News – Quest Audio Visual

Diverse Talent and Roles within an Event Production Company

Written by Connie on 26 April 2023. Posted in Event Planning, General, News, Productions. Leave a Comment

The events industry is a dynamic field with diverse talent. It thrives on individuals’ creativity, innovation, and expertise in various roles within Audio Visual Production. From event owners who manage the overall vision and budget to project managers who coordinate logistics and technical leads who oversee audio, visual, and lighting components, each role is crucial in bringing event visions to life.

A diverse range of skills is needed to successfully navigate the ever-evolving events industry. From initiators who come up with fresh ideas to innovators who embrace new technologies. Additionally, creative thinkers who bring unique perspectives, team players who collaborate seamlessly, tech enthusiasts who stay updated with the latest advancements, and detail-oriented and client-focused individuals who ensure flawless every aspect.

Let’s dive into our different roles and titles within the event production.

The Roles

Event owners, also known as event planners, are the driving force behind the initial planning process. Most importantly, they work closely with clients to understand and execute their vision within the budget and timeline.

Account executives, with their technical expertise and event planning experience. They can build trusted client relationships by offering customized solutions during the RFP, quoting, and discovery process.

The labour coordinator is critical in securing the best talent for event production operations. They work closely with account executives and the operations team to schedule project managers, technical support, delivery drivers, set up and crew members. Additionally, they, internally and through freelance agencies, ensure the seamless execution of the event.

Project managers are the lead interface between the client and the technical event production team. They take overall responsibility for the event, coordinating logistics, managing resources, and ensuring smooth operations.

Event producers, with their cross-functional responsibilities. They also manage the in-depth details of the event program. Most importantly, including rehearsal time and serving as a single point of contact for the event team, presenters, and executives.

Technical directors oversee and provide directions to the audio, visual, and lighting crew members during the event setup and production. The audio lead, also known as the A1, is responsible for setting up and operating the audio system, including speaker placement, wireless microphone frequencies, and soundboard operation. Meanwhile, the video lead manages the visual components, including projection, presentation files, video playback, and web streaming.

Camera operators, working closely with the technical director, capture the event on camera, ensuring that every moment is documented professionally.

Lighting leads, or L1, play a crucial role in setting up and rigging the lighting system, ensuring the right ambience and spotlighted spaces for the audience. Also, they are part artists, riggers, and electricians, creating the perfect visual atmosphere for the event.

The operations director plays a critical role in managing the logistics and inventory of event production equipment, ensuring that all required equipment is picked, inspected, and packed as per the event order and ready for delivery.

The warehouse manager works closely with the operations director to ensure all equipment is safely inspected and secured. Therefore, they can prepare for upcoming events.

What Do You Need For Your Next Event

Depending on the scale of the event production, different combinations of audio-visual roles collaborate and work fluidly together to ensure flawless execution. The creativity, innovation, and expertise of individuals in the events industry are the driving forces behind producing exciting events that leave a lasting impression on attendees.

In conclusion, the events industry requires diverse roles in Audio Visual Production to bring event visions to life. With a team of initiators, innovators, creative thinkers, team players, tech enthusiasts, and detail-oriented and client-focused individuals, the events industry continues to evolve and thrive. As always, creating unforgettable experiences for audiences.

The dedication and expertise of these professionals ensure that events are executed flawlessly, leaving a lasting impact on attendees and setting new standards for the industry. With their combined efforts, the events industry continues to push boundaries, deliver unique experiences, and elevate the event production world to new heights.

So, are you ready to plan your next event? We’re ready to help and look forward to connecting you with our diverse team of talented individuals. They are all passionate about driving event success for our clients.

Quest AV Would like to help!

If you’re looking to create an event experience to be remembered, we at Quest Audio Visual would love to help.
We provide expert event planning advice, equipment, virtual streaming services, tech support, and more!
Contact our team today to learn more about our professional AV and event production services.

Get a Quote Now!

Effective Communication is the Golden Key to Success

Written by Connie on 6 April 2023. Posted in Event Planning, General, News, Productions. Leave a Comment

When it comes to events, creating innovative event production solutions can be a challenging task for any experienced professional. Many variables must be considered, and robust checklists of details must be reviewed, coordinated, and communicated. We share our golden wish list of essential elements to create effective communication. Therefore, secure your collaborative success in making your event vision a reality.

