Advise on hiring event management/AV specialists for a conference

graflynn

I would really appreciate some advise on what we should be looking for with our Audio Visual requirements for a conference that I am involved in organising.

We are all amateurs and doing this voluntary but we do have money in our budget to spend on this.

Problem is we're not sure if we should just add to what the venue has in terms of sound, PA, screens, etc, or hire a company to jazz it up a little.

Thanks in Advance for any advise offered,
Grainne

athtrasna

graflynn wrote: »

I would really appreciate some advise on what we should be looking for with our Audio Visual requirements for a conference that I am involved in organising.

We are all amateurs and doing this voluntary but we do have money in our budget to spend on this.

Problem is we're not sure if we should just add to what the venue has in terms of sound, PA, screens, etc, or hire a company to jazz it up a little.

Thanks in Advance for any advise offered,
Grainne

Have you talked to the venue about this? I've found most venues to be good at advising what comparable events have done. They know the limitations of the house system and can point out where additions could be beneficial

graflynn

Thanks for replying so quickly, Athtrasna.

Our contact at the venue has not reassured us or offered information about what comparable event have done.

The venue are providing screens & projectors in each of the rooms and mic's. But we are worried about connecting multiple laptops for our presentations and how difficult this will be and maybe considering set dressing.

We were also wondering about having something visual to entertain our delegates while they waiting for our conference to start. We have a 30 minute registration window to fill.

Gloomtastic!

graflynn wrote: »

Thanks for replying so quickly, Athtrasna.

Our contact at the venue has not reassured us or offered information about what comparable event have done.

The venue are providing screens & projectors in each of the rooms and mic's. But we are worried about connecting multiple laptops for our presentations and how difficult this will be and maybe considering set dressing.

We were also wondering about having something visual to entertain our delegates while they waiting for our conference to start. We have a 30 minute registration window to fill.

They may not have offered the information but they may still know it. Don't be afraid to ask. Also, most AV hire companies will be happy to discuss with you what you could achieve.

Rogue-Trooper

Does the venue in question have the equipment in-house or do they have an AV company that provide everything for them? If you are not getting answers that you are happy with and they have a preferred AV supplier, speak with them instead as they will have experience of what works in the venue and may have some pictures of what worked well in the past.

You would be right to be wary of the in-house systems - I would have developed a mistrust of them through bitter experience over the years and unless the venue has proven it's worth I would tend to err on the side of caution and bring my own. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

What part of the country is the event in? I only say that as there are more options for AV providers closer to Dublin. They will all travel but the further out you, are the more costs incurred.

You seem to have a good handle on your technical requirements but draft a list of them so you can talk through them with your AV provider. What might seem straightforward now can potentially be impossible on the day if they don't know what they will be dealing with (eg if you have multiple sources to be put up on the screen or need different images on different screens).

Is it a big room? If you need a set, a white backdrop with effective lighting can transform the look of the event and is very cost-effective if the budget is tight. If you do decide to bring in a lot of sound/AV/lighting, make sure there is ample power available in the room to power it too!

Finally, make sure you don't blow all of your budget on the company to manage it for you - make sure some of the money goes on the actual event! Some companies will be upfront with their fees while others will bury it in the cost of the additional equipment, etc.