Getting the most out of your Audio Visual

Having heard about the recent stage set at the Take That concerts touring the UK you can see how an impressive stage set can make all the difference to an event and really bring it to life!

Audio Visual requirements can often be forgotten when putting together events but can play a vital part in making a successful event.

Conferences of course do not require the same stage sets as a Take That concert but it is important to factor in your budget money for the AV kit.  Often venues have some AV equipment on site and usually an LCD Projector, screen and flipchart are included with your conference costs but you may also need to think about staging or lecterns to complete your event presentation.

Through our experience of using a wide range of different types of venues we have found Universities are really good options if you are looking to use lots of rooms and have lots of AV requirements within these.  Universities often have all the equipment built into their lecture rooms for teaching and often have an onsite technician included to help you set all the equipment up and be on hand in case of any technical issues on the day!

Always make sure your AV requirements match the room you are using and the needs of the delegates, for example can everyone see the front screen, or are additional screens needed (for example if there are pillars/obstructions in the room), and/or can all the delegates hear the presenter or do you need a PA system or lectern and microphone to reach delegates at the back of the room.

AV can also be used to promote your event branding or company logo, using lighting such as up lighters to promote your company colours at your event.

Here are some of our tips for booking AV and making the most of your event budget:

• Always check if your meeting room has a built in stage or if the hotel or venue have stage blocks you can use as this will save you the cost of hiring these from an external supplier
• Always check what equipment is included, if you have more than one room, you may usually only have one screen and projector included so you may need to factor in the costs for further screens and projectors and possibly laptops if using more than one room
• For large AV requirements with multiple rooms use University venues if possible they are often cheaper overall and include the equipment costs within the day rates as the equipment is often built in to the rooms and they may also include an onsite technician
• Always budget for AV usually about £2000 should be enough to cover a simple AV set for a conference for around 200 guests
• Don’t cut corners with your AV set, depending on what you are looking to achieve the set can change the look of your event and the impression for delegates
• Always find out how much an AV technician is to have on site for your event if not included in your package costs as they can also make the difference to the running of your event as it is one less thing for you to worry about!

If you have any tips regarding AV equipment for events or if you would like to write a blog for Mosaic Events please email sarah@mosaicevents.co.uk