Sound Good?
Save on A/V at your Next Small Meeting
by Dorian J. Blagg | Published in April 2007 Focus on Production
For small to medium-sized “breakout”-style meetings, audio-visual equipment rental tends to account for a significant share of the budgets (and is subject to markups by in-house A/V vendors). Oddly enough, even for small meetings, when all is said and done, the A/V bill can seem…not so small. Surprisingly, many planners don’t know that this doesn’t have to be the case. You’ll be surprised how you can save money with a few cost-effective tips.
Presenting the Information
For smaller events (around five to 10 participants), if A/V support is really needed, I would suggest using a flipchart, easel, small screen, LCD projector, laptop computer, and AC and VGA power cables. If you, like a growing number of planners, own your own laptop computer and LCD projectors, you only need to rent a small screen and the flipchart.
(A VGA, or video graphic adapter, switcher allows for multiple laptop computers to be connected into a single device so that they don’t have to be manually connected and disconnected from the LCD projector between presentations.)
A useful tip here is to provide your own flipchart pads and pens. Some venues have a “trick” whereby they provide partially used pads and/or replace them every day, even though only a few pages have been used. As average charges for flipchart paper run to $30 per pad (charged daily), you can easily end up paying for the same paper two or three times over the course of a meeting.
Also check to see that you’re not being charged for the AC power cables and power strips, as these items should be included in the breakout room rental.
For smaller meetings, it is likely that you will have a boardroom table, or a couple of banquet tables set boardroom-style. If you place your laptop and LCD projector on the table, you can avoid a charge for a projection cart.
If the meeting is slightly more sophisticated (10 to 20 people), the same basic setup works very well. Although you may want to rent a slightly larger screen and a projection cart, the basic configuration remains the same.
Saving on Sound
Sidebar
You can also consider at least one microphone and mixer for sound reinforcement, but as this requires an additional rental charge, many presenters would do well to simply project their voices with slightly increased volume.
Once again, venues may well try to rent you a sound system, but unless you plan to make an audio recording of the presentation, a microphone, mixer and house sound may not be necessary. Sound reinforcement is advisable, however, if your audience size reaches 30 or more. In that case, a podium microphone is preferable, with mixer, room audio patch or loudspeakers on stands.
Wireless lavaliere or handheld microphones allow greater mobility for presenters, but can be pricey.
The Right Sight
For video and/or DVD replay, the simplest setup is to rent a 27-inch TV with a DVD/VHS player or even in the form of a combo unit. These are generally supplied on skirted carts, which is fine for smaller groups.
If the audience size increases, you might think about hooking the DVD/VHS player into your LCD projector. Many LCD projectors have built-in sound, and if you add a larger screen, your presentation will look that much better. As the human body tends to absorb sound, it might be advisable to add sound reinforcement via a “direct audio” connection, mixer and loudspeakers or house sound.
Bringing in Reinforcement
As you can probably tell by now, while the size of the audience may increase, it is not always necessary to increase the level of technical sophistication, or expenditure, in leaps and bounds. Essentially, it is a matter of adding components to a basic system.
In all cases, however, it is advisable to request a technical operator to supervise the start of the meeting, so that any issues that crop up can be resolved immediately. Once the meeting is up and running, however, full-time technical assistance is not always necessary.
If you are likely to be using more than one microphone, plan on making an audio/video recording or are deploying a mix of lavaliere and handheld wireless microphones, you would be wise to consider the services of a dedicated “in-room” technician. If you have several presenters sitting at a top table, each will require a separate microphone. You should also consider using a VGA switcher for multiple laptops to connect to the LCD projector.
Speaking to your Speakers
One other technique I have used, with great success, is to send out technical questionnaires to all presenters well in advance of the event. By asking them to list any AV equipment they might need, you can anticipate your needs. You will also be better able to keep equipment rental charges under control.
One tip here is to ask that rentals of three days or more be priced at the weekly rate. If you know in advance that you’ll have multiple breakout meetings running for more than three days in succession, you can ask the venue (or its in-house A/V vendors) to charge for three days rental in one overall “show price” package. This is common practice for larger conventions that contain breakout meetings and general sessions, and the venue would not consider it to be an unusual request. In most cases, venues are happy to negotiate special A/V packages as part of their overall service offering. You do, however, have to make a point of asking!
Finally, setting aside some time for rehearsals will allow you to deal with any last-minute issues. This is very important with multiple presenters, who will need to check the room, equipment and hand-over techniques. Dealing with pop-ups at the last moment causes panic, unnecessary stress — and extra expenditure.
By following these basic guidelines, you’ll be able to provide your clients with cost-effective and productive breakout/smaller meeting sessions.
About the author: Dorian J. Blagg
Dorian J. Blagg is founder and presentations director for DirectorAV, a Northern California-based presentations consultancy.
Contact: Dorian.blagg@directorav.com