One major key to success of an event where presentations are made is having the right audio visual equipment available.

The right equipment does wonders in enhancing the presentation experience, especially when your audience numbers in the hundreds.

For this, you have two options: invest in the equipment and personnel needed; or, if your events are far and in-between, of variable audience and venue size, rent the audio visual equipment you will need for your event from a supplier (who also provides the technicians). Renting is always a good option so that you can focus on the real purpose of your event (i.e., the presentation) and not worry about such details before, during, and after your event. Finding suppliers who offer rentals is not a difficult task since there are many to choose from. However, especially for major events, finding the right supplier does take some doing, unless the sky’s the limit as far your budget is concerned (which is most likely not the case). The trick is to be able to find a good balance between achieving your ideal presentation experience and making the dollars and cents make sense. Here are a few tips you might want to consider in renting audio visual equipment: • Ask the venue administrator for referrals. When you have chosen the venue you want to hold your event in, ask for referrals of audio video equipment rental suppliers who have actually worked there. These suppliers already know more or less the kind of equipment that will work well in the venue and will most likely be able to give you the ideal rental price considering their experience there. • Make sure your supplier is flexible to handle unforeseen circumstances. If there is one “law” that is appropriate for any event, it is Murphy’s. Your supplier needs to be able to quickly respond to all minor (and some major) mishaps that might occur during the event proper, e.g., having spare bulbs for the projectors, standby speakers and amplifier equipment to handle a bigger crowd, etc.

This “insurance” might cost you a bit more but it is going to be worth it, if only for the comfort of knowing that your event will not be jeopardized. • Be upfront with your budget. Remember that it is your money after all, so the less you spend the better! If your potential supplier knows what your budget it, he will adjust without sacrificing much of the quality of service that you require from the audio visual equipment you will rent. Sometimes it might mean that you will have to settle for less projector screens or wired microphones instead of lapel mikes, but as long as you are happy with that your budget brings you quality that meets your minimal expectations, then that is really what matters. Following these tips will help you in finding the right supplier or suppliers for rentals of the audio video equipment and maintenance/operations personnel that you will need to help make sure that what your audience sees and hears gets enhanced for a pleasant overall event experience.