Most venues supply some basic audiovisual equipment along the venue hire fee, the rest of your requirements will be an extra cost. This may well work out more cheaply for smaller events, as the equipment is already on-site, which helps the organiser to avoid transport costs and other extras.
However, a handy tip is to also ask a trusted external supplier to quote, even on a small job, as sometimes they will beat the venue prices in their quote, in order to secure the business.
If your set-up is basic – in other words, a stage, screen, projector and a microphone – you will most likely be fine using only the venue’s audiovisual equipment.
But when you start doing bigger productions, with smoke machines, laser lights, parcans, totem poles and the like – you will need to hire in externally, as in-house audiovisual suppliers will not carry these types of items in their usual stock, and will likely have to outsource it as well from one of their external suppliers.
While bigger productions offer you a better chance to negotiate prices than the smaller events, you still need to make sure that your audiovisual company is reputable and trustworthy, so that you can ensure that you are only paying for items that you need.
When I first started in the industry, the names of all the technical components of the set-up were mind-boggling! I had no idea what any of them were, until a very kind person took the time to explain all of it to me – and we’re not even talking about all the cables, cable ties, and different types of tape yet!
To find the best suppliers in the industry, ask around. There are lots of companies out there, some of them the biggest and best, but also the most expensive. Compare prices, and get a feel for who you trust. Again, these are relationships that you will continue to maintain throughout your time in the industry.
Ultimately, the better your relationship with your technical suppliers, the smoother the technical side of your event will become. I often say: trusted suppliers lift an enormous weight off the shoulders of the event manager.
Suppliers that arrive on time, if not early to make sure they are set up on time, have all the right equipment with them in the van, and even back up equipment should something else be required are true gems. I remember an event where the main speaker arrived and wasn’t happy with the lighting in the room 30 minutes prior to start. My stellar AV technician had tripods and parcans in his van outside – and by the time we started the event, the room was lit up like a sports stadium on Super Bowl night. I could have hugged the man. In fact, I think I did!
