When selecting a venue for meetings or in-person events, event planners must consider a myriad of factors such as capacity restrictions, location, venue features, and vendor partnerships. As part of this decision, it’s critical that the event team maintains freedom of choice wherever possible.
For instance, if an event requires certain dining options, the event planner needs to be able to work with a vendor that can deliver upon those requirements. In the same vein, working with an AV vendor that can bring the event design to life is a must.
Freedom of choice is more than just a fundamental right; it allows professionals to make decisions without coercion or manipulation, resulting in better event outcomes. Before you sign a vendor contract with any venue or event space, ensure that the language in the contract doesn’t prohibit your team from choosing the right AV provider.
Keeping AV Options Open is Important
Audiences have grown accustomed to tailored experiences in their daily lives; mobile applications designed to be user-friendly, online shopping platforms that do all the heavy lifting, and 24/7 customer service options are raising expectations.
Now, event attendees expect top-notch event design, planning, and execution – no exceptions. In order for event teams to meet audience demands, they’ll need to work with an AV company that understands branding, equipment preference, and the audience experience.
If an event planner agrees to a contract that forces them to utilize the in-house AV team at a certain venue, their freedom of choice vanishes. With specific and clear contract language, event teams can maintain the freedom to partner with an AV service provider whose skill level, team, equipment, and rates can meet the high expectations of audiences today.
Tailoring Contract Language for Freedom of Choice
Protecting freedom of choice is paramount. With just a few careful specifications highlighted in RFPs and event contracts, event planners can retain their freedom to partner with an AV provider of their choosing.
Here are three different examples of how to frame your requirements clearly:
Example 1: Reserve the Right to Use Your Preferred AV Provider
In general contract language, it’s important to be specific about what you expect as an event team. You should be notifying venue teams that you “reserve the right” to work with an audio-visual provider of your choosing. Incorporate language like this early on in the RFP/RFQ document:
“For all audio-visual services, the event team maintains the right to select and work with the AV provider that best fits the needs of the event. In some cases, we may choose to work with the venue’s official or preferred provider, but in others, we will select our own external third-party AV provider.
Should an outside AV partner be selected, the venue is expected to provide access to all required loading docks, elevators, event spaces, power supply, internet, and storage spaces when required.”
The above clauses will set expectations early and clearly, establishing your right to bring in an outside AV provider if that is what is best for the event.
Example 2: Additional Fee Protections
If event planners aren’t careful, they could end up in a scenario where they have reserved the right to work with any AV provider but haven’t protected their event against additional “outside vendor” fees from the venue.
To avoid unforeseen costs when it comes to working with an external AV provider, be sure to highlight specific instances where extra fees may occur when you work with an independent AV company.
“If the decision is made to work with a third-party AV provider, we expect that neither the event planning company nor the AV provider will incur any additional fees, charges, or penalties. These charges include (but are not limited to):
- Room preparation charges
- Flat daily fees for outside vendors
- Wall covering requirements when not needed
- Charges for podiums, staging, heating, basic power, and air conditioning
- Supervisory labor when moving in or out of the venue
- Possibility of new labor contracts if no agreement was made during signing”
Example 3: Securing Power and Rigging Support
Whether or not power, rigging, and internet requirements are defined during the contract phase, it’s important to establish expectations around technical infrastructure, such as:
“Power requirements, rigging services, and internet connectivity have yet to be finalized for the event, but the venue should provide the following:
- Power
- Rigging
- Internet
When the exact specifications are configured, the event team will notify the venue with enough time to coordinate the above items. Please provide a rate sheet that specifies your facility’s rates for power, rigging, and internet.”
Options Open, Expectations Defined
Including specific, proactive language in venue contracts sets an event up for success. Event teams are confidently assured that they will retain control over AV decisions, and venues aren’t left in the dark.
By outlining your expectations from the start, you can protect your creative vision, stay on budget, and partner with vendors that you trust to deliver. Contract language might seem distant from the event itself, but laying the groundwork for a successful collaboration is just as important as showing up on time on the day of the event.
