The Problem with Building the Plane as You Fly It: How Changing Event Details Impact Permits

Kate Taylor

September 22, 2026

We get it: event producers are oftentimes building the plane as they fly it (and not always by choice)!

The problem is that when it comes to permits, every detail matters.

Here’s a prime example – clients will often come to us with an initial concept that just landed in their lap and still in the very early stages of planning. The concept may be high-level, or perhaps they are considering several different options with their client.

At this stage, they are often looking for guidance on feasibility, costs and potential locations to place their activation. This is where things can get tricky.

While having a flexible footprint and concept can open the door to more possibilities, it can also cause both your team and ours to chase a moving target.

Anything you add to your event can potentially trigger a permit or be the difference between getting your event approved or not. Something that gets added in last-minute or forgotten about can completely change the price, feasibility or permitting process for your event.

This is why it’s so important to consider permitting upfront and do your best to nail down the details as early as possible.

One of the questions we like to use to help guide clients is: “Pretend I’m showing up to your event. What do I see?”

For example – what is in the footprint? Is there sound? Will anything be given away? What specifically are you building?

While you don’t need to know all the answers to these questions before coming to us, these are the types of details we need to accurately guide you on assessing feasibility and especially cost.

We know this industry moves fast, so while it’s not realistic to always have a full concept, keeping permitting considerations in mind can be extremely helpful in making sure you’re asking your client the right questions.