Twenty terms you need on day one

BEO, run of show, F&B minimum, attrition, COI, SOP, load-in, strike, rider, gobo. Planners speak a dialect; this lesson teaches the twenty words that appear in every contract and site visit.

Read the transcript

Twenty terms you need on day one.

BEO, run of show, food and beverage minimum, attrition, COI, SOP, load-in, strike, rider, gobo.

Planners speak a dialect; this lesson teaches the twenty words that appear in every contract and site visit.

The twenty terms.

These are the words that appear in venue contracts, vendor emails and site visits.

Each links to its Encyclopedia entry; learn the twenty and the rest of the course reads easily.

The question each term should trigger.

Knowing the definition is the easy half.

The useful half is the question you ask the moment the word appears in a contract or an email.

How to read a contract with the list beside you.

Print the contract and read it once without a pen. Just notice which of the twenty terms appear.

Read it again and circle every term. Beside each, write the question from the table above.

Use the Encyclopedia as a working tool.

Every term on this site auto-links the first time it appears in a guide, so you can read a venue contract clause, click the word, and get the definition, why it matters, an example and the common mistakes.

When a contract uses a word you do not know, that is the question to ask before you sign, not after.

Worked example.

The Harbour Gala's hotel contract contains, in order: an food and beverage minimum of 18,000 dollars "plus applicable taxes and service charges", a 24-hour attrition review, a cancellation schedule, a force majeure clause, an exclusive in-house AV clause, and a requirement that all outside vendors supply a COI naming the hotel.

Six of the twenty terms in one page.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Define twenty core terms without looking them up
• Use the Encyclopedia as a working reference
• Spot a term in a contract and know what question to ask

The twenty terms

These are the words that appear in venue contracts, vendor emails and site visits. Each links to its Encyclopedia entry; learn the twenty and the rest of the course reads easily.

1. Run of show (ROS): the minute-by-minute cue sheet for the day, one owner per cue.
2. BEO (banquet event order): the venue’s internal order; what the staff actually execute.
3. F&B minimum: the food-and-beverage spend a venue requires, often instead of a room fee; check whether it includes HST and gratuity.
4. Attrition: the penalty for using fewer rooms or covers than you contracted.
5. Cut-off date: when held rooms or RSVPs are released or locked.
6. Force majeure: what happens when events beyond anyone’s control stop the event.
7. COI (certificate of insurance): proof a vendor holds liability coverage on your date.
8. Indemnity: one party promising to cover the other’s losses in defined situations.
9. SOP (Special Occasion Permit): the AGCO permit to serve alcohol anywhere that is not licensed or a private place.
10. Smart Serve: Ontario’s mandatory responsible-service certification for anyone pouring.
11. Occupant load: the legal maximum set by the fire authority and posted in the room.
12. Egress: exit routes that must stay clear.
13. Rigging: hanging equipment or performers from certified, load-rated points.
14. Tech rider: what a performer needs from the venue.
15. Load-in / strike: bringing everything in and taking everything out, on scheduled dock times.
16. Front of house (FOH): the sound-and-lighting position facing the stage, and the guest-facing side of the operation.
17. Gobo: a stencil in a light that projects a logo or pattern.
18. Pass-around: hors d’oeuvres carried on trays.
19. Headliner: the main act, placed at peak attention.
20. Contingency: the 8–12 percent of the budget held for the unplanned.

The question each term should trigger

Knowing the definition is the easy half. The useful half is the question you ask the moment the word appears in a contract or an email. Here are the ones that matter most in Ontario practice.

How to read a contract with the list beside you

1. Print the contract and read it once without a pen. Just notice which of the twenty terms appear.
2. Read it again and circle every term. Beside each, write the question from the table above.
3. Send the questions to the salesperson in one email, numbered. One email gets one reply; six emails get six half-replies.
4. Put the answers into the budget sheet and the master timeline before you sign. A guarantee date is a milestone; a service charge is a budget line.
5. Keep the email with the answers in the event folder. On the day, the banquet captain works from the BEO, not from memory of the sales conversation.

Use the Encyclopedia as a working tool

Every term on this site auto-links the first time it appears in a guide, so you can read a venue contract clause, click the word, and get the definition, why it matters, an example and the common mistakes. When a contract uses a word you do not know, that is the question to ask before you sign, not after.

Worked example

The Harbour Gala’s hotel contract contains, in order: an F&B minimum of $18,000 “plus applicable taxes and service charges”, a 24-hour attrition review, a cancellation schedule, a force majeure clause, an exclusive in-house AV clause, and a requirement that all outside vendors supply a COI naming the hotel. Six of the twenty terms in one page. The one that will cost us money if we miss it: the service charge, which is taxed and is not the same as a tip.

The numbered email to the hotel asks: whether the $18,000 minimum is met before service charge and HST (it is, so the real all-in floor is about $24,000); what the guarantee deadline is (72 hours); whether the AV exclusivity covers the mentalist’s own wireless microphone (it does not, as long as the house technician patches it); what liability limit the COI must show (the hotel names its figure; we pass it to every vendor); and whether the indemnity can be made mutual (it can). Five questions, one reply, and the budget and timeline are updated the same afternoon.

Common mistakes

• Assuming “minimum” means “total”. Fix: gross up every minimum with the service charge and HST before it goes on the budget sheet.
• Collecting a COI that expires before the event date. Fix: check the policy dates on the certificate, not just the limit.
• Reading “rigging available” as “rigging included”. Fix: ask for the rated load, the point locations on the plan and the rigger’s fee.
• Accepting a one-way indemnity because it looks standard. Fix: ask for mutual wording; most venues agree without argument.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet, complete it for your own event (or the running gala example), and keep it in your course binder. It takes about 12 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)