An event checklist which covers all your AV issues

Event planning is tough. With so many things to do and so many moving parts, an event checklist can be a lifesaver. But most of the ones available online miss some of the details you really need to cover off with your AV supplier. That’s why I’ve put this one together.

Put your vision right at the top of your event checklist

You can’t determine your event audio-visual needs until you’re clear about the overall vision and plan for the event.

It might sound odd to start an event checklist with an overview of your vision, but this is the kind of information we and other suppliers need to deliver above expectations. Once we understand what you want to achieve, we can review your checklist based on our experience and identify areas you might have missed. So tell us.

• What kind of event are you planning and who is it for? Employees? Customers? The general public?
• How many people will attend?
• What will they be doing? Formal conference sessions; dancing; cocktail receptions
• Will there be presentations? What about entertainment?
• Are there any special effects you want to include?
• Do you have any virtual speakers?

These big questions are what we use to determine your top-level needs:

• Will you need a stage?
• What kind of lights do you need?
• What kind of audio do you need?
• What about a connection to the internet?

An important AV question is whether the technical setup can all be floor-based or if some things need to be hung from the ceiling. This includes projectors, screens, lights and speakers. For many events, including most traditional conferences, a floor-based setup is fine. But complex designs or large numbers may make a hanging setup more practical. It’s good to be clear about this before choosing a venue.

Venue considerations

Ideally, we’d love to be involved before the final venue decision is made.

Even if we’re not, make sure you have the big picture of your AV needs clear before you choose a venue.

Specific points you might need to consider include:

Venue size and capacity

Any venue which hosts events regularly will have information on how many people it can accommodate in each space. But there are some reasons why you might want to check that.

• If you’re planning an event with a complex AV setup, you might need 3 or 4 trestle tables worth of space for the AV ops. We’ll squeeze in wherever we can, but it’s great when there’s space to move (especially if we’re working on microphones, slides and so on with multiple presenters).
• Building out a stage also affects the actual capacity of a room.
• Complex lighting effects may require a more complex rig and a higher ceiling to fit everything in properly. No venue is going to raise the ceiling to help you out!
• Is rigging available in the venue to hang speakers? In many venues this is the best acoustic solution.
• If you’re planning to record or stream the event, will the room setup work to give you good angles?
• Will there be transitions where the audio-visual configuration changes? For example, you might move from a keynote presentation to breakout workshops, or reconfigure from conference to cocktail for an evening event.

You may also want to ask about

• Access times before and after the event for set up and removal of equipment
• Internet connectivity and bandwidth. This is especially important if you’re planning to stream an external speaker.

Working with the in-house AV supplier

Many meeting venues have an approved in-house AV supplier. While working with this company is the most obvious option, it’s not the only one, nor is it necessarily the best one. Legally you have the right to use another company if you wish.

Why would you want to use an outside AV company?

• If you’re running a roadshow which will take place in multiple venues, dealing with multiple different in-house AV suppliers can be time-consuming and frustrating. You have the same conversation multiple times. You get multiple quotes all in different formats and layouts which are hard to compare or manage. The equipment at each venue may be  different, so you’re never quite comfortable with the setup.
• Even if you’re not running a roadshow, you may have multiple events over time in different venues. While many of the basics probably stay constant, each time you use a new venue, you have to start again and explain everything. Compare that to having an AV partner who works with you the whole time – all you have to do is say ‘It’s the same setup as XXX event, except for these three things…’
• The in-house supplier’s main relationship is with the venue, not you. There may be a degree of complacency, leading to a lack of care, attention and focus. Or not. They might be great…

Simply asking to meet the in-house AV supplier when you’re inspecting a venue is a good move. You’ll be able to get a feel for the relationships and how well they value you and understand your needs.

Non-traditional venues

Non-traditional venues can add a special something to your event. If you go with this option, check the basics:

• Is there sufficient power for your AV plans? We once ran an event in a scout hall where we had to steal the power from the tea urn in the kitchen – there wasn’t enough power anywhere else.
• What about access? For remote locations your AV supplier is likely to be bringing equipment in. What’s the largest vehicle they can use?
• Check the internet – for both reliability and bandwidth!

Staging

Staging is relatively simple.

• Do you need a stage?
• What size?
• Where do you want steps positioned?
  By default we place steps at the two sides of the stage, but if you’re presenting awards you may want central steps to make winners visible as part of the show.

Audio

For every event, we start with the basics

• Number and type of microphones.
  The exact combination of handheld or lapel mics varies from event to event. We can advise if required.
• If there is going to be audience participation, do you need mic runners? (Usually the organiser’s staff do this – if you want us to, we need to know in advance to make sure we have enough people available on the day.
• Have you provided or specified background music for speaker transitions and breaks?
• If you have a band, have they provided a rider? Have you shared it with us? We need this as soon as possible to get the band’s specific requirements for foldback speakers and more.
• Will there be any “stings” as presenters or others move to and from the stage? Have you provided all the stings and clear instructions about when to play them?

Lighting and Visuals

• What is the main visual focus?
  For a small, intimate event, this is often the speaker.
  For a larger event, you may choose to have screens behind the speaker.
• What size screen do you need or want?
• What’s on any screens you have? Is it the speaker’s presentation or a camera shot of the speaker?
• If we’re projecting presentations, how many should we be expecting and is there anything special about them we might need to know? Do we have those presentations in advance (yes please!) or should we expect them on the day?
• Do you need placeholder or title slides between speakers?
• Do you want any  ballyhoos (fast-changing, often multicoloured lighting effects)for award winners or VIP intros?
• Are there any polls or wordclouds or other audience participation activities which need to be displayed on screen?
• Do you have any specific people, items or areas to highlight?
  For example, at a product launch you may want to spotlight the new product once it’s revealed. You may want image magnification so it’s displayed on a large screen. Or you may want to build up to a video, then play it on the largest screen possible.

Event Checklist for Speaker AV Requirements

Sharing your event agenda helps us set up more efficiently and work more effectively with your speakers and presenters.

The system to support one speaker presenting for an hour is entirely different from what we’d use for 10 speakers each presenting for 6 minutes.

We also need clear communication about the level of support speakers expect or require. If you have multiple speakers, please send this part of the event checklist to each and every speaker. Just one person missing things can make it much harder on the day!

• Are you clicking through slides yourself or do you want us to do it for you?
• Do you need a fallback monitor so that you can see your presentation without looking round at the screens behind you?
• Are you OK seeing just the presentation or do you need to see your notes?
• Do you need an autocue?
• If you’re a virtual speaker, can we book a 15 minute slot in advance to test your setup and make any adjustments required?
• Have you provided your presentation in advance?
  If a speaker brings their presentation on a USB stick, we can still upload it, but things may not be perfect. There could be some delay. Or you might have used fonts which we don’t have installed, which can mess up the visuals.
• Is there any use of video in presentations?
  We recommend downloading all video in advance and storing it locally to play. This avoid any connectivity issues, and stops something inappropriate from YouTube flashing up when the video finishes

And finally…

• Do you need charging stations?

This feature is becoming more and more popular at events. As AV providers, we love it when there are charging stations. Without them, people are always coming up to us looking for a place to charge devices. Even if we have spare USB ports available, every interruption takes us away from running your event and working with your speakers.

So that’s everything you could possibly need to ask or think about in relation to AV. If you’d like to work with a thorough provider who plans ahead in detail, let’s talk!