Gem City Music Festival
Quincy, Illinois
2025
Giving Touring Festival Artists the Executive Treatment
- Audio
- Lighting Design
- Entertainment
avad3 is best known for corporate conferences, but we were proud to bring that same level of production quality to the Gem City Music Festival—an outdoor live music event featuring multiple touring acts. The promoter had secured a mobile stage, but trusted us to handle everything else: audio, lighting, and the kind of artist hospitality most musicians don’t expect at a field festival.
Challenge
Live music budgets are tight. Touring artists often get treated like an afterthought—especially compared to executive presenters on a conference stage. But at avad3, we don’t lower our standards based on the setting. Whether you’re holding a guitar or a clicker, we believe you deserve a professional experience.
Solution
We brought the same attention to detail we’re known for in the conference world and applied it to a festival setting. That started with showing up early to support the promoter and extended through the final encore.
- Audio: We flew our own line array and subs, mixed both opening acts with our experienced team, and handed the reins to the headliner’s tour engineer with clean, rider-ready systems at FOH and monitors.
- Lighting: Designed and operated by our trusted LD, the lighting elevated the evening atmosphere and matched each artist’s vibe.
- Stage hospitality: We brought the presenter mindset to artist support.
- For execs, it’s a slide remote. For musicians, it’s extra guitar stands.
- For keynotes, it’s a jacket in a chilly ballroom. For bands, it was fans blowing across the stage to cool them down in the summer heat.
- Water, towels, comfort—we handled it all without being asked.
Results
- Artists felt taken care of, and it showed in their performances.
- The promoter didn’t have to babysit gear or crew. We were proactive, responsive, and present.
- Clean transitions, great sound, and a seamless festival flow from first note to last.
- We’ve worked all over the country since our first Illinois show years ago, but it was a privilege to be back—this time, for something as fun and high-energy as Gem City.
We’re still your go-to for conferences—but don’t forget, we do concerts too. With backline in-house and our own mobile stage now in rotation, we’re fully equipped to bring executive-level production to your next live music event.
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