Event inventory checklist: crates out, crates back

Updated 5 October 2026 · 8 min read

The four counts that stop losses

Most shortages are not theft; they are a crate left behind at strike, a cable lent to the venue’s electrician, or a lamp put in the wrong truck. Four counts catch almost all of them:

1. Loading count at the godown — every crate number checked onto the truck.
2. Venue count on arrival — the same list, ticked off as crates come off.
3. Strike count before the truck leaves the venue — including anything lent out or left for the client.
4. Return count at the godown — and a condition check of every crate opened.

Number everything, permanently

• Give each crate, flight case and road case a permanent number that never changes: CR-012, FC-SND-04.
• Number large loose items too: truss sections, tent poles, chandeliers, generators.
• Paint or stencil the number on two sides; a paper label tears off on the first trip.
• Keep a standard contents list for crates that always hold the same kit (“FC-SND-04: 2 wireless mics, receiver, 4 batteries”).
• Colour-code by department: decor, sound, light, tent, power.

Before the event: the pull list

• Make a pull list from the event brief: every crate and item by number
• Check each crate’s contents against its standard list as it is packed
• Test sound and light equipment before it is packed, not at the venue
• Photograph each crate open before sealing, especially crates with costly items
• Note anything that is consumable and will not come back (tape, flowers, gel sheets)
• Assign one person as the crate checker for this event

Loading and arrival

• Tick each crate number as it goes onto the truck; note which truck if there are several
• Load heavy and fragile crates per your usual stacking rules; strap loose items
• At the venue, tick each crate off the same list as it is unloaded
• Keep empty crates together and stacked, not spread around the venue

At the venue: what stays, what is lent

Write down anything that leaves your control during the event: decor left for the client until the next day, cables lent to the venue, a light kept back for a later function. Each one needs a name, a phone number and a return date. This is the single biggest source of “missing” items.

Strike and return

• Pack crates back to their standard contents lists; never mix kit between crates
• Count every crate number before the truck leaves; walk the venue once more for loose items
• Photograph damaged items at the venue, with the venue in the background if the client or venue is responsible
• At the godown, count again; open crates with costly kit and check contents
• Record damage, shortages and items needing repair the same day
• Restock consumables so crates are ready for the next booking

A simple event sheet

Running several events at once

In wedding season the same crate can go to three events in a week. Treat each event as its own trip from the godown to the venue and back, and never let a crate be on two lists at once. When a crate comes back, it is either unpacked and restocked, or sent straight on to the next event with its contents checked.

WhatsWhere is built around this. Each event is a move from your godown to the venue, and the return is another move back — with the same crates. Rename crates to their numbers, photograph them as they are packed and the AI lists what it sees, print QR labels that show the contents when scanned, and send a crate on to the next event either sealed with its contents or open to repack. You see each trip’s progress — packing, sealed, arrived, unpacked — and before-and-after photos go into a printable damage report. Your crew can record from their phones, even with no signal at the venue, and the client can be given look-only access.

After each event: five questions

• Did every crate that went out come back?
• Is everything lent or left at the venue on a list with a name and a date?
• Was damage photographed and recorded the same day?
• Are crates restocked to their standard contents?
• What went wrong that a better list would have caught?

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