For some, reading the letters A and V paired together reminds them of the old red and yellow cables you had to plug into the back of the televisions of yesteryear. In many ways, it's the perfect metaphor for the industry since each capable represented the audio (A) and the visual (V) element of the signal transfer from one source to another.
Speaking more generally, the audio visual (AV) industry has come a long way in the past couple of decades. The audio visual installations in London and Surrey that we oversee today go far beyond the good old days of a projector, screen, microphone, and speaker setup. In fact, more often than not, we find ourselves coming up with custom AV hire solutions for our clients' events.
So if you're a little rusty when it comes to AV installations, don't worry. We are going to use this space to bring you up to speed with everything you need to know, including how and when you might need to hire the services of a sound and lighting installation company.
The Audio Visual (AV) Industry at a Glance
As we mentioned at the top of this piece, the AV industry has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and AV installations are now required across a broad spectrum of industries. From fashion events, conferences, and exhibitions to higher education, festivals, and even weddings, events and venues across several industries all require AV equipment hire and associated services. Gone are the days of only supplying these systems to conferences and educational environments.
AV has expanded as a term to incorporate anything that fits its literal description, that is to say, any piece of equipment that emits audio or visual media (or both). As you can imagine, that's an extensive scope. Lighting, sound equipment, and even LED screens can all play their part in today's AV systems and installations. This probably explains why recent market analysis of the event equipment hire industry shows that AV hire is now one of the biggest source of growth for leading suppliers.
But in a way, AV installations in London and Surrey are even more all-encompassing. Why? Because the physical pieces of equipment that make up an overall AV installation are only one piece of the puzzle. You also have to make sure that venue factors such as acoustics, natural lighting, and even the layout of complementary aspects such as staging equipment and seating are all optimised to give those attending your event enjoy the best audio and visual experience possible.
So what type of venues are suitable for AV installations?
Are All Venues Suitable for Audio Visual Installations?
Over a decade ago, it used to be the case that those needing AV installations for events (or ongoing purposes) were restricted to specific venues such as hotel conference suites that were already well equipped to accommodate projectors, screens, and all other AV aspects.
However, today, we can set up AV installations just about anywhere. Sports halls, lecture auditoriums, marquees, and even extensive county manors in the Kent countryside! Simply put, we have the capacity to supply AV equipment and services to pretty much any venue or location you can think of. Of course, some are much more challenging to work with than others (and may incur additional costs); however, in principle, there's nothing we can't handle.
Again, this is another sign of the development of the AV space. When we first started, we were very much providing AV equipment hire to conference venues such as purpose-built centres in the Heathrow area, or hotel suites. But as the years wore on, wireless connectivity improved, and in the current age of IoT technology, AV installations have become almost limitless.
Today we provide AV equipment to events than span several industries. So let's spend a few minutes running you through a couple of examples to give you a better idea of what's involved in the AV installation process.
Audio Visual Installation London Examples
Let's use what is our bread and butter in the form of conferences as an example of how we go about supplying our AV hire services to our numerous clients. We handle everything from small presentations in a local London hotel to industry-wide gatherings with prominent key-note speakers at prestigious venues.
For the smaller of these two events, we most frequently provide clients with a projector and screen combo, before setting up a high-quality pair of PA speakers, and a wireless clip-on microphone. We'll often do a run-through (rehearsal if you prefer) beforehand to check that the sound levels are correct and ensure that items such as the cable connecting the laptop and projector are functioning as they should. We often also supply a simple, small carpeted stage to complete the AV installation.
For larger conference and exhibition events, AV installations are much more involved. Before we even get to the critical pieces of equipment, we look at the overall set design. For significant events, we frequently have to come up with custom stage and set designs to accommodate the AV installation and the broader wishes of the client.
Moving on the AV equipment itself we then supply a range of stage lighting options for the client to choose from, and we beef up the sound system to include line arrays, stage monitors, subwoofers, and amps. At this point, we usually ditch the projector and go for razor-sharp 3.9mm pixel pitch LED screens instead, which give audiences at this scale a much better viewing experience.
Once all of the equipment specs and overall set and stage furniture designs have been approved, it's time for our setup crews made up of engineers and technicians to make their way over to the venue (which is often the ExCeL) and set up. Once we've got all of the pieces of the AV installation in place, we get sign off from the client and return after the conference finishes to dismantle and return everything to the warehouse.
