Event planners have a lot of tough decisions to make. Every part of the event needs to be just right, and the options for services seem endless. You as an event planner have no doubt struggled to determine if using an outside AV company would be better than just using your venue’s recommended option.
The bad news is that there’s not a concrete answer. The good news, however, is that a few key points can help you determine if an in-house or outside AV company is the right choice for your event.
In-House AV
Simply put, this is the audiovisual provider recommended by your chosen venue. Not every venue offers this, and some venues will strongly urge that you work with their provider instead of an outside AV supplier. Make sure to clarify what commitments you’re making when choosing a particular venue.
In-House AV is a perfectly serviceable choice depending on your needs. Those with smaller budgets or very basic needs will likely get the most benefit out of choosing the venue’s recommended in-house AV provider. These benefits include:
- Convenience
- Have you ever gone to the corner store for something that’s bigger and better quality at the grocery store a 15-minute drive away? That’s the power of convenience. Going with your venue’s in-house recommendation keeps you from needing to seek out a suitable external vendor, adding a little time back into your busy workday.
- Cost (In Specific Circumstances)
- Depending on the scope of your event, your AV and scenic needs may be exceptionally simple. If you just need someone to plug in and play a Spotify playlist, for example, using the venue’s in-house equipment is a way to make that happen without involving another vendor.
- But here’s the catch:
- In-house vendors are obligated to give the venue commission payment, which means they’re more likely to increase the cost of their services to recoup money lost to commissions. These hidden costs will often be passed onto you, the event planner- making anything but the simplest AV work costly.
The Drawbacks of In-House AV
The surface-level convenience of in-house AV carries some seriously steep hidden costs, such as:
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- Limited Scope and Availability of In-House Equipment
- In-house AV is often limited to the venue’s specifications. For example, you may need to have a specific room layout to accommodate the pre-existing set-up of installed screens and sound systems. Along with this, In-House AV equipment is usually more limited in variety than what you’d find with an external provider.
- Lack of Familiarity with Other Venues
- In most cases an in-house AV partner is a company in partnership with a venue, not direct employees of the venue. That partnership means the in-house partner often is very used to working in that venue, and inexperienced with working in other venues. This works well for one-time events but is especially unfortunate if the scope or location of your events changes over time- you’ll end up needing to either stay complacent or go back out to find another partner.
- Lack of Personal Attention
- Most venues will boast about how many jobs their chosen in-house provider handles. What they won’t mention is they’re going to be handling a lot of those jobs while working on yours, giving you a lot less personal care and attention than if you went with an outside company.
External AV Companies
In short, these are companies who specialize in AV and other technical production services without being fully beholden to a venue. Companies like Colortone, for example, can offer a wide range of services from audiovisual support to creating scenic elements.
Hiring an external AV and production company may seem daunting, but they can offer a great deal of benefits including:
- Committed and Attentive
- This, above all else, is the big AV Difference: An external AV company you hire is going to have you as their top priority. There will be no wondering if they’re acting in the venue’s interests over yours, especially if you hire a company who offers you a designated point of contact. The professionals at Colortone provide our clients with both a sales presence to keep their budget in check and an assigned event producer to work with you every step of the way, from concept to completion.
- Adaptable and Flexible
- Firms like us work with a vast array of venues and keep up to date with the conditions and regulations of each venue their clients use. You won’t find an external AV provider getting too complacent- they’ll know how to handle each new locale, giving you peace of mind in your event planning process.
- Wider Array of Services
- External providers can achieve some truly incredible things without the burden of venue commission fees. This frees up budget for additional offerings- from fabricating eye-catching scenic pieces to helping you coordinate other aspects of your event.
- Cutting-Edge Equipment
- An external company’s main goal is to provide stellar AV, plain and simple. A great provider has their own fully stocked warehouse with high-quality equipment, and if they’re especially great then they’ll have resources to leverage equipment even when they’re away from home base. Colortone is no stranger to this – with our 20,000 square foot warehouse and status as a founding member of the Event Production Network (EPN) – we have a wealth of state-of-the-art equipment.
Final Verdict
While the venue’s recommended vendor can work well in a pinch, you may want to seek an external vendor if you have recurring events or just want to take your event to the next level.
It’s always better to have someone who’s advocating for you and not just for the venue.
Working with both is possible as well, often times outside vendors are equipped to do that, so speak with the venue to learn about any requirements on using their vendors before finding one of your own to complement them. Having trouble finding an external vendor that suits you? Contact us and we’ll talk through the process with you- no strings attached.
