As discussed in a previous post about the blurring of the lines between AV and IT, event technology and its varied application allows the audiovisual partner to offer various non-traditional solutions to clients. This can include providing equipment and technical expertise outside of an event venue, or providing a personalized solution for a client to execute a particular type of event or project. This extended partnership allows the AV vendor and the client to communicate and improve on both the ‘traditional’ events as well as to develop new and innovative aspects for future events or business offerings.
Events Outside A Typical Venue
In some scenarios, a client may want to host an event at a non-standard venue, such as their own boardroom, meeting room, or a semi-private or co-working space. In such scenarios, there may be some existing AV technology present in the space that the client would like to leverage, along with the AV partner’s expertise as they have a stronger understanding of the client’s requirements. Through the AV partner’s broad understanding of integrated audiovisual solutions, IT and networking knowledge, and equipment that is well-suited for the purpose of bridging the two areas, they are able to enhance what the space can accomplish. Examples of this can include executing a webcast for a town hall or all-hands meeting, running a control centre for a multi-site event out of the company offices (allowing client and AV teams to liaise with on-site personnel as well as do remote presentations), or filming and then re-broadcasting presentations given by the executive teams.
Perpetual Virtual Events Portal
A further concept that the AV partner can provide is an integrated virtual events portal that can be functional year-round. Similar to a standalone virtual event portal that would be used for a single event or event series, this would be administrated by the AV partner, but would be set up in partnership with the client, and could even be directly integrated with their website if desired. This then becomes a set location for future events, recordings, learning management systems for internal training, and a great marketing and showcase opportunity for potential sponsors and attendees. This also allows the AV vendor to spin up an event and provide support on very short notice.
Integration And Technical Continuity
Through an extended partnership, the AV vendor is able to help guide the event focus and technical spend of a client, while also providing expertise on how various technical equipment can be used. For instance, through an AV vendor and client IT partnership, a requirement can be put in place to have client computers to have the ability to host AV-specific tools, or to allow client laptops to work on AV-hosted networks at various venues. This latter provision would also allow clients to use their VPN connection on remote networks and allow the AV partner to also function within the client’s IT ecosystem, making file sharing and other elements easier. Additionally, the AV partner could assist with the integration and installation of audiovisual equipment at client premises that could be used in a standalone format (maintained by the AV partner), while also being used to supplement events where the AV partner brings in extra equipment. This includes spaces such as a boardroom or meeting room, as well as setting up a small-format onsite studio for professional-grade filming as needed.
Partnerships such as the one described in these scenarios require a high level of trust between the client and vendor. However, once established, the two businesses can operate hand-in-hand on several projects that are valuable to both parties, and further allows the AV partner to provide a level of support that would be very hard to match by an external provider. AV-AMERICA is proud to have established such relationships with a number of our long-standing clients, and look forward to partnering with several more on new ventures.
