Planner Beware!
Avoid contracts that pre-select your AV company.

Because audio/visual plays such a major role in the success of an event – from setting the tone, to delivering a message and entertaining attendees – it’s important for a planner to have options when working with an audio/visual company.

That’s why planners should always look for any language in hotel contracts regarding audio visual services before signing the contract. Many hotels will send a standard contract to a planner that stipulates using the hotel’s in-house audio visual company. Savvy event planners know that using the A/V company of their choice is always an option when booking an event with a hotel.

"Read the contract in detail and in advance. Before you sign, let the hotel know that you would prefer to use the audio visual company of your choice, “ says Dave Howell of Velocity Audio Visual Services. “Using an in-house audio visual company is not required and is negotiable."

Also, the benefits of selecting an independent A/V company are numerous, including:

•         • Competitive pricing
          • Experienced and professional crew
          • State-of-the-art, cutting edge equipment
          • Familiarity with client expectations and needs
          • Ability to have the same technicians at every event nationwide

"Our national clients rely on us wherever their events are," Howell says. "They don’t have to work with someone different in each city or reinvent the wheel for every show."

However, once a planner signs a contract that includes use of in-house A/V, an array of constraints and limitations can be placed on an otherwise successful event.

Patricia Walsh, owner of Epicurus Events, points to the many pitfalls of not scrutinizing a contract and negotiating A/V services up front. "There are some venues that will penalize you if, after you sign a contract that requires in-house A/V, you want to use a professional, off-site audio visual company."

Penalties include being billed for power and losing room discounts, to paying penalties of up to 20% or your estimated A/V expenditures. Howell also points out that "in-house A/V companies are typically required to pay the hotel at least 50 percent of their fee back to the hotel, adding more costs to an event."

Planners have a choice when it comes to hiring an audio visual company. "Be diligent," Howell says. In doing so you will be able to maintain control of your event and choose the company you work with.

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