Sticking to your event budget can be tricky. You’ve got to think about the venue, catering, attendee numbers, speakers… The list goes on. Now throw in audio-visual components and it can be hard to balance it all.
But AV is such an important part of any event, regardless of whether it be an awards night, an industry conference, a product launch or a corporate exhibition. So how can you make it all work within the confines of your event budget?
You get creative. To help you understand how to get creative with your event AV, have a read of our 5 top tips for maximising your audio-visual budget.
Develop your vision for the event
During the initial planning stages, it’s important to develop a run-sheet or mood board detailing your vision for the event. This should include things like the look and feel of your set up, the type of venue you’d like to use, the activities or presentations (including music, slideshows, video conferencing, social media integration, etc) and any other elements crucial to your event.
Once you’ve done this, you should then work out a rough estimate of costs and compare this to your budget. If you’re pushing past your ideal spend, take another look through your vision sheet and work out what is essential and what could be compromised.
This is the time to consult with an experienced AV company. They are likely to have some great suggestions for how to creatively approach your audio-visual elements without breaking the bank.
Consider how lighting will play a part
Lighting plays a significant role in creating atmosphere and audience experience. It’s also a cost-effective way to create an exceptional look and feel at just about any venue – so long as you don’t go overboard.
Think about how lighting could enhance your event, and chat with your AV partner to find affordable ways of making it happen.
Use the right sound for your venue
Sound is another element that can have a massive impact on the roll-out of your event.
Many event organisers try to go too big with sound equipment in relation to the acoustics and size of their venue. This is a really quick way to chew through your budget.
To ensure you get the perfect sound for your event vision, chat with your audio-visual partner who will be able to give you expert advice on creating the perfect sound.
It’s okay to find an AV compromise
If you’ve got a small budget (or a particularly large vision), you might need to compromise on some elements of your event. That doesn’t mean you need to scrap them altogether, but you’ll need to get a little creative about how to create a similar effect.
Don’t let this get you down. Some of the greatest outcomes come from times where creativity is stretched, and a good AV partner will be able to deliver several strategies for creating a similar
Develop a relationship with a reliable AV partner
With all technical elements essentially in their hands, your AV partner plays a massive part in how your event will play out. This means that you want to be able to trust them to not only provide you with sound advice but to be able to deliver on their promises.
Make sure to do your research before signing a contract and always ask as many questions about their capabilities as you can.
Once you’ve found an AV partner and you’ve been happy with their work, stick with them. Not only will you become familiar with the way that they work, but they will get to know your business
Work with con-sol for your audio-visual solutions
As event AV specialists, con-sol are skilled at maximising audio-visual budgets – whatever they may be. From small scale events to large corporate conferences, we have plenty of experience working within different parameters to deliver exceptional outcomes that both organisers and guests remember for years to come.
If you’ve got a predefined budget and want to find out just how much bang you can get for your buck, we’d love to chat! Our team are experts at delivering creative solutions and can’t wait to see what we can do for you.
