Outdoor event production in Australia is its own discipline. You’re not just managing a technical production — you’re managing a relationship with an environment that’s frequently hostile, always unpredictable, and occasionally spectacular. After thirty years of doing this in every climate zone on the continent, here’s what I wish every production manager knew before their first outdoor gig.

Respect the weather

I know this sounds obvious, but the number of production managers who treat weather as a theoretical risk rather than a practical certainty still amazes me. In Australia, you need to plan for extreme heat, sudden storms, high wind, and sometimes all three in the same day.

Heat. Australian summer outdoor events routinely hit 35-40 degrees. At these temperatures, equipment behaves differently. LED screens can overheat and fail. Cable insulation softens and becomes a trip hazard. Crew fatigue sets in faster. Build shade into your production areas, schedule the heaviest physical work for early morning or evening, and have a heat policy that triggers specific actions at defined temperature thresholds.

Wind. This is the one that scares me most. A sudden wind gust can turn festival infrastructure into projectiles. Know the wind ratings of your temporary structures and have a clear protocol for when to pull down signage, close stages, and evacuate structures. Don’t wait for the BOM warning — monitor wind speed on-site with your own equipment and make decisions early.

Rain. Waterproofing everything is a given, but the real challenge is mud. A heavy downpour on a grass site can turn the ground to bog within an hour, making vehicle access impossible and creating slip hazards everywhere. Have a mudmat strategy for critical access routes, and position generator fuel storage where you can access it regardless of ground conditions.

Power is everything

Outdoor events run on temporary power, and losing power mid-event is one of the worst scenarios you can face. Everything depends on it: sound, lighting, refrigeration, medical equipment, communication systems.

Size your generators for 70% load, not 100%. A generator running at or near capacity is stressed, runs hotter, and is more likely to fail. That 30% headroom isn’t wasted capacity — it’s your insurance policy.

Have redundancy for critical systems. The main stage PA should have a backup power feed that can come online within seconds if the primary generator fails. Medical and communication systems should be on an independent power source.

And fuel. Always have more fuel on-site than you think you’ll need. Running out of diesel during a headline set is the kind of nightmare that ends careers. Calculate your consumption, add 25%, and then add more if access to the site is difficult.

Rigging in the field

Outdoor rigging is fundamentally different from venue rigging. You’re working with temporary structures rather than permanent load points, which means ground support systems, ballast calculations, and wind loading become critical.

Every temporary structure on your site — stage roofs, delay towers, lighting trusses, PA hangs — needs to be engineered for the specific conditions of your site. Wind loading calculations aren’t generic; they depend on your site’s exposure, the height of the structure, and the configuration of surrounding structures.

Use a structural engineer who specialises in temporary event structures. The investment is modest compared to the liability if something fails. And keep all engineering certification documents on-site during the event — regulators can and do ask for them.

Communication infrastructure

On an outdoor site, your internal communication system is literally the nervous system of the event. If it fails, coordination becomes impossible and every other system is compromised.

Radio is still the backbone of event communication, and it works when phones don’t (overloaded cell towers at festivals are a real problem). Invest in quality radios, establish clear channel discipline, and have a communication hierarchy that ensures the right people are in contact.

For larger sites, consider deploying your own temporary cell infrastructure or WiFi network for production staff. Relying on the public cell network for operational communication is a recipe for problems during peak attendance.

Site logistics

The site itself is a production element that requires as much management as the technical infrastructure. Access routes need to be maintained, vehicle movement needs to be controlled, and the interface between production areas and public areas needs to be managed carefully.

Create a site traffic management plan that covers every phase: bump-in, event operation, and bump-out. Define vehicle access routes, loading areas, restricted zones, and pedestrian crossing points. The most dangerous moments at outdoor events are often during bump-in and bump-out, when heavy vehicles and crew are moving fast and fatigue is high.

And respect the site itself. Post-event site restoration is often a condition of your site agreement, and a production team that leaves a damaged site burns that relationship for everyone who comes after.

Outdoor production in Australia is challenging, rewarding, and never boring. Get the basics right, respect the environment you’re working in, and plan for the things that can go wrong. The shows where nothing goes wrong are great, but the ones where something goes wrong and you handle it professionally — those are the ones that build your reputation.