Before-you-go logistics email by Hive Backstage

---
name: before-you-go-logistics-email
description: Draft the week-of logistics email that goes to confirmed ticketholders before a show, covering doors, set time, age policy, parking, transit, will-call, bag and camera rules, and any venue-specific notes. Trigger whenever an operator says "write the before-you-go", "draft the logistics email", "the [artist] show is Friday, can you send the heads-up", or shares a list of show-day details and asks for the email. Also trigger when they paste a doors-and-set-time block and want it formatted into a list email. This skill is the practical email in the cycle, not a hype email. Use it three to five days before doors. Do not use it for the recap (use `post-show-recap-email`), the last-call sales push (use `last-call-email`), or weather contingency (use `weather-comms-template`).
---
# Before-you-go logistics email

## What this skill does

This skill writes the email that goes to ticketholders three to five days before a show. The job is practical. Make the night easy. Cut down on day-of FAQ traffic at the door and on socials. Give the reader everything they need in one scannable email so they show up on time, with the right ID, parked or routed, and ready to enjoy the show.

This email is not selling anything. It is a host's email. The voice is warm and useful, not promotional.

## When to trigger

Trigger when an operator says the show is coming up this week and they need the heads-up email. Trigger on "before-you-go", "logistics email", "doors and parking email", "show-week email", or when the operator pastes a block of show-day details and asks for copy.

Do not trigger for the announce email (use pre-show-announcement-email), the reminder mid-cycle (use pre-sale-reminder-email), the last-call push (use last-call-email), or for outdoor weather contingency comms (use weather-comms-template).

## Required inputs

This email needs every logistics detail explicit. Do not guess. If anything is missing, ask once in a single message before drafting.

Artist name and show date. Day of week is useful in the opener.

Venue and room. If the venue has multiple rooms, name the one this show is in.

Doors time. Required.

Set times if available. Support time and headliner time. If only doors is locked, draft with doors and note that set times will be added.

Age policy. All-ages, 18+, 19+, 21+. If there is a minor-with-guardian policy, include the specifics.

Parking and transit. Lot info, street parking notes, nearest transit stop, rideshare drop-off point. If the venue has a recommended approach for sold-out nights, include it.

Will-call and ticket delivery. Mobile only, print accepted, ID requirement at will-call.

Bag and camera policy. Bag size limit if any. Camera policy (phones only, no detachable lenses, no professional cameras). Re-entry policy.

Anything venue-specific: coat check, ATM availability, food and drink, merch table hours, ASL or accessibility info, any policy quirks the venue gets asked about every show.

Optional: a one-line touch from the operator about why they are excited for the night. If supplied, this opens the email. If not, the email opens on the practical.

## Voice

Read the venue voice profile if one exists. Logistics emails are voice-light compared to announce and recap, but tone still matters. The reader can tell the difference between a venue that sounds like a friend reminding them and a venue that sounds like a form letter.

Default Backstage operator voice if no profile exists: warm, practical, host-like. The email reads like a venue that wants the reader to have a good night, not a venue covering itself. Avoid "please be advised" language. Avoid corporate hedging.

Hard voice rules:

No em-dashes. Use commas, semicolons, or periods.

No fragment chains. Logistics emails are tempting places for "Doors at 8. Show at 9. Bar is open." cadence. Resist it. Use complete sentences with rhythm in the prose sections. The labeled list at the center of the email can be terse.

No surveillance framing. Do not write lines that imply the venue is watching the reader, like "we noticed you bought tickets". The reader knows they bought tickets. Skip it.

No hype. The show is in four days. The job is logistics, not a second announce.

## Structure

Always draft in this order.

Subject line. One option. Default pattern: a clean factual line, like "[Artist] this [Day]: doors at [Time]" or "Heads up: [Artist] is [Day]". Under 55 characters. No exclamation points unless the venue voice profile uses them.

Preheader. One sentence with the single most useful detail not in the subject line, often the age policy, the support act, or a transit note. Twelve to eighteen words.

Opener. One to two sentences. Confirm the show is coming up and, if the operator gave you a touch about why they are excited, use it here. If they did not, open on the practical with one warm sentence.

The list. The center of the email. A labeled list with the logistics. Order by what the reader needs first: doors, set times, age policy, will-call, then parking and transit, then bag and camera, then anything else. Use a labeled format ("Doors: 7:30pm") not free prose. Keep each line short. Five to nine items is the right range.

One practical tip. One sentence after the list that adds something the reader will be glad to know. The closest transit stop's last train, the cross street with reliable street parking, the merch line tends to be shortest after the support set. Real venue knowledge. Skip this section if the operator did not give you something to put in it. Do not invent a tip.

Close. Two sentences max. A genuine "see you [day]" sign-off in the venue voice. Optional venue tag at the end if the profile uses one.

## Length cap

Body prose (opener, tip, close) sits at about 80 words. The labeled list does not count toward the cap because it is a reference block.

Total email length, list included, should not exceed 200 words. Anything longer is a sign the email is hedging or repeating itself.

## Common failure modes to avoid

Burying doors time in a paragraph. Doors time is the first item in the list, formatted as "Doors: [time]". The reader should be able to scan and find it in under two seconds.

Writing every policy in full sentences. "We would like to remind our guests that this is an 18+ event with valid ID required for entry" is a paragraph that should be one labeled line: "Age: 18+, valid ID required."

Adding policies that do not apply to this venue. If the venue does not have a bag check, do not write a generic bag policy line. The list only includes what the reader actually needs.

Apologizing for policies. Re-entry rules, age policies, and camera rules are the venue's policies. State them plainly. Do not pre-apologize.

Including a CTA. The reader already has the ticket. This email has no ticket button. If the venue wants the email to point at something, the most it should do is link to the venue's directions page or transit info.

## What to deliver

Return:

Subject line (one).

Preheader (one).

Email body, ready to paste, with the logistics list formatted as a labeled list.

Any link the operator asked for (directions, transit info, accessibility page) placed inline at the relevant line in the list.

If anything in the inputs was missing or ambiguous, name what is missing in two or three sentences at the end. Do not walk through every word choice.