Stop Using In-House A/V Companies
Why Choosing an Outside AV Company is More Beneficial
Have you ever found yourself in the situation where you're trying to organize an event at a hotel or venue, only to be informed by the Sales Manager that you're required to use their in-house AV company? This scenario became all too familiar during my time as an AV Property Manager at a prestigious hotel in Charlotte, NC. Despite my efforts to secure contracts with clients and major corporate entities referred to me by the sales staff, I repeatedly lost business due to the inordinately high pricing of the in-house AV company. My inability to negotiate with their pricing structure left me feeling constrained. I faced a dilemma - if I offered a substantial discount, my employer was dissatisfied, but presenting a client with a $25,000 bill for a show that should cost no more than $10,000 would not only discourage and insult them but also drive them away from the negotiation table.
The preference for employing an external AV company arises from the contractual arrangements of in-house AV companies with the hotels they serve. Under these contracts, the AV company is obligated to remit a portion of its total sales to the hotel, thereby diminishing its profit margins. Consequently, the AV company is compelled to adopt strategies to offset these shortfalls, typically entailing price hikes and an expanded workload. This, in turn, can lead to employee burnout and inadequate service delivery due to fatigue or understaffing.
As a property manager, I frequently encountered situations where I had to commence work in the early hours of the morning, undertake show setups, conduct equipment tests, oversee the event, and then dismantle the setup, often working in excess of 16 hours per day for consecutive days without assistance.
In an attempt to mitigate these challenges, in-house AV companies often assert that their familiarity with the hosting property and the necessity of specific equipment justify their higher prices. However, these assertions are often misleading, leading clients to believe that greater spending is requisite to receive the expected level of service. These misrepresentations can result in clients succumbing to the various tactics employed to secure contracts.
So when you hear a hotel sales manager tell you you must use their AV Company, don't accept it. You have got to remember that these hotels are in partnership with the company they house. The AV company is often no better than the outside AV company... They are more alike than different because they are independent entities. The main difference is the in-house AV company is "paying rent" to the hosting hotel. In return, the hotel gives them a place to store their equipment and a jump on all clients renting meeting space there.
The hotel won't push back too much because it makes its money off of heads and beds, meaning that every head they have to fix a plate for and every room they rent gives them the majority of the revenue it gets from these booked meetings. Audiovisual for the hotel is much like an incidental. If they get the money from AV, that's a bonus, but they WILL NOT be willing to lose heads and beds because of their relentless pursuit of landing an AV contract.
Furthermore, the argument that the in-house AV Company knows the place better is ridiculous. Any professional AV Company is there to do one thing: serve the client with a professional AV experience. If you call yourself a professional, every venue should pose a particular advantage or disadvantage for any audio-visual company looking to serve a client. As long as you have the essential equipment and the power to run that equipment adequately, being housed at a particular venue shouldn't offer any advantage over someone who is there for the first time.
At Byron's Productions and Media (BPM), we are dedicated to providing our clients with top-notch service and unwavering integrity. Unlike other AV companies and hotels, we do not resort to scare tactics or provide misleading information. Our team is fully prepared to work at any hotel, offering better prices than the In-House AV Company. We have the expertise, personnel, and equipment to meet your needs without exceeding your budget. Our upfront and transparent proposals ensure that you won't be surprised by hidden costs. We prioritize preparing you for an exceptional AV experience, saving you time by getting it right the first time. When you choose BPM for your event, you are choosing professionalism at its finest. Book with us today and experience the difference!