Introduction

Advancing is how BackOps collects, organizes, and operationalizes the information needed to actually run an event.

The term advancing originates in the music industry, where teams advance artists by gathering technical, logistical, and hospitality requirements ahead of a show. In BackOps, the concept is expanded and generalized so it works for any type of event.

At its core, advancing answers a simple question:

What information do we need from the people we’re working with in order to execute this event successfully?

What Advancing Is

Advancing in BackOps is the structured process of collecting relevant information from collaborators and internal teams.

That information might include:

Documents and files
Technical or equipment requirements
Room setups and layouts
Presentation or performance details
Staffing, access, or credential needs
Hospitality, catering, or special requests

Advancing replaces ad-hoc email threads, handwritten notes, and disconnected forms with a centralized, repeatable workflow that keeps all information tied directly to the event.

Why Advancing Matters

In most event workflows, advancing is:

Manual
Inconsistent
Hard to reuse
Difficult to summarize

Even when teams use custom forms or spreadsheets, the result is often a pile of disconnected data that still has to be translated into action.

BackOps is designed to solve this end-to-end. Advancing is not just about collecting information—it’s about turning that information into usable, actionable planning data.

Flexible Information Collection

Advancing in BackOps is built around customizable collection forms.

You can create advances that:

Ask different questions for different collaborators
Collect different information depending on the context
Are reused across events through templates

This allows you to standardize what you collect while remaining flexible enough to support very different workflows.

Examples include:

Advancing speakers on presentation needs
Advancing artists on technical and hospitality requirements
Advancing vendors on services, equipment, or staffing
Advancing venues on capacities, access, and infrastructure

Advancing is just as useful for corporate events, weddings, expos, and internal projects as it is for concerts or festivals.

Internal and External Advancing

Advancing does not only apply to external collaborators.

You can also use advancing internally to plan:

Room setups
Equipment needs
Office or production spaces
Session-level requirements

This allows teams to capture internal planning decisions using the same structured process as external requests, keeping everything in one system.

Associating Advances with the Event

Advances can be associated with different parts of an event, depending on what information is being collected.

You can create advances that are:

Linked to specific activities (such as sessions or performances)
Linked to specific areas (such as rooms or stages)
Global advances that apply to the event as a whole

This association makes it possible to analyze requirements in meaningful ways later.

Turning Information Into Action

Once information is collected, BackOps helps you roll it up and make sense of it.

You can review advance data:

By collaborator
By activity
By area

For example:

Viewing all requirements for a specific session
Aggregating equipment needs across all activities in a room
Understanding total requirements for a specific collaborator

This roll-up capability is what allows advancing to flow naturally into procurement and execution.

Approvals, Negotiation, and Alignment

Advancing is a collaborative process.

BackOps supports:

Reviewing and approving submitted requests
Clarifying what is and is not possible
Keeping a clear record of agreed-upon requirements

This creates a shared source of truth and reduces miscommunication between teams.

Closing the Loop

Advancing does not end with data collection.

Once requirements are finalized, BackOps makes it easy to:

Generate summaries and data sheets
Share finalized information back with collaborators
Ensure everyone is aligned on what has been approved and planned

Instead of re-summarizing information in emails or documents, teams can rely on the same structured data that powered the planning process.

Advancing as a Foundation

Advancing is the first step toward procurement and execution.

By centralizing information collection, approvals, and roll-ups, BackOps turns advancing into a repeatable, scalable workflow that supports everything that comes next—from ordering equipment to coordinating crews to executing the event on site.