If you’ve worked with a few event venues, you’ll know that they often have their own in-house AV supplier. What happens if you want to use your preferred company instead of theirs?  (Like SmoothAV, for instance!)

You may think it’s a straight choice between the two AV suppliers. That means you’ll end up disappointing either your venue or your preferred AV supplier, which isn’t ideal since both venue and AV are critical to your event. But there is a third option. By splitting the AV work between the in-house supplier and your preferred company, you can get the service you want without offending the venue, and with no meaningful additional cost.

Let’s explore how that works.

How come using two AV suppliers doesn’t cost more?

It helps to understand the cost drivers of the different options.

The costs for audiovisual are a combination of equipment and labour.

In-house AV suppliers also often have arrangements where they pay a commission to the venue. This can mean their charges to you are a little higher than those of independent companies. Meanwhile, the venue has a financial interest in you using its preferred supplier rather than going elsewhere, so it usually adds an external contractor charge or “Technician On Duty” (TOD) in the terms and conditions.

Comparing the three options:

  • If you use the in-house provider, your costs include a commission to the venue.
  • If you use an external supplier, your costs include an external contractor charge.
  • If you use both, there’s a lower venue commission (since less is paid to the in-house provider), but the external contractor charge is waived. You still need to pay for the same equipment and staff, so the overall cost is very similar. The difference is that your external provider’s team is looking after your event only, not every event taking place at the venue. If they’re a team you work with regularly, or you’re doing a roadshow, they’re also familiar with your needs.

The costs tend to be very similar whichever model you opt for, but sometimes the external contractor charge is exorbitant and the pure external option isn’t viable. So a combination option where your preferred AV company works with the in-house AV supplier can be an excellent solution, giving you a dedicated, experienced team you know and trust with minimal difference to your bottom line.

When you bring in a company like SmoothAV, we deal with the in-house supplier on your behalf. We review your AV needs and ensure all equipment is of the high standard required. The combination option might sound complicated, but in fact it’s often easier for you to have us looking after the details of the AV rather than doing it yourself.

What does the in-house AV supplier do and what does my supplier do?

One thing which makes sense for the in-house AV supplier to provide is the stage wash: the basic lighting set up. They’ve done it a thousand times before, which an external provider hasn’t. An in-house technician will usually be assigned to your event as well. You’d get one even if you used your own supplier for everything (that’s part of the justification for the external contractor fee) but in this combined model they look after the stage wash, so you get more value from them and your supplier can focus on other parts of the AV setup.

Some venues have hard-wired projectors with speakers. If that’s the case, the best option may be to use those through the in-house supplier. Otherwise, your preferred AV supplier probably has better quality, more reliable equipment. That’s especially true in smaller venues and ones which do fewer events. Since events are a less significant revenue stream, the venue will put less pressure on their in-house AV supplier to deliver.

Your external provider will also normally supply equipment for the control or operations area. That includes the sound desk, the radio mics, the vision switcher, computers, monitors and a professional quality clicker.

Setting things up to run smoothly

Start early

When we’re working with an in-house AV provider, we love to connect as soon as possible and talk directly to that company.

Effectively, we act as your AV expert, working to get the best result for your event. That means you get a level of expertise you may not normally have in your organisation. Sometimes we can come up with more cost-effective ways to deliver the AV results you’re after.

If we have experience with your event, it’s pretty clear which company should take responsibility for which parts of the AV setup. If you’re running an event for the first time, or the first time with us, there may be more than one option for dividing responsibilities. In that case we’d present both and discuss the pros and cons with you.

Check before you sign the contract

Last but by no means least, look carefully at the venue contract before you sign it. There may be clauses in there about using in-house suppliers, for audio-visual or other services. Negotiate removal of those before you sign. Not only do you have more negotiating power at this point, you also set expectations and potentially avoid or reduce external contractor fees.

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So, this post outlines one way you can get better quality AV at your events without blowing the budget. While the principles remain the same, each event is different and there may be small adjustments. If you’ve got an event or a series of events coming up and you’re wondering how viable this option is, let’s have a chat to find out.