Golden Wish List of Essential Information:

KPI & Smart Goals
Event Vision and Experience Type (Virtual / Hybrid/ In-Person)
Venue Space, Location, and Capacity
Budget
Event Dates/ Schedules / Logistics Program Flow
Collaborative Partners and Stakeholders

KPI & Smart Goals

All events have a set of key performance indicators that event planners and their stakeholders will use to measure the event’s success. Communicating your KPIs with your suppliers will ensure that recommendations and solutions are aligned and stay on track with your measurable goals. For example, your KPI requires sharing keynote content with accessible options for 1000 participants joining virtually. This vital information will lead your AV partner to recommend video recording or live-streaming options for your event production requirements and a virtual platform solution that can host 1000 participants to view online.

Defined Event Type (Virtual / Hybrid/ In-Person)

Share your goals and visions as it relates to the Event Type. We are in the burst of in-person events. We understand event planners still need event planners to create a more sustainable and accessible event experiences. These may require virtual and hybrid options. Share your plans and the event type. This will impact the recommendations on equipment or technology platform solutions needed to amplify your accessible and more sustainable goals.

Venue Space, Location, and Capacity

All locations and venue spaces create different opportunities for creating innovative experiences. When sourcing the ideal venue space, remember the vision, capacity, and event production space you need to produce your event experience. We highly recommend a coordinated site visit to include your AV Partner to walk through the event flow you envision. Therefore, help identify potential pain points and workarounds based on the architectural structures that a venue space may present. We know the power of in-person site visits will significantly improve the visualization of your event vision and validate from the plans and compacity charts. A more accurate value is that you’ll also discover some surprises you will appreciate avoiding on the event day.

Budget

Be transparent with your event production budget plans. This is where effective communication is key. This will enable your supplier partners to provide recommendations within the scope of the budget. Above all, share your budget. In addition, your trusted AV partners will creatively provide solutions that work within it. We all know that the higher the budget, the more creative and high-tech the options you will have to choose from. We also know that presenting unrealistic options to a budget plan will defeat an effective event project plan as well. Kick-start your RFP experience by sharing your real budget, and your Trusted AV Partner will do their best to recommend and provide creative audio-visual solutions that will work. This also helps reduce the number of times you’ll have to go back and forth on a proposal.

Event Details/ Schedules / Run of Show

Event professionals are praised for their innate ability to pay close attention to and the coordination of the infinite details at play in producing flawless events. There are many behind-the-scenes actions, team members, and moving parts. Here, it is vital to share early and have a communication cadence when effectively sharing the event details, schedules and Run of Show. In many cases, the Run of the Show will coordinate all the event details, technical support, and setup requirements to make the event production a reality. Share as much detail as possible throughout the planning process, as every change may have a domino effect over the other program elements.

Other Partners and Stakeholders

A large-scale event production often involves multiple stakeholders and supplier partners. It will be essential to share a list of the event partners and what they are responsible for during the event planning process and during the event production days. The different partners will need to understand who the various partners are so they can use effective communication, collaborate, and support each other with a focus on delivering a great event production experience for the client and their guests.

For example, AV companies must communicate with the venue conference team for live events regarding the setup, storage, access to the event spaces, and any labour policies in handling specific actions. For hybrid events, AV production companies must collaborate and share with the virtual platform team. This is to ensure that the streaming connection points are tested and working correctly. There may also need to be a coordinated technical rehearsal between the AV company, the virtual platform, and the speakers so that everyone knows what is happening, what they need to do, and how to do it.

In summary, it is widely acknowledged that effective communication is crucial for successful partnerships and collaborations, particularly in Event Production. At Quest Audio Visual, a team of passionate technical event professionals with a strong reputation for building trust with clients. We consider communication to be the key to our success in flawlessly bringing event visions to reality.

Quest AV Would like to help!

Working In Unusual Event Venues

Written by Quest Audio Visual on 4 July 2022. Posted in News. Leave a Comment

Where you’re hosting your event can say quite a lot by itself, as can how you’re delivering the messaging. Having these two elements work in harmony is key to creating a unified experience for all attendees. However, it’s the latter that must be shaped to fit the setting more so than the other way around; effective audiovisual production must be designed for each specific setting, including unusal event venues.

While many event planners follow similar processes for putting events together – from an AV perspective, each new space can present unique opportunities and challenges. Be it hotels, meeting/convention centres, or a totally out-of-the-box setting. Your AV partner should be prepared to break from any preconceived notions or cookie-cutter-style events in order to support your specific event. In this series, we’ll shed some light on how we as AV production experts look at planning specifically as it applies to these different settings. Our goal is to better inform event planners about what options work best in each environment. Aslo,where major costs lie sooner than later. After all, when it comes to events, all the surprises should be saved for the audience, not the planners.

