One of the most basic ?must haves? of any event where presentations are made before a group of people is the availability of the appropriate audio visual equipment. Be it inside a conference room where there are 10-12 participants, a small seminar venue where there are 20-40 people eager to learn from you, or an auditorium where a crowd of 300 or so have gathered to listen to your whitepaper on the evolution of the widget. Having the right audio video equipment takes away the need to strain your voice just to be heard (try doing that in an auditorium!), or pass out multiple copies of what you want to present, and encourages focus and interaction, thereby significantly enhancing the experience.
If you hold presentations on a regular basis for small groups in a small venue, then it might make sense for you to invest in basic audio visual equipment (i.e., a multimedia projector, laptop computer, and a simple sound system), which should not cost you too much. However, if your presentation events are, for example, just a couple or so times per year, in venues that are in excess of a sitting capacity of 100, then the option for investment on the appropriate audio visual equipment does not really make dollar sense. This is especially true when your audience size varies from event to event. Obviously, as your venue and crowd become bigger, the bigger your investment in audio visual equipment will be, and this is not limited just to the hardware. In big venues, there is a also a need for technicians to maintain and operate the equipment to ensure that these will not bog down (and if they do, will not be down for long) during the event proper.
One viable option that you may want to consider in scenarios like these is to rent the audio visual equipment you will need for your event. That way, you can focus on the real purpose of your event (i.e., the presentation) and not worry about such details before, during, and after your event. In case you are charging for the event (which you most likely are if you are into live event management as a profession, for example) renting allows you to avoid depreciation and maintenance costs that are part and parcel of the investment option.
When renting audio visual equipment, make sure that your supplier has a good track record in this kind of business. While you may be able to find suppliers who give low rental rates, you might find out the hard way that the reason they are so cheap is that they do not really know what they are doing, do not have back-up equipment on standby in case of emergencies, do not have the flexibility to handle other last-minute issues that normally hound events, and so on and so forth. Getting a reliable supplier goes a long way in ensuring that your audience will see what it is you are showing and hear what it is you are saying as clearly as possible.
One major key to success of an event where presentations are made is having the right audio visual equipment available. The right equipment does wonders in enhancing the presentation experience, especially when your audience numbers in the hundreds. For this, you have two options: invest in the equipment and personnel needed; or, if your events are far and in-between, of variable audience and venue size, rent the audio visual equipment you will need for your event from a supplier (who also provides the technicians). Renting is always a good option so that you can focus on the real purpose of your event (i.e., the presentation) and not worry about such details before, during, and after your event.
Finding suppliers who offer rentals is not a difficult task since there are many to choose from. However, especially for major events, finding the right supplier does take some doing, unless the sky's the limit as far your budget is concerned (which is most likely not the case). The trick is to be able to find a good balance between achieving your ideal presentation experience and making the dollars and cents make sense.
Here are a few tips you might want to consider in renting audio visual equipment:
? Ask the venue administrator for referrals. When you have chosen the venue you want to hold your event in, ask for referrals of audio video equipment rental suppliers who have actually worked there. These suppliers already know more or less the kind of equipment that will work well in the venue and will most likely be able to give you the ideal rental price considering their experience there.
? Make sure your supplier is flexible to handle unforeseen circumstances. If there is one ?law? that is appropriate for any event, it is Murphy's. Your supplier needs to be able to quickly respond to all minor (and some major) mishaps that might occur during the event proper, e.g., having spare bulbs for the projectors, standby speakers and amplifier equipment to handle a bigger crowd, etc. This ?insurance? might cost you a bit more but it is going to be worth it, if only for the comfort of knowing that your event will not be jeopardized.
? Be upfront with your budget. Remember that it is your money after all, so the less you spend the better! If your potential supplier knows what your budget it, he will adjust without sacrificing much of the quality of service that you require from the audio visual equipment you will rent. Sometimes it might mean that you will have to settle for less projector screens or wired microphones instead of lapel mikes, but as long as you are happy with that your budget brings you quality that meets your minimal expectations, then that is really what matters.
Following these tips will help you in finding the right supplier or suppliers for rentals of the audio video equipment and maintenance/operations personnel that you will need to help make sure that what your audience sees and hears gets enhanced for a pleasant overall event experience.