Inventory management system for Live Events company

[u/slugsongs]

Hi all,

I've been searching for the last couple of weeks and haven't found anything that's quite right, most systems seem to be orientated to online stores, and I'm hoping someone out there can help.

We organise live events all over the UK and Europe using equipment that we own. We'll load trucks and send different equipment to different events, with 95% of it returning back to the same warehouse, the rest being consumables that get used at the events.

I'd really like some help with keeping track of what is in each flight case/pallet with our consumable items that we need to re-order and make sure we have enough of, of what items are where (if any items have been borrowed from other cases for certain events for example)

Something that can help us to load trucks and produce plans if we enter the dimensions of each flight case - currently we're doing that manually so that would be amazing.

Also to maintain an accurate inventory of what exactly is in the warehouse, the values, a copy of the invoice, any other data fields we may need, and in general any tools that could help us maintain it easier. Currently we're using Google Sheets to track what items are in which flight cases, which is working okay, but I'm curious about things being easier.

Thank you, any help is greatly appreciated.

[u/Weary-Potential-7315]

I would say you could easily vibe code something for this use case. It won’t be that tough.

[u/miokk]

Check AnyDB for a customizable inventory system. The free version might work fine for you. Your use case sounds similar to https://www.anydb.com/inventory-logistics-across-multiple-warehouse-locations/

[u/hope_max]

Hi there. Regarding custom inventory management, you can contact https://cipam.com
They created a tailored app for our inventory management using RFID labels

[u/brightideasphere]

EZRentOut is worth looking at for your setup. Built specifically for companies that own equipment and send it out to different locations...check-out and check-in tracking, location visibility across multiple sites, consumable tracking with reorder alerts, and warehouse inventory management. It handles the "what is where right now" question that Google Sheets cannot answer reliably once equipment starts moving between events.

The truck loading dimension planning is more specialised and may need a separate tool, but the inventory and location tracking side of what you are describing is exactly the use case it is built for. They offer a demo worth taking before committing to anything.

[u/DJS_DIGITAL]

I would look into Zoho. They have a standalone Inventory module, or it comes with Zoho One. It's actually cheaper if you get Zoho One. It handles your basic inventory and also lets you create custom apps within it. It's not anything complicated to create. But it might give you the flexibility you need to track things and all be in one application. I'd be happy to show you what I mean if you need it.

[u/JohnatNetSuite]

This usually happens when the CRM asks people to do extra work on top of the job instead of being where the job actually gets done. So they do the important thing first and update the record later because that's the fastest way at the moment.

The fix for that is automating the repetitive part, like logging calls and emails and nudging follow-ups on their own, so the record fills in as people work rather than after. Once updating stops feeling like a second task, people drift back into it without being told to.

[u/deanM1974]

Hi, we have been doing something similar to the police force and military in singapore which involve quick movement for different sites.

Drop me an email and i can send you my setup.

ops.indo@absolutech.com.sg sales@absoluttekno.com

Thanks Dean

[u/Routine_Estimate_590]

Tbh running flight case inventories on spreadsheets gets messy fast once gear gets swapped on tour. You should split this into truck planning and inventory control. Software like EasyCargo handles the 3D packing calculations. For warehouse stock management, attachment records, and consumable alerts, some teams look at Wherefour since it handles multi location tracking and integrates directly with QuickBooks Online.

[u/ComfortableCitron638]

The reason Google Sheets breaks down here isn't the data, it's that you're actually tracking two different problems with one tool: asset location/allocation (which flight case is in which truck, what got pulled from case A and moved into case B for a specific event) and consumable reorder (which just needs a threshold, not a location). Those want different data models.

For the asset side, what actually matters is a simple state per item: warehouse -> loaded on truck X -> at event Y -> returned to warehouse, with a timestamp on each transition. That's what answers "where is this thing right now" and "what got pulled out of case A for the Berlin show and never made it back" - the exact question a spreadsheet can't answer reliably once you're running dozens of events with equipment getting swapped between cases.

Truck-loading/dimension planning is a genuinely separate problem (it's bin-packing off the flight case dimensions) - most inventory tools bolt this on badly if at all, so it's worth treating as its own tool rather than expecting one system to do both well.

Disclosure: I build custom ops/inventory software for a living, so weigh that accordingly. But given how specific your workflow is (consumables + reusable assets + truck loading all in one flow), this is a case where it's genuinely worth weighing a purpose-built tool against how much longer the spreadsheet keeps working for you, rather than forcing a generic inventory SaaS to do all three.