pile.
The biggest problem with starting a load-in while a loadout is in progress is the dock space and fork lifts. I would be interested in what a shared public venue is. Is that a convention center with multible rooms?

 

[Anonymous067]

Sorry guys. It was my mistake using the phrase "shared public venue". If somebody can provide a better term for large concert arenas I will go back and edit the first post.

 

[erosing]

I don't know that there is a better term than arena, other than perhaps large corporation sponsored arena.

 

[len]

First question, as always:

Is there a written contract and what does the contract say?

 

[MNicolai]

If your group is going to get hit for being there too late because another group came in too early and was in your way, then that's a problem to take up with whoever is in charge of scheduling at the facility for the technical stuff. If someone gives you grief for violating your contract, then turn around and say that they, the venue, made it impossible to you to get out on time by letting the next group in early. If they want to hit someone with a penalty fee, then it should be the venue's fault unless they had already told the incoming group to not enter the building until 5a, in which case it is solely the incoming group's fault.

 

[soundman]

I would be more worried about labor. Nothing pisses me off more than working on a project where my client has provided me with a certain numbers of hands to do the call and another department tries to grab a few people from me. Sure we can help you push your dimmers up the ramp but my hands aren't running your feeder.

Also what about dock space? I would imagine any show that has a load out that long has a few trucks they need in the dock. I have seen lead drivers feed it to beer vendors for partially blocking the loading dock making it harder to back in and therefor slowing down the show.

As far as what I would do? Prevent them from taking any hands that my client was paying for and telling them to keep their trucks off the dock till I was done. If they persist send it up to management and bring it up in settlement.