Are you renting audio visual equipment from a vendor who is taking your business for granted? Or worse yet, providing no visual creativity to the event process? Perhaps, you are not ready to cut the supplier completely out of the picture due to a long-term working relationship, but you would like to know if there are better AV companies out there. Here is a relatively low-risk way to see if you might want to move to another audio visual rental company.

Give the Corporate Audio Visual Firm a Small Project. Ask the company to provide you with the most creative and innovative audio visual for a specific event. See what sort of ideas they come up with and how they respond to your requests. You may even want to let them know this is a test and you are looking to eventually move your business to a new av rental company.

Ask for an In-Kind Service for a Non-Profit Event. Most event planners are associated with MPI, PCMA, and/or ISES. These organizations conduct monthly meetings and are always looking for innovative ways to show off new technology. Event audio visual rental comapnies can display and speak about their latest and greatest technology and how it can be used in a meeting. This is a free, no hassle way to become knowledgeable about the company and their equipment. 

Ask for the Basics and see how They Respond. Send an email to the company and ask for at least 3 referrals, proof of their insurance, certification of their technicians, and anything else you think is pertinent to your business or events. Their response and the completeness of it, will speak volumes to how they will handle your organization’s needs, if you decide to move. Nothing is more irritating to a planner than to take the time to inquire about a supplier and have them ignore the request (this happens) or respond to it weeks later. 

What about Creativity? Often times, events and meetings are stale because they are conducted the same way, year after year, event after event. Having a new vendor that can offer creative approaches, especially with sound and lighting rentals, is a good way to start. It is always a good sign if the AV company asks a lot of questions, listens, and responds appropriately. However, be careful from an ethical standpoint. You are not entitled to give their ideas to another vendor. If you like what they are offering, switch vendors or give them a small project to prove their worth.

Lastly, Look at Service. What kind of service does the company give you? Are they courteous? Go the extra mile? Do they respond quickly to your emails and phone calls? Are they flexible or rigid? What about turnover?

AV Event Solutions, a California meeting equipment organization, is ready and willing to earn your business. From small meetings to gigantic events, they are quick to respond to their client and prospects needs. AV Event Solutions will earn your business and keep it!