The Importance of event AV equipment

What is AV equipment? 

High-quality audio-visual for events is essential for a successful day. Simply put, AV refers to electronic media that combines both sound and visuals to engage the audience.

It covers a wide range of tools, including:

• Microphones: Handheld, lapel, or headset for clear speech
• Speakers: For crisp, balanced sound
• Projectors & screens: You’ll need somewhere to show that presentation you spent hours creating!
• LED/TV displays
• Lighting
• Cameras: Record or live stream, which is especially prominent in the wake of hybrid events
• Cables & acessories: To keep everything connected

Benefits of good audiovisual for conferences, training sessions, and events

Think about it: how quickly would you lose your attendees’ interest if your speaking was talking with no visuals? Attention gone in minutes. On the flip side, what about a slideshow with no presenter to guide the audience through it and add value? The meessage is lost. But when powerful visuals are combined with crystal-clear sound – and a presenter who brings it all to life – your audience leans in, listens, and remembers.

The more senses you engage, the better people learn. Nail your AV, and you don’t just run an event, you’ll be on your way to creating an event that people keep talking about long after the lights go down.

You may be asking how? Well, studies show that the use of AV in classrooms is highly effective as it stimulates the class better, resulting in improved grades for students. Therefore, seeing as we use the same techniques to learn all throughout our lives, the same is true for all types of events that require audience connection and participation.

AV usage will help you to:

• Get your audience’s attention and retain it
• Make your presentation easy to follow
• Keep your audience stimulated
• Engage your participants and encourage them to participate
• Convey complicated or confusing messages / help you to illustrate large amounts of data or abstract concepts
• Highlight key messages and create consistency in terms of the lasting impression you are leaving with your audience
• Stay focused on the points and message you are trying to convey, give your presentation structure and minimises mistakes

As well as engaging your attendees that are in the room, AV can also be utilised to maximise the accessibility of your event. Attendees won’t always be able to attend your event in person, but with the right live streaming equipment, you can open up the invite to people from all over the world. Events which incorporate live interaction tools are more likely to get repeat attendance than those without any technology stimulating interaction.

Also, if you record your event, you can make it available to people that were unable to attend the event and also people that you had no knowledge of when you were inviting your attendees. Therefore, rather than limiting your impact to just those that were in the room, you can create an asset that can be utilised over and over. A one day event can reap you rewards for a lifetime.

How do you know what AV you will need?

Here are some things to consider:

• Audience: How large is your event? You may need enhanced audio systems, multiple microphones to enable audience participation and repeater screens.
• Atmosphere: Does your event have multiple parts? Is there a particular mood you are trying to convey? Lighting can be a great way to set the tone, for example dimming the lights to encourage the audience to focus on video content.
• Accessibility: Do you want to live stream the event or make a recorded copy available afterwards?

AV Requirements

Once you have had a good think about what you will require, you will need to find an appropriate London venue with good AV equipment that can accommodate your requirements. However, make sure you look at everything else as well as the AV capabilities. There’s no point in putting in loads of effort to get this far, for your attendees to turn up on the day and be completely underwhelmed by the venue!

We have all been to an event where the room was too packed, there were tech issues, the room was too hot, your view was obstructed or the chairs were uncomfortable. In these situations you probably zoned out or switched off completely and looked for the first available opportunity to leave. Don’t let this be your attendees. The venue should be optimised for engagement, not working against it.

A lot of AV systems require high speed Wi-Fi to work effectively, so ensure that this is something the venue has invested in.

Is the venue flexible? No matter how organised you are or how much planning has gone into your event, we all know that things don’t always go to plan. Maybe you have 20 people that have confirmed their attendance last minute or you have a speaker that has dropped out last minute, requiring you to completely change the structure of your event. Therefore, you want to ensure that the venue is flexible and able to accommodate a range of set ups and ability to change last minute.

Will there be AV technicians to help out? Technology can go wrong and it’s not always a case of switching it off and on again to fix it. So make sure the venue will have experienced AV technicians available throughout the day. Luckily, we’ve got a tech-savvy team on hand to help you through the day – no time wasted trying to hook your presentation up to the big screen!