Unusual Event Venues

To begin this series, we’ll cover the unconventional and otherwise less common places where events might take place. When we say unusual, we’re referring to the tents, hangers, showrooms, churches, cathedrals, lobbies, and whatever else you might come up with. Especially in the warmer months, it may not even be limited to physical structures, favoring open-air settings instead for event venues.

Sometimes, spaces may be chosen due to specific factors. For example; size, accommodations, location, or something more experiential. It’s important to consider these factors when planning the AV production. Not forgetting, at times to even extenuate them as part of the event theme.

Options / Opportunities

From an AV perspective, our goal is always to design an effective system organically around the space. One that is both consistent with event goals and as unobtrusive on the setting as possible. For instance, when the natural aesthetic of the space is a key component of the look and feel of an event.

Conventional projection screens with their drape dress kits aren’t always the best fit (office buildings, tents, museums, libraries…etc.). They consume a lot of space, both horizontally and vertically. Especially in venues with interesting architecture, they can make things look plain. TV monitors will offer more open space, flexibility, and won’t take away from the venue’s aesthetic. In other cases, you can find a projection scenario that fits well within the overall design. Secondly, perhaps ditching the dress kit to find flat reflective surfaces, or using the screen and frame alone hung on walls. Note, that’s just one example. However, it demonstrates the thought process we take into planning the initial stages.

Of course, at times being cost-effective is the primary goal. In which case you may be focused on leveraging anything you can that exists in the venue already. Perhaps there’s a built-in overhead PA system (hangars, cathedrals, showrooms…) that is available to patch into. Additionally, that may reduce costs significantly by itself if the system is appropriate for the task. For things like this, we ALWAYS recommend a site visit to the event venues with your AV partner to test these systems firsthand. After all, anything they don’t personally service and maintain is adding a calculated risk to the equation. Thankfully, in many cases, the reward outweighs those risks (and associated costs of temporary replacement).

Guidelines & Cost Drivers

While the options for unique event spaces can be seemingly endless. The process for planning the significant AV costs is generally the same. The first: is electrical power. Whether you’re in an older structure without modern electrical engineering, or a tent with nothing at all, electrical costs can really move the needle on an event budget or act as a major limitation of what you can afford to do.

While LED screens and basic coloured uplighting won’t drive your cost too much. Projection, heavy sound reinforcement, and elaborate lighting designs will. Generators of all sizes can be a solution to many problems if your location will allow it. Also, tapping into the existing electrical infrastructure. Regardless, consider that any other event components (catering hotplates, coffee makers, cook tent utility lighting…etc.) will also be drawing from that same power source. All of it needs to be addressed and accounted for in advance.

The path of load-in is another, less obvious aspect to consider. Are there stairs with no ramp or elevator? Are there obstacles or narrow spaces to maneuver through? Is the space itself directly accessible with a truck? When you consider how heavy much of the equipment and cabling involved in AV production can be, all of these factors can have great impact on how long your setup will take. Thereby how much time prior to the event start you’ll need to book your venue. It also affects how many people will be required to set it all up. Technical staff can represent nearly 50% of your AV budget or more, and so it’s important to consider that with any new event space.

Extras

With more equipment comes more empty cases – and they’ll need a place to stay during the event. These unusual event spaces may be the right fit for your attendees, but what doesn’t meet the eye may be another cost driver. It’s true that empty cases can always be taken back and removed for the duration of the event. But, just consider that extra time will be necessary on the way in AND on the way out, and that the extra time may play a role in your costs. On the other hand, if there are other event components, breakout rooms, or cocktail parties that don’t set up right away, you’ll either need a place to stash the gear or end up needing to schedule a separate delivery.

Approach

The first step is the same as always: what’s the format of the event? Is it a cocktail event that is focused entirely on networking and fun? Or, is it presentation driven with a stage, MC, podium…etc. This will often dictate the layou. Many spaces will have an optimum location for a presentation area. If there’s no presentation, then you have free range; but if not, you may be best served to start there.

Then, the visuals will be the next major decision to make, as that will often take up the most real estate. Consider the notes above on projection vs TV monitors, and be prepared to get creative if necessary. Audio and lighting are often a bit more flexible and forgiving in terms of specific placements of things, but everything will have to be planned precisely nonetheless. Since your unusual event space may not be perfectly rectangular like a hotel ballroom, you’ll need to have a clear plan. To do so, conducting site visits are absolutely key. Taking measurements and other detailed production notes along with having in-depth discussions and visualizations together with your AV partner will offer both a clear mental image of what your event will look like and the assurance that the plan will work.

