Planning a corporate event is an exciting but demanding task. With so many moving parts—venue selection, guest list, catering, programming—it’s easy to push audiovisual (AV) components to the background. However, if you want your event to run smoothly and impress your clients or attendees, AV should be a central consideration from the very start. Let’s explore how early engagement with your AV team can significantly elevate your planning process and event results, drawing from the framework shared by Seth Macchi in The Event Pro Show’s AV Playbook Part 1.
Why Early Engagement with Your AV Team Matters
One of the most common pitfalls in corporate event planning is assuming the venue’s in-house AV will handle all requirements without much input. As Seth points out, this approach may seem easier but often leads to missed opportunities for creativity, efficiency, and cost savings.
AV companies, especially those worth their salt, work months in advance. They juggle multiple projects, scheduling both human and equipment resources carefully to meet every client’s needs. Connecting with your AV partners as early as possible gives your event higher priority within their workflows, granting you access to their best talent and equipment. This proactive approach is what can turn a routine gathering into a memorable experience.
Understanding the Inner Workings of AV Companies
To maximize your partnership, it’s helpful to understand how AV companies structure their operations. Their work can be broken down into four core components: creativity, talent, equipment, and logistics.
First, the creative phase encompasses ideation, design, and visualization. AV teams often have specialists dedicated to brainstorming, drawing up floor plans, and creating digital renderings. This group, just like event planners, operates on a tight schedule and serves multiple clients. Early communication ensures your event is part of their thinking from the outset.
Next, the company manages talent—the technicians, project managers, and specialists who bring the event to life onsite. There’s only so much human capital to go around, so these roles are booked well ahead of time. Waiting too long to loop them in may leave you with a reduced selection of expertise.
Equipment management forms the third element. Supply in this area is finite as well. When AV teams know your needs early, they can allocate the best-suited gear for your unique setup.
Finally, logistics ties everything together. From the warehouse to your venue, an AV company arranges safe and timely transport of all materials, handled by skilled logistics personnel. Every step, from quality checks and cleaning to cable management, requires planning and coordination.
Leveraging Time for Creative and Effective Solutions
Giving your AV partner several weeks or months of lead time translates directly into value. When planners rush the process and present AV requirements at the last minute, partners must improvise using familiar solutions and preassembled packages, leaving less room for originality or surprise. By bringing your AV team in early, you enable them to reflect on your brand, objectives, and audience, leading to truly custom experiences.
Creative people work best when they have time to brainstorm and let ideas develop. Inspiration can strike outside the office—during a walk, over coffee, or in a quiet moment—if your AV partner has a clear understanding of your goals and enough runway to think.
Imagine this scenario: You approach your AV provider right after confirming your event. You share initial ideas, your vision, and projected needs. This advance notice allows their creative team to sketch out more innovative options, their logistics managers to schedule ideal equipment, and their talent coordinator to reserve your favorite on-site techs. The outcome is not just practicality or problem avoidance; it’s an event that stands out for ingenuity and polish.
Building the Foundation: Steps Toward Better AV Planning
Success does not happen by accident. It comes from deliberate steps that cultivate strong relationships with your support teams. Start by defining your go-to network of trusted partners. If you don’t already have a list of preferred AV suppliers, begin researching those with solid reputations. Take time to review and update your list, factoring in newcomers or alternative providers to ensure you are aligning with the best available resources.
Bringing these partners in as soon as you receive your initial event brief is the next critical step. Rather than waiting until you have every detail finalized, reach out early to share preliminary information. Invite their input at the concept stage, not just after final decisions are made.
It is equally vital to clarify your key requirements before developing a full request for proposals. Outline what your event absolutely must include to be successful. These baseline needs provide a starting point for creative problem-solving and informed quoting. When possible, include a ballpark budget. This transparency enables your AV team to tailor their recommendations to your financial and experiential objectives. If they know your top priorities and limits, they will focus efforts to find solutions within your scope.
The Ripple Effect of Good Planning
Following this process doesn’t just make life easier for your AV vendor. It has a direct positive impact on your event’s outcome and your reputation as a planner. When your partners have more time to process information and plan, they can identify efficiencies in scheduling or equipment bundling, which frequently results in cost savings. Timely logistics planning prevents last-minute mishaps, delays, or emergencies.
Furthermore, by giving the creative professionals on your team space to ponder your vision, you unlock fresh ideas and technical possibilities that elevate your event above the norm. This is how you create experiences that attendees remember and clients want to repeat.
Making AV Work for You
Treat your AV partners not as a last-minute box to check but as strategic collaborators who can transform the atmosphere and impact of your event. Begin your planning process by identifying partners who understand the importance of early engagement and creative thinking. Bring them into the conversation early, spell out your must-haves, and give them as much time as possible to plan and innovate.
If you are in the market for an excellent AV team who is ready to work with you, contact LEMG here! Also, if you’d like to listen to the full podcast episode that explains the ideas above in greater detail, tune in here:
