Complete AV solution for conferences / presentations

aaf

Guys, I need some advice here as I’m clueless. I’ve been put in charge of sourcing a complete AV solution which will be used off site for small conferences and presentations, in which 150-200 people might be in attendance. I’m looking at purchasing a P.A. system, projector and screen plus all accessories needed. I want the P.A. system to be as portable as possible so my research has pointed me to the Yamaha StagePas 300 or the Peavey Escort 2000. The Yamaha is more powerful and seems to fit the bill.

Let me paint you a picture here. I attended a conference last week, which would be a typical conference we would need to setup and support. The room was laid out as follows:

Podium with mic, vga and mini-stereo cable was provided. Presenters used a laptop on podium to present slides, some with audio and video. Also, there was a table approx 15 feet from podium where all eight presenters sat. At the end of presentation, there was a Q&A session. The panel took questions from the floor. For this, we were not supplied with any mics. Not very professional. Ideally, I think at least two desktop mics for the panel, one wireless mic for passing around the audience and maybe a clip-on vocal mic for the chair / compere would be needed. Maybe a wired backup mic incase needed. In this case, a massive plasma tv was used (supplied in room) but we would ideally like to have our own projector and screen (mainly to have as backup).

I’ve listed a few of the accessories below I think we will need but I am a complete newbie to this so what else exactly do I need? If I walked into an empty room and needed to setup AV to show presentations from a laptop or PC, what would I need?

1 x Yamaha StagePas 300 - http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D36692%252526CTID%25253D,00.html

3 x SS238B tripod stands - http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D452109%252526CTID%25253D,00.html

1 x BMS10A MicStand Adaptor - http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D562%252526CTID%25253D,00.html

2 x ADP138 mounting hardware (not sure if we need these if we are purchasing SS238B tripod stands?) - http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D36811%252526CTID%25253D,00.html

1 x YBSP300 rolling carry case - http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D36831%252526CTID%25253D,00.html

1 x Sennheiser freePORT Presentation Set - http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/21101

1 x Sennheiser freePORT Vocal Set - http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/21105

1 x appropriate mic stand for the Sennheiser freePORT Vocal Set transmitter

1 x wired microphone which we'll have as a backup should the freePORT not work - maybe something from the Sennheiser evolution range?

Cable-wise, we would need a mini stereo cable that will have a 3.5mm mini-jack on one end (for connecting to laptop or PC) while the other will need to plug into input on StagePas mixer (1/4 inch adapter?). What length is recommended – 25 feet just to be safe? Also, need similar length VGA.

We already have a projector, an InFocus LP120: http://www.infocus.com/support/Products/Projectors/LP120.aspx which is 1100 ANSI. Would this be powerful enough to accommodate up to 200 people? How big a screen would we need?

This system will be used off site for small conferences and presentations, in which 150-200 people might be in attendance. Is there anything else you can think of that we might need in addition to the above for setting up audio in hotels and large rooms for small conferences / presentations? What about something to keep cables tidy i.e. tape etc?

Any advice / recommendations welcomed and appreciated.

Keyzer

www.digisound.ie

Amazing what you can find with Google....

Savman

aaf wrote: »

Guys, I need some advice here as I’m clueless.

Go to an AV company. That's really the best advice anyone can offer.

I want the P.A. system to be as portable as possible so my research has pointed me to the Yamaha StagePas 300 or the Peavey Escort 2000. The Yamaha is more powerful and seems to fit the bill.

Power has no place in conferencing systems, it's all about the coverage. You'll wanna be having speakers located around the room and these speakers need to be time aligned to compensate for natural delay.
If you do it the quick n easy route and just lash up any aul system you could make a right balls of it.

The panel took questions from the floor. For this, we were not supplied with any mics. Not very professional. Ideally, I think at least two desktop mics for the panel, one wireless mic for passing around the audience and maybe a clip-on vocal mic for the chair / compere would be needed. Maybe a wired backup mic incase needed.

Absolutely, it's nice to have a Wireless mic for Q&A. But what happens if your cheap and cheerful Wireless picks up something else on a nearby frequency, or worse still, the same operating freq? On the more expensive Wireless units you'll see they have banks so you can select different frequencies if one is giving you trouble. You can even scan or tune manually. IIRC the cheaper Wireless stuff is specific to a single frequency and cant be changed.

I’ve listed a few of the accessories below I think we will need but I am a complete newbie to this so what else exactly do I need?

As mentioned, Google. Or the Yellow Pages. Seriously.

If I walked into an empty room and needed to setup AV to show presentations from a laptop or PC, what would I need?

First and foremost, knowledge. AV gigs are easy enough to pull off, but you still need a certain degree of technical know how to overcome inevitable problems.

Cable-wise, we would need a mini stereo cable that will have a 3.5mm mini-jack on one end (for connecting to laptop or PC) while the other will need to plug into input on StagePas mixer (1/4 inch adapter?). What length is recommended – 25 feet just to be safe? Also, need similar length VGA.

Is that 25 feet of audio signal? Don't be surprised if you get signal noise, hum or interference. Audio signal cables should always be as short as possible, dont use a 10m cable is a 3m will do, and so forth.

This system will be used off site for small conferences and presentations, in which 150-200 people might be in attendance. Is there anything else you can think of that we might need in addition to the above for setting up audio in hotels and large rooms for small conferences / presentations?
Any advice / recommendations welcomed and appreciated.

You're way out of your depth bud. This is a specialist area. Sure you can do it off the cuff and get away with it a few times, but what happens when something goes wrong? When you plug something into something and it doesnt do what you want, what would be your course of action? Will you have a Plan C or even a Plan B? Or maybe you'll have a van or truck out back you can just nip out to for a replacement speaker? IMHO you can't pull this off without professional assistance. Using an AV company might not be as expensive as you think and you get to relieve yourself of the stress factor, which very few people consider.

souldeep

Litton Lane Audio Hire should be able to sort you out for sale or hire of equipment.

Brian in LLA's number is 01 4351600

Savman

souldeep wrote: »

Litton Lane Audio Hire should be able to sort you out for sale or hire of equipment.

Brian in LLA's number is 01 4351600

I see from your Myspace link that your name is also Brian. Must be a coincidence.

Incidentally, only a few weeks ago I was left high and dry for a small PA by a "Brian" in Litton Lane. IMHO they're not arsed unless its big gigs or bill paying corporate work.