One Last Thing

Lastly, in addition to your AV partner, you should also use your venue contacts as a knowledge resource. Generally speaking, they will know their space the best, and you may even find that the best design for your event can be drawn from their past experiences. Many will recommend the most common setup and orientation that they’ve seen within their space; and who could blame them? There are fewer surprises and challenges which makes their jobs the easiest. But if you ask the questions, you may find some inspiration at the very least with your event venues.

Quest AV Would like to help!

Video Formats

Written by Quest Audio Visual on 4 July 2022. Posted in News. Leave a Comment

At the heart of audiovisual production, and indeed live events in general, there is a message that needs to be communicated. Whether it’s spoken word alone, performance based, or entirely visual, taking care of the delivery of the message is absolutely critical. This is why video formats are important.

It’s very often that our clients’ events are centered around showing a video. One that’s been created with great care, attention to detail, and of course money. However, for the same reasons you might want to catch a new film in a theater as opposed to on your couch, the quality of the video’s presentation – its delivery – can make or break the impact it has on its audience. An equal amount of care should be given to the delivery as with its creation. Firstly, it all starts with planning.

Before The Event

Aside from designing an optimal physical setup, whenever possible, the videos (and all other visual content) should be sent to your audiovisual partner in advance of the event date. This allows us to check the quality of the video. Most importantly, the formatting and adding it to our workflow on the very same laptop that will be used to roll it during the show. The purpose is to rule out any and all variables possible that could lead to a flawed delivery. There are plenty of times when we catch problems at this stage. Sometimes it’s a spelling error, an editing gaff, or even an incorrect, corrupted, or unfinished file, but regardless, catching it early is key.

The industry’s best practice for delivering videos is to use a program specifically designed for live event video playback. This is called Playback Pro. The best choices of video format to use with this program are either .MOV or .MP4. There are options for converting files. For example, adding one more variable to control. However, since most video editing software can render several different file formats it is best to create it in one of those two at the source.

All of this is of course best-case scenario. There are times when flash drives are handed to us shortly before we’re asked to roll those videos. Open communication of concerns is important at every step of the way. But rest assured, that when the doors open and the lights come on, we’re always on the same team. We are ready to work with you however we need to in order to produce a successful event.

Quest AV Would like to help!

Venues with Installed AV Systems: 3 Things to Consider

Written by Quest Audio Visual on 4 July 2022. Posted in News. Leave a Comment

It’s common sense. The venue seems to have everything you need at your disposal: the Food & Beverage, stages, tables, and AV systems. By pulling a bit more value from your venue, you can save 15-20% of your event budget. The reality is, you could be totally right. Modern, consumer-friendly AV equipment is now commonplace. Spanning your wireless home sound system to the smartphone apps that we can control them with. Today, if you have enough time, a good system design, and a bit of tech know-how, you may just be in the clear. But before you arrive for set up, there are a few things to consider.

Personnel

The first, and arguably the most important thing to ask yourself before deciding to use the installed AV equipment at a venue is. Will we have someone on-site familiar with all the technology we rely on? Some components might seem obvious enough, but you may forget how much time you’ve spent sifting through instruction booklets. Digital? Analog? VGA or HDMI? Do you need both? You can end up racking your brain to get a logo on-screen, while your cocktail music gets lost in the walls between your client’s iPad and the overhead speakers. The line between success and failure is always thin onsite. The half-hour you lost scrolling through menus and toggling inputs could just be that.

Be sure to have an events team in place that includes someone that has a thorough understanding of the equipment. It can be venue staff with proper system training, an outside AV production partner, or an internal media services team who can join you on your site visits and plan accordingly. Otherwise, it’s just another thing that’s all on you.

Programming

Installed AV also presents challenges in a broader sense; the very nature of installing something makes it permanent and exists with its own set of limitations. When the production level goes up and you need to maintain a level of flexibility, be sure you know whether or not your event needs can be met.

Beyond just the physical parameters, this AV equipment almost always involves some custom programming work. This is usually done by a third-party installation team. This introduces a human element into the equation. The design of the AV systems could be flawed, outdated, or even just a bad fit for your event flow. Especially in venues with air walls and different room configurations. Therefore, you could be leaving the door open to annoying control (or a lack thereof) issues.

Of course, the design can be great too, but your ideal event flow may just be out of sync with its capabilities. In some cases, the configurations can be altered, but be warned: the third-party engineers who installed the AV equipment are likely the only people who can address it. So, if you’re thinking outside the box, you’re going to need to leave yourself the time to get proper assistance. Most importantly, you should always have a backup plan.

