A commercial holiday display needs a clear project brief before it needs a longer shopping list. The brief connects the visitor experience to the people, equipment and work required to deliver it. It also gives your venue, installer, content creator and operating team one place to check what has actually been agreed.
Start with the experience you want to create
Write one sentence that describes who will see the display, where they will stand or move, and what you want them to experience. Then add the opening date, operating dates and daily hours. Separate a desired opening date from the date the site will be available for installation and testing.
For example, a hypothetical shopping courtyard might request: “A four-minute musical loop visible from the central seating area, with a separate photo location and an evening schedule.” That is a useful starting point. “Something impressive for Christmas” still leaves almost every purchasing and operating decision open.
Plan from the visitor's position
Mark the main viewing area on a site photo or simple plan. Include entrances, accessible routes, queues, seating, nearby businesses and the places where visitors may stop for photographs. Ask the venue team to review how the display fits its normal circulation and emergency arrangements.
Identify service access separately from public viewing. A prop that looks excellent from the main entrance may be difficult to reach once a queue forms. Record nearby lighting, likely obstructions and where sound would be useful or disruptive. These observations help define the design before equipment is selected.
Assign every deliverable an owner
A proposal can describe beautiful lights while leaving important work unassigned. Break the project into deliverables and name who provides, approves and maintains each one. Use a table like this as a working brief; the entries below are questions to resolve, not a standard package.
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Deliverable | Decision to record | Owner to name |
|---|---|---|
| Site and installation | Access dates, mounting plan and qualified installation responsibilities | Venue and installation lead |
| Display equipment | Included props, controllers, cabling and documented connections | Equipment and technical lead |
| Show content | Approved songs, sequence length, layout and locations of use | Content approver |
| Daily operation | Schedule, operator instructions and escalation contacts | Venue operations lead |
| End of season | Removal, inventory, packing and storage location | Teardown and storage lead |
Include responsibility for power planning and site approvals in the brief. Equipment selection does not replace the venue's installation review or the work of appropriately qualified professionals.
Give content its own approval process
Decide who can approve songs, visual style, sponsor content and revisions. Record whether the show is for one location or several, and ask the venue who will confirm permissions for the intended music and content use.
When discussing custom xLights sequencing, describe the commercial setting, number of locations and actual display layout. Mattos asks commercial and multiple-location customers to contact the team about sequencing licensing. Agree the scope and review stages before treating any sequence as ready for every location.
Build the budget around the whole season
Keep separate lines for equipment, installation, content, configuration, training, launch assistance, maintenance, removal and storage. Some work happens once; other work returns each season. Recording both makes it easier to understand competing proposals without assuming they include the same responsibilities.
Also record how additions will be approved. An extra prop may affect the layout, connections, sequence mapping and installation time. Give one person authority to approve scope changes, and keep a dated list of decisions so the operating team receives the final version.
Define what “ready to open” means
Set an acceptance session at the actual viewing location. The venue approver and technical lead should review the agreed content, visibility, audio if included, operating schedule and normal stopping procedure. Use the real playback system and the intended show, rather than accepting a demonstration on a design computer.
Give the technical team the light show preflight checklist for the detailed testing work. Your commercial brief should identify who signs off, what remains unresolved and who decides whether an unresolved issue prevents opening.
Finish with a handover, not just an opening night
Require an operator guide, current equipment inventory, connection documentation, content list and named contacts. Agree who keeps the editable project files and recovery copies, with access limited to the people who need them. Record how the display will be packed and what should be reviewed before the following season.
Ready to discuss your project? Start with your dates, site photos, viewing plan, existing equipment and decision maker. Review Mattos Designs services and ask the team to confirm the relevant support, scope and availability for your project.
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