Eleven things need power. The venue has four outlets.

Power is the most common genuine emergency on an event day, and almost uniquely preventable. It happens because every supplier assumes power exists, and nobody adds them up.

Count them

A typical reception draws from most of this list:

• Band or DJ — PA, amps, desk
• Lighting rig
• Photo booth
• Coffee cart
• Catering — bain-maries, warmers, urns
• Fairy lights and festoons
• Projector or screen
• Grazing or dessert station
• Heaters or fans
• Phone and camera charging
• Cool room or mobile bar

Eleven draws. Many venues, particularly marquees, gardens, warehouses and older buildings, cannot supply that without planning.

Outlets are not the measure. Circuits are.

Six power points on one circuit is still one circuit. Put a coffee cart and two bain-maries on it and the breaker trips, taking the band's PA with it.

The question at the site visit is not "how many power points are there". It is: how many separate circuits are available, what amperage, and which outlets are on which circuit? A venue that cannot answer is telling you something useful.

The suppliers who need their own

Three things should never share: the band or DJ, the catering equipment, and the coffee cart. Each is a heavy draw, and each fails loudly. Sound cutting out mid-speech is the one guests notice most.

Ask every supplier for their number

Every supplier knows their draw in amps, and most are never asked. Collect the figures, total them, and compare against what the venue has. This takes one email and prevents the whole category of problem.

If the total exceeds supply, you need a generator, and a generator booked in advance costs a fraction of one booked at 4pm on the day — assuming one is even available.

Cable is a safety issue, not a detail

Long runs across guest areas need matting or taping. Venues will often insist on it and charge for it. Budget for it rather than discovering it at bump-in, and note that outdoor runs need weatherproofing even if rain is not forecast.

One page

A power plan is a single page listing each supplier, their draw, and which circuit they are on. Stuey has spent more than a decade working alongside AV companies, and this page is the thing he will not run an event without.