When audio drops out mid-keynote, the audience blames the AV team. But in our experience, the root cause is usually a decision made during venue selection, long before a single cable was run. These are the questions that prevent those failures.
Power: the unglamorous dealbreaker
- How many dedicated circuits are available in the presentation space, and at what amperage?
- Is house power shared with kitchen or HVAC systems that cycle during the event?
- Where are the panels, and who has access on show day?
A single overloaded circuit shared with a coffee urn has ended more presentations than any equipment failure.
The room itself
- Ceiling height: under ten feet makes projection and lighting design genuinely difficult.
- Rigging points: can anything be flown, or does everything live on stands?
- Acoustics: hard parallel walls and glass mean you'll be fighting the room all day.
- Load-in path: freight elevator dimensions, dock access, and how far gear travels from truck to stage.
Connectivity and streaming
If any part of your event is hybrid, hotel wifi is not a broadcast plan. Ask whether hardline internet is available in the room, what upload bandwidth is guaranteed, and whether the venue allows your team to bring its own network equipment. A stable stream needs a dedicated, wired connection with real guaranteed upload, in writing.
House AV versus your own team
Many venues require or heavily incentivize in-house AV. Before signing, get clarity on exclusivity clauses, patch fees for outside equipment, and whether your production partner can advance the show directly with the venue's technical staff. The earlier your AV lead talks to the venue, the cheaper every problem becomes.
Site visits are cheap. Show-day surprises are not. Walk the room with your technical lead before you sign.
Booking a venue without an AV walkthrough is like buying a house without an inspection. Bring your technical partner into the decision early and the rest of the production gets easier, quieter, and less expensive.