This is a sponsored story written by Scott Frankel, President of Animatic Media.
You are planning a conference. You call around to venues to find out what space may work, availability, and of course cost. Then you jump on a plane and set up two days of meetings. It’s stressful and time-consuming, and your notebooks are full of notes.
You found it! The flow works, the space is perfect, it’s within the budget (or so you think), and the sales rep is telling you it’s available. You cannot wait to sign it and put that part of your search behind you. It sounds like a no-brainer, but I implore you to use every stitch of your self-control not to sign that contract—at least not yet.
AUDIOVISUAL:
I promise you that you do not have all the information you need yet. There are five costs you must know before you commit to this venue.
- AV Storage
- Internet
- Electric
- Rigging
- Supervisor Fees
You should always have the venue throw in a room for AV storage, which will give you some flexibility if you choose to bring in an outside AV production company.
The venue rep says that they can put you in touch with the in-house AV provider. You need to have them do that and you need to get these quotes before you sign.
Often the venue contract will have some language in it that says “You can bring in an outside AV provider if they have insurance and abide by the standard 'Production Guidelines.'" This is where they get you. If you were to just sign the venue agreement, you are agreeing to the Production Guidelines document that you have never seen! This is the document with all the small print.
I can also promise that the venue will pressure you at this point that you are welcome to do this, but you might lose your first hold. I’m telling you again: Signing at this point may put you over budget by as much as $50K-$80K, depending on the size of your event.
You will then contact in-house AV and get quotes for your event for internet, power, and rigging, if necessary. You should also find out what the liaison fees are for bringing in outside AV. If you email me, I can provide you with a checklist and more details on exactly how to specify these things. I do this free of charge or commitment.
Next, make sure that those prices are not tied to you using in-house as your AV provider. Too often, in-house will give you a price for these ancillary services and then when they find out you aren’t using them, double or triple these costs. This way you will have a valid quote for 30 days—irrelevant of who you choose to provide AV services.
LOAD IN/OUT:
Since the end of the pandemic, venues have been busier than ever and are trying to pack as many events into their spaces as possible. The key to avoiding the pitfall of not having enough time for a full AV setup, rehearsals, show, and then load out is as simple as asking the right questions.
The job of the venue’s sales staff is to book as many projects into the space as possible—but it’s almost as if they turn an intentional blind eye when they sell you the space.
After you are contracted and they see your agenda, they will say: "Well I see your program starts at 9 a.m. on Monday but you don’t get the space until 6 a.m. on the same day.” Or: “Your program ends at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday but you only have the space contracted until 6 p.m. You know you only have an hour to get your AV setup out, right?”
They should inform you before you sign the contract, or you need to ask. Not doing so will corner you into using in-house or paying way too much.
