From floor plan to opening night: the timeline for venue lighting

Owners planning a new venue usually have an opening date before they have a lighting plan. This guide lays out the stages between the two, how long each takes, and which ones can be shortened. The durations are the standard lead times for design and production; shipping and installation depend on where the venue is.

Stage 1: brief

You send a floor plan, ideally with dimensions and machine or table positions, a few photographs of the space, the opening date, and a rough budget. This takes as long as it takes to gather the documents. A plan with dimensions saves a round of questions later.

Stage 2: concept, 3 and 7 working days

A first 2D lighting plan is delivered within 3 working days of receiving the floor plan. It shows where each fitting goes, the zones, and the feature piece. 3D renderings of the key views follow within 7 working days, so the owner can see the room before anything is made.

Revisions happen here. Changing the plan at this stage costs a few days; changing it after production costs weeks.

Stage 3: quotation

The quotation is itemized against the approved plan, with a confirmed delivery date. It covers modules, feature pieces, built-to-size items, controllers, packaging, and shipping. Installation by our crew, if wanted, is quoted separately.

Stage 4: production, 2 to 3 weeks after payment

Standard modules are produced and ready to ship 2 to 3 weeks after payment. Large feature pieces may take longer, and the quotation states their date. Every item is lit, tested, and packed before it leaves the factory.

Stage 5: shipping

Sea freight is the economical choice and takes weeks, depending on the destination port; air freight takes days. The choice is made at quotation and can be changed if the opening date moves, at the cost difference between the two.

Stage 6: installation

A local contractor installs from our drawings with remote guidance, in any country. Installation time depends on the size of the scheme and the contractor; a single feature wall is a day, a whole venue is longer. If our own crew installs, the visit is scheduled with the contractor’s program so that ceilings and walls are ready.

Stage 7: commissioning

Scenes are programmed on the controllers before opening: a daytime scene, an evening scene, an event scene, and whatever the venue needs. Staff are shown how to switch them. This is a short stage, but it is the one that decides whether the lighting is used as designed.

Where is time won or lost?

• The brief. A floor plan with dimensions on day one saves a week of questions.
• The concept. Decide the zones and the feature piece here; late changes are the expensive ones.
• Payment. Production starts on payment, so the quotation date sets the production date.
• Shipping. Sea freight needs to be booked with the opening date in mind; air freight is the fallback.

Counting backward from an opening date: shipping plus 3 weeks production plus 2 weeks for concept and quotation is the minimum. For a sea-freight destination that is usually three months before opening; for air freight, closer to six weeks.

See the services page for the process in brief, or send a floor plan from the contact page to start the clock.