It's All About Producing the Desired End Product
Whether it's a conference, or a company's annual awards evening, the industry or type of industry is largely irrelevant when it comes to pulling off successful AV installations in London, Surrey, or anywhere else for that matter. It's all about successfully delivering an installation that conveys information and content to audiences of all sizes in an engaging and absorbing manner.
If you host an event that has audience members straining their neck to see a screen, or struggling to hear what your media content or presenters are saying, then it's reputation is going to be hard to repair. Even for events that are celebrations such as weddings, while being heard and seen is probably a given, the quality of those audio and visual experiences will live long in the memory.
That's why it takes an all-encompassing approach from your chosen sound and lighting installation company. Everything has to be taken into account when deciding upon the best AV hire package for you including but limited to:
Number of attendees
Seating arrangements of audience members
Size of the venue (including ceiling heights and available floor space)
The acoustics of the chosen environment
Nature of the venue (e.g. hotel, conference centre, outdoor marquee)
Budget
Timescales
Logistics
Event theme (e.g. weddings)
Power source options (especially if outdoors)
Of course, this is precisely what we do here at On Tour Events, and have been doing so since the late 1990s! But what else makes us one of London's premier AV installation specialists? We're glad you asked…
Why Choose On Tour Events as Your Audio Visual Installations Partner?
Over the years, we've worked incredibly hard to build our reputation as London and Surrey's leading AV hire services provider. We're proud of a decades-long track record that has seen us nominated as the preferred AV supplier for literally dozens of events and conference venues across London, Surrey, and the South East.
We do not pay, and will not ever pay a venue for that privilege. Instead, we have earned that right by working diligently over the years to impress clients at all costs. It's a commitment to client satisfaction that continues to pay dividends to this day!
So what is it about the specific way we operate that has helped us to differentiate ourselves from other London-based AV hire companies?
Well, for a start, we are one of the only all-encompassing technical event production companies in the UK. On Tour Events is an amalgamation of four different companies that have been serving the events industry for over three decades. If you're wondering how that benefits you, it means we can provide anything you require when it comes to AV installations. Yes, we really mean everything!
Whether you need to hire a stage, lighting, sound, and LED screen package capable of meeting the needs of thousands of audience members, or all you require is a small projector and screen combo for your annual company retreat, we've got you covered.
Next on the list of our advantages is our commitment to our equipment. In short, we cannot be matched. Each year we reinvest profits back into new equipment. As a result, our AV hire services provide you with exclusively state-of-the-art equipment from industry-leading brand names such as d&b audiotechnik, Showtec, Shure, Chauvet, and Midas, to name just a mere fraction of what we have in stock. It doesn't matter whether you're hiring a projector or a microphone, if have it supplied by us, it's the best in the business.
We have three warehouses bursting with market-leading equipment and boast one of the biggest inventories in just not the UK, but most of Western Europe. Everything is cleaned and maintained in-house by our on-site team, and their meticulous attention to detail has ensured we've never had a piece of equipment fail on us during an AV installation. How's THAT for a track record?!
Finally, it would be remiss of us not to mention our incredible team. They will be with you every step of the way, from turning your initial idea into a bespoke set design to handling the on-site assembly and artistic direction. And trust us when we say they are the best at what they do. From mixing sound and rigging lights to designing and building stages, our crew of engineers and technicians possess over a century of industry experience between them!
Choose the Right London AV Hire Company for Your Next Installation
Hopefully, you've now got a pretty good idea of what goes into pulling off a successful AV installation in London (or anywhere else for that matter). As you will now understand, you need to hire a sound and lighting installation company that takes a holistic approach to your event.
Here at On Tour Events, we are one of the biggest AV installation providers in the country. While we certainly aren't the cheapest, what we provide you with is the best possible equipment and most-experienced personnel at a price that cannot be beaten.
So if you would like to learn more about how we can supply a jaw-dropping AV installation to your event's venue, don't hesitate to get in contact with our friendly On Tour Events team using the information below. We can't wait to hear what you have planned!
On Tour Events: Technical Audio Visual Event Services London
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