Q: My company is holding our next meeting in a hotel. Why can’t we just use the A/V at the hotel?
A: You can, but do you really know what you are getting with the hotel A/V?
We are seeing a trend toward more and more major hotels and meeting complexes insisting that their in-house A/V equipment and personnel be used for your corporate events. On the surface, it seems like a logical decision. After all, they are already there and they must know what they are doing, right?
The first half of that statement is true. But to answer the second half it helps to understand the process. Many hotels hire subcontractors to provide the equipment that they rent to you. There is usually a hotel markup somewhere between 50 and 100%. That’s why the price you pay for A/V equipment rented through a hotel is always more than you would pay for the same equipment through a professional staging company like Mainstream.
But despite the inflated equipment costs, your biggest concern should be the audio visual technicians who will ultimately be responsible for the success of your event. Ask yourself several questions about the hotel’s in-house A/V personnel:
1) Do
they appear to be new hires or industry veterans?
2) Is the crew that does the setup different from the crew that runs the event? (this is a real prescription for disaster)
3) Will each shift change bring new faces that may not know your needs?
4) Are they able to help you with last minute changes on PowerPoint, music or video?
5) Do they know enough about your company’s culture and key personnel to anticipate potential problems and take corrective action?
2) Is the crew that does the setup different from the crew that runs the event? (this is a real prescription for disaster)
3) Will each shift change bring new faces that may not know your needs?
4) Are they able to help you with last minute changes on PowerPoint, music or video?
5) Do they know enough about your company’s culture and key personnel to anticipate potential problems and take corrective action?
Also, be wary of permanent installations. If the hotel recommends that you use their ceiling mounted video projector, what happens if the bulb burns out during your CEO’s welcome address? Believe it or not, they would have to come in with a ladder, move everybody out of the first four rows and attempt to change the bulb. That’s assuming that they have a spare bulb on hand. Meanwhile, your CEO waits at the podium to complete his or her welcoming address.
You should also consider the sound quality you expect. Built-in hotel sound systems may be adequate for some meetings or events that only require public address. Only a few are adequate for energizing music or high-quality video reproduction. If good quality sound is important for your audience, a high-quality sound system is mandatory.
Be sure to check the fine print on the contract before you sign it. Believe it or not, many hotels now demand a “corking fee” if you use a professional staging company rather than their in-house A/V. Removing the AV corking fee (which can be buried in the fine print) should be part of the negotiation process before the contract is signed, sealed and delivered.
So the next time you are asked to “just use the in-house A/V” be sure to consider the potential consequences. Don’t ignore the added-value you will receive by bringing in the production house that’s familiar with your company culture, personnel, and the media content created for the event. If you have questions, just ask Mainstream…
If you have any questions, please email us at info@mainstreamcom.net and to be removed from this list type "Unsubscribe" in the Subject portion of the email. Learn more about Mainstream by going to http://www.mainstreamcom.net .