Find that person you trust to know the installed AV systems in and out, and talk through your event program with them in detail. You may discover conflicts that were not apparent or advantages you could have missed out on. In the case of conflict, be sure to ask if there’s anything you can do to supplement the installed AV system with outside equipment. You don’t always have to choose exclusively between venue assets, and the right tools for the show. Be advised, it’s not always as simple as bringing in an extra microphone, and the total cost increase varies with each situation – but it’s still less than if you had to build everything from the ground up.

Problem

An age-old and often hard to ask question: “What happens if there’s a problem?”

Most won’t wish it on their enemies. However, the reality is there is any number of ways for something to go wrong. There are controllable things like human error or poor planning. In addition, there are uncontrollable and unforeseen circumstances like equipment failure. Technology is thus far inherently flawed; AV equipment can break or otherwise fail, especially as it ages. Of course, everything is maintained and tested incessantly, but it’s the reason larger-scale productions will include redundancy at every avenue their budgets will provide for.

In the case of installed AV systems, it all comes down to one word: “liability.” Who’s responsible for what? Especially if you happen to have a third-party audiovisual partner supplementing an installed AV system, it’s important to know where their responsibility ends and the venue’s begins. And if there is any preparation work that needs to take place, there should be a clear expectation set for all parties on who’s doing what.

Frankly, it’s usually a simple answer and a quick conversation, but you’ll be glad you had it if you’re ever caught in the middle. Talk with your venue staff, your internal team, or your AV production partner prior to every event and gather thoughts and concerns. That way, whatever happens after the lights come on and the cameras start recording, everyone will be on the same page.

Quest AV Would like to help!

If you’re looking to create an event experience to be remembered, we at Quest Audio Visual would love to help.
We provide expert event planning advice, av equipment, virtual streaming services, av tech support, and more!
Contact our team today to learn more about our professional AV and event production services.

Get a Quote Now!

Flying vs. Ground Supporting

Written by Quest Audio Visual on 4 July 2022. Posted in News. Leave a Comment

When it comes to designing a production, and especially in hotels, one question comes up often. “To hang it, or not to hang it?” You may hear this referred to as “flying” or “rigging”, vs. “ground supporting” or “ground-stacking.”

The main benefits to hanging anything are: it can free up a lot of space. Also, it can solve technological challenges, and it just looks better. To attendees, it’s an immediately noticeable indicator of production value. That there’s a level of permanence to what you’ve set up for them can make an impact on how seriously they view the content, and your group.

But there are times when the decision isn’t clear. So, what do you do? Flying or ground supporting?

Just consider this: aside from costing more, hanging equipment starts first with needing more time. Think of the setup day as a full setup day. Setting up a show with significant rigging takes a lot of coordination between multiple ends of the AV production spectrum alone, and even coordination with banquets or event staff.

After the hours spent attaching the gear to the appropriate lifting apparatus (chains, motors…etc.), we will likely also need to service the equipment once it’s up there to get everything focused properly. That means a lift beeping and buzzing its way around the event space for more hours still. No tables can be set underneath, and other ends of our team and the hotel staff may be unable to continue working until it’s done. So you end up with some waiting around, and that’s just the nature of it. It has to be right – safety is of paramount concern, so the time is necessary.

On top of that, there’s often another group involved – whether it’s the in-house AV department or an outside rigging company, you may run into a contractual obligation to have another group actually handle the physical hanging of the equipment. That often means a whole separate crew showing up for just that, and cost efficiency goes down.

Diverse Talent and Roles within an Event Production Company

The Roles

What Do You Need For Your Next Event

Quest AV Would like to help!

Effective Communication is the Golden Key to Success

Golden Wish List of Essential Information:

KPI & Smart Goals

Defined Event Type (Virtual / Hybrid/ In-Person)

Venue Space, Location, and Capacity

Budget

Event Details/ Schedules / Run of Show

Other Partners and Stakeholders

Quest AV Would like to help!

Working In Unusual Event Venues

Unusual Event Venues

Options / Opportunities

Guidelines & Cost Drivers

Extras

Approach

One Last Thing

Quest AV Would like to help!

Video Formats

Before The Event

Quest AV Would like to help!

Venues with Installed AV Systems: 3 Things to Consider

Personnel

Programming

Problem

Quest AV Would like to help!

Flying vs. Ground Supporting

Quest AV Would like to help!

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