Stop Overpaying for In-House AV: Partner with Budget-Smart Event Production Experts

Did you know that you’re going to pay 2-3 times more for in-house AV and receive a less specialized team to work with? You deserve more than overpriced AV and generic venue services. You deserve a partner that specializes in personalized stage production management and puts your event’s success, and your budget, first! That’s where we come in. Our Show Producers and Technical Directors have vast experience in everything from stage design, content development for LED walls to managing a meticulous production schedule. And one of our specialties is partnering early to guide you through tricky contracts to find potential hidden fees to ensure your event is elevated and meets your budget.

“Consider having an experienced production company review your hotel contract on general session/breakout audio visual and internet before signing. Once your venue contract is signed your negotiating power immediately goes out the window.” Says Haley Foulkes, Vice President of Production Services. “Getting us involved early to look at your contract is key because once you have signed that legal binding contract, we have to get creative in other ways to make things work within your bottom-line budget.”

Ways to Save Before you Sign

Watch Out for Venue Exclusivities
If you’re not careful, venues will lock you in with their in-house AV team and not allow third-party production companies, like us, to provide AV and technicians. Another variation we’ve seen lately is Breakout Exclusivity. Those breakout rooms will cost the same if not more than your general session production simply because of a line in the venue contract. It’s important to negotiate these kinds of terms with your venue to save your budget and allocate those dollars for an elevated experience in the general session.

Start the Process Early
In a perfect world, events and conferences have begun planning 18-24 months in advance. Planning a conference in less than 18 months isn’t impossible but doing so gives more power to the venue, risking higher rental prices on the space and sleeping room rates, less flexibility with meeting space access times, and more sacrifices to your conference wish list. Say goodbye to that beautiful LED wall.

Avoid this common mistake by planning early and involving a production company that you can trust. Our team is able to create proposals that include room diagrams, stage concept renderings, and production enhancement recommendations to help source a venue that fits your needs. We recognize that production involves a significant investment, and with the right expertise, we can help optimize spending by strategically allocating the budget where it delivers the most value.

Make Sure you Have the Right Space
Venues often boast that their space can accommodate any event, but a Conference Sales Manager may not consider critical details like seating configurations or the fact that production equipment can consume 25–30% of your general session space. Stage size, Front of House technicians and equipment, the presenter greenroom, Back of House technicians and equipment, and last but not least storage all contribute to this needed square footage. Involving us early in the planning process gives us time to evaluate those items as well as ceiling height and other factors to avoid potential issues with technology placement and sightlines.

The truth is, not all spaces are created equal, which is why partnering with a knowledgeable team that creates to-scale diagrams from venue engineering allows us to provide accurate CAD drawings. It ensures that your stage design, functionality, and the safety of your program are never compromised, right from the start.

“One item for event planners to be more aware of is: how much a venue can affect your budget, factors like the load-in/load-out area and ceiling height are just a few examples” Bill Sather, Vice President of Technology Solutions shares. “When using metroConnections to manage your production and technology, our team can shift around a budget to provide the event aesthetics you’re hoping for with your bottom line in mind”.

Book Enough Time for Setup and Strike
Inadequate access time to the meeting space can quickly exhaust a budget, send workers into double time, and take precious time away from rehearsals. Although we can’t change the make-up of the loading dock, we can advise you on ideal load-in and strike timing and support you in negotiating room access with the venue. Having enough time allows for smoother load-in, proper rehearsals, and a tightly run show flow. Our goal is to have everything firmed up and ready so that your executive and keynote speakers can walk into a finished space to find their content all loaded up and ready to rehearse. By planning ahead and anticipating these logistical challenges, we help protect your budget, your team’s energy, and your event’s success.

Now that you have learned ways to save, it’s time to think bigger, to invest in more than just in-house AV and technicians. It’s time to invest in a partner who understands the details of your business, anticipates your needs, and is committed to your event’s success.

The metroConnections Difference

When you partner with us, you get a singular point of contact that is backed up by an entire team of experts that are dedicated to your success. Our Show Producers and Technical Directors are involved from the very first site visit, getting to know every detail of the space, so nothing is left to chance. We schedule regular planning calls because we care deeply about your company, your production, and every element that makes it shine. Plus, with a worldwide presence, we’re ready to go wherever your next event takes you, bringing you the same trusted partnership and flawless execution every step of the way.

Ready to elevate your next event and protect your budget from hidden costs and surprises? Don’t wait until the contract is signed — partner with metroConnections from the start. Our Stage Production and Event Technology teams are here to guide you, advocate for you, and deliver a magnificent experience that reflects your vision.

Let’s build something extraordinary together. Contact us today to start planning smarter, saving bigger, and producing better.

metroC

See Full Bio