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5 tips for hiring AV solutions for your business event

Never underestimate how hard it can be to get your audience to sit up and really listen.

We all know face-to-face events are ideal for stirring up interest, spreading the word and expanding your customer base (if they’re done right, that is). In reality, it’s all too easy for your fantastic concept to end up as a school-disco style damp squib – especially if you cut corners on the audiovisual side of things. Here’s how to avoid doing just that…

1. Is your AV company in its comfort zone?

Get down to specifics and ask for examples: has the company dealt with precisely this type of event before? The events world is huge – and there’s a big difference between providing AV solutions for an all-singing, all-dancing awards night and dealing with a graphics-rich start-up launch designed to entice investors. When you’re making enquiries, if it sounds like the company is winging it, walk away.

2. Consider AV very early in the planning stage

Sound and vision should never be an afterthought with any event. AV needs to be considered along with all the other fundamentals (event type, aims, target audience, theme, location etc.) at the outset. This means it can be budgeted for properly. Leaving it to the last minute often means scrambling around for a lighting and sound rig after you’ve spent the lion’s share of the budget on keynote guests and location. You leave yourself open to end up with an amateurish production.

3. Give a full brief to the companies you approach

Again, it’s about planning. You need to be able to define your vision for the event and set out exactly what it is you’re aiming to achieve. This way, the companies you approach will be able to assess what’s likely to be required in terms of equipment and stage crew. Crucially, this means those companies will be able to provide accurate quotes.

4. The more questions the provider asks – the better

Unless it’s just a very simple set-up that’s needed, beware of AV providers who feel able to give you a definitive quote on the basis of a 30-second description of what you need. There is generally more than one way to bring a concept to life and an experienced provider will set out your options – explaining the pros and cons of each. In a lot of cases, a site visit will be in order (or you may wish to go and see the provider to see the equipment in action). Getting experts in early may open up possibilities you hadn’t thought of and an engaged AV provider is probably a good bet in terms of the likely levels of professionalism that will be on show at the event itself.

5. Budgeting: be realistic

Approaching a number of different providers should show you how the land lies in terms of costing - and as with anything, there may be room for negotiation. It’s always worth checking out the in-house AV set-up at the venue itself (although you should never settle for this merely because its already in situ!)

It might be tempting to go for an ‘equipment only’ AV hire solution; especially if your organisation has IT guys who fancy themselves as pretty handy with absolutely anything. Events, though, are unpredictable. There are few spectacles less amateurish than a roomful of people waiting while someone fumbles with unfamiliar kit. Trust us; knowing you’ll have an expert stage crew on hand at the venue means you’ll sleep a lot easier!

If you’re organising a live event, get in touch with TORO Crew, a specialist event crew and logistics service supplying stage crew, and sound and lighting engineers to expertly cover all your crewing needs.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jennifer Man .