Live Events Technician

As a Live Events Technician you set up, operate and dismantle the sound, lighting, rigging and audio-visual equipment that brings live performances, concerts, festivals and corporate events to life. Your day-to-day work involves rigging speaker arrays and lighting rigs, operating mixing consoles and dimmer boards during shows, and ensuring all technical elements run smoothly from load-in to load-out. You collaborate closely with stage managers, production managers, performers and fellow crew members to meet the creative vision of each production. Work takes place in a wide variety of settings including theatres, arenas, outdoor festival sites, hotels and conference venues, often with irregular hours and weekend shifts.

There is no single mandatory qualification, but a QQI Level 5 or Level 6 award in Production Technology, Live Sound or Stage Management — offered by many Colleges of Further Education and ETBs — provides a strong practical foundation. Leaving Certificate subjects such as Physics, Music, Engineering and Construction Studies are all useful preparation. TU Dublin, ATU and other technological universities offer NFQ Level 7 and Level 8 programmes in Sound Technology, Music Technology or Production Design for those wishing to progress further. Industry-recognised certifications such as IOSH Working Safely, IPAF (mobile elevating work platforms) and rigging qualifications from bodies such as ABTT or Rigging Certification Ireland are widely valued by employers. Many technicians enter the industry through hands-on volunteering with amateur drama societies, student unions or local festivals before moving into paid crew work. There is no statutory professional registration body for this role, but continuous training in areas such as electrical safety, working at height and manual handling is expected.