Event equipment rental: sound, lighting and video

Organizing an event and still not sure what audiovisual equipment you’ll need? Read on to discover everything you’ll need to know for optimal event equipment rental.

When organizing an event, rental of sound, lighting and video equipment plays a crucial role. These are key assets to get your message out, project a positive brand image and evoke emotions that will remain etched in memory. 

Having a solid audiovisual partner for event equipment rental is the best option; they will be by your side throughout the process: before, during and after the event. 

The importance of good technical equipment for your event

If you don’t have your own, event equipment rental is an essential part of the production process for your event. Sound, lighting and video are the kind of systems most frequently rented. 

It is important to work with an audiovisual company that can provide high-quality material, professionals who are experts in every field, and above all, have the experience necessary to advise you as experts in event production. 

A technical failure can impact the whole dynamic of your event, blocking communication or the course of the event, causing attendees to disengage, and the end customer to lose money.

For that reason, when you rent technical equipment, it’s important you also have a comprehensive service that fits the needs of your event. Among those needs is having technical professionals at your side for the entire process, and who guide you in the different stages of pre-production, production and throughout the celebration of the event, supervising the equipment to ensure it’s working properly and able to solve any potential issues if they arise. 

Practical tips for equipment rental: sound, lighting and video

The first event equipment rental tip is: know your budget. In order to stay on budget, it is important to provide your audiovisual partner with all the information you can on your event for them to adhere to it as much as possible. 

Having a detailed idea of your budget from the beginninequipmentg will help you avoid surprises. It can be adjusted depending on the changes that arise during the project. Hold a number of meetings to lay the groundwork, and request the provider’s quote in advance. 

The bigger your event, and the more material you need, the longer it will take to put together your quote, make plans and renderings, etc. Keep an eye on your time-line. You should ask your audiovisual partner to send their quote to confirm the services. Remember: once you’ve confirmed the quote, there are still plans to draw up, material to prepare, team members to hire, trucks to load, etc.

Below is a list of the basic audiovisual equipment you may find in your budget: 

Sound

The basic elements to consider for event equipment rental range from mixing consoles and microphones to speakers and amplifiers, among others.

To discover the variety of microphones that exist, and which you should use on a given occasion, we recommend the following video: 

Lighting

Although every event is different, and each requires specific equipment, among the basic lighting assets you will find LEDs, moving lights, gobos, lighting desks, special effects equipment, etc. 

Lighting is the part of event equipment rental that empowers you to completely change a space.

The rented lighting equipment must be suited to the type of event you are producing. For example, at a product presentation, clear white light would be the best option to highlight the product. But at a fashion show, you may want to evoke a certain feeling with visual effects, by using more intense, colourful lighting. 

Video

Video equipment elements such as LED Screens, projectors, monitors, etc. are the most important elements for your content. What’s more, to create impactful experiences, this equipment is becoming increasingly complex. For that reason, you must do the necessary pre-production tasks to work on content and image resolution effectively. 

As shown, audiovisual equipment has a great influence on the final result of the event. Therefore, it’s important to understand the basic aspects when it comes to selecting the right suppliers and to master your AV quote. Research the track record of the audiovisual company you are going to hire, ask all the questions you think important, and above all, organize it with plenty of time in advance. If you keep all this in mind when it comes to preparing your equipment rental, your event will come off without a hitch!

This article was first published in Dushow Spain, you can read the original Spanish version here.