Most events take a lot of planning, and if you are in charge of planning one, even if it is a decidedly small affair, there are still aspects that you shouldn’t neglect. Otherwise, your event may not be able to achieve the desired results. But whilst you certainly have to think about the venue, the guest or attendee list, the format and entertainment, the menu and drinks, and so on, there’s another aspect that you may not entirely be familiar with – but which can make a big difference to the success of your event. We’re referring, of course, to your audio-visual equipment choices and decisions. Granted, you may not be thoroughly well-versed in technical audio-visual considerations, but you still need to know what you need, why you need it, and what mistakes you should avoid. Here, then, are the top mistakes you should avoid when renting AV equipment.
Thinking That Your Venue’s Audio-Visual Setup Is Enough
Each venue will have its own audio-visual setups and capabilities, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will fully adhere to your needs. Many venues will be able to offer screens and projectors as well as microphones, but you should find out from the start what they have so you can hire a vendor when necessary. The manager of your venue and your event planner should be informed beforehand of precisely what you need so they can ask around or make arrangements. The experts would definitely advise looking for a specialist company providing AV hire services as soon as you can so they can already prepare what you require and will be able to confirm what they have – or what needs to be procured in advance.
Thinking That You Will Have Whatever Power You Require
This is where the importance of proper communication is certainly evident once again: you have to let your event planner or the manager of the venue know in advance what you require in terms of AV equipment because you can’t just assume that the venue or location will have enough power for your requirements. You wouldn’t want to be looking for extra power sources at the last minute. If the venue or location doesn’t have enough power for what you will use, you can seek help from the AV equipment provider you have hired; they may be able to come up with valuable insights on what solution is best for your needs.
Not Spending Enough Time for Testing, Especially for Presentations
If your event comes with presentations from various speakers, it’s highly critical for you to spend time testing the equipment prior to the event itself. The best thing you can do is arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes before the event starts so you can test the equipment and the presentation, the backup files, the compatibility of the computer with your chosen audio-visual system and equipment, and the like. This may seem pretty obvious, but you would be surprised at the number of organisers or planners who forget to test the equipment. Even if you have tested the equipment a few days before the event, you should still test it on the day itself as files can be corrupted, and the equipment may not be completely compatible.
microphone close view -DepositPhotos
