Many of us don’t think about AV equipment as our first solution to any business problem, but considering the power of presentations and the importance of engagement, AV equipment can be the difference between your business sinking or swimming.
However, deciding which AV equipment is right for your company and its specific presentation requirements can be tricky. We’ve compiled this guide to help you select the perfect AV equipment.
This guide explains the best practices for choosing the right AV equipment for your company and provides the benefits you can experience if you make smarter decisions about your AV equipment selection.
Keep reading to start harnessing the power of AV equipment and reaping significant benefits.
Contents
Choosing the right AV equipment: Best practices
Here are some of the best practices when trying to find the perfect AV equipment for your business:
1. Design a realistic budget
To start, you’ll need to design a realistic budget. Good AV equipment doesn’t come cheap, and it’s important to remember this when you’re looking for cost-cutting alternatives. While cheaper AV equipment may look initially attractive, the costs of maintenance and repairs from poorly built equipment may exceed the value of more expensive alternatives.
Try to account for any help you’ll need from professionals when setting up your equipment. You’ll also need to set aside money for supporting equipment for your displays and audio.
For example, suppose you’re choosing to incorporate a video wall into your company’s presentation strategy. In that case, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of multiple screen controllers, switchers, and processors to ensure you can display and arrange your footage.
Your AV budget should also account for the following:
- Speakers
- Lighting equipment
- Microphones
- Additional cables
- Power generators
2. Research
Doing your research is one of the best ways to ensure you have the right AV equipment. It sounds cliche, but research allows you to analyse similar businesses that use AV equipment and take inspiration from their usage. Consider looking up your competitors and observing how they use AV equipment.
You should also look into the reviews of important display equipment like processors, switchers, and controllers to ensure they’re reliable for your specific usage and accessible for all types of operators, from novice to expert. You should also research the specific specifications of your prospective equipment, ensuring it is compatible with your existing AV equipment.
There’s nothing more annoying than discovering your new equipment won’t pair up with your PC, speakers, or display, so ensure it has the correct HDMI, USB, and other cable ports so you can seamlessly integrate your equipment.
3. Assess your audience requirements
You must ensure you’re catering to your audience’s expectations to choose the correct AV equipment. Be that your consumers or employees, tailoring your equipment to their hopes is a surefire way to receive a positive return on your investment.
For example, if your audience is expecting a high-production value event, you’ll need to invest in the appropriate lighting and sound equipment, as well as corresponding professionals, to ensure you can create an exciting, immersive event.
If your audience of employees is expecting greater visibility of information from a centralized location, then you might want to invest in a video wall so you can achieve a greater information concentration with the help of multiple screens.
4. Hire an AV integrator
If you’re a total AV beginner and you don’t know where to start with navigating complex systems that interact with each other, consider hiring the expert help of an AV integrator.
An AV integrator can help you with the overall design of your AV system, not only ensuring that you have the right AV technology but also repairing, maintaining, and providing integration services to ensure your systems work in harmony.
The overall aim of an AV integrator is to design your systems in a way that maximizes productivity and efficiency, which we all know is central to a company’s success.
5. Ensure it’s accessible for your employees
When it comes to choosing AV equipment for your business, you’ll need to ensure it’s accessible for your employees as well as you. While it’s beneficial to select AV equipment for your company that you can operate for maximum efficiency and productivity, you need to select accessible equipment that isn’t too advanced that it may impair its function.
Again, research the specifications of your products and review demonstrations, ensuring that its operations are within the abilities of your employees. If your equipment sounds too arduous to operate, chances are your employees will think so too!
The best benefits of using the right AV equipment for your company
Although choosing the right AV equipment appears to be a strange way to advance your business, the benefits that your company could experience by implementing the right tools can’t be ignored. Here are some of the benefits of choosing the right AV equipment for your company:
- Improved engagement: Engagement helps employees stay motivated to move toward their business goals. With AV equipment, you can breathe life back into your presentations, conferences, and meetings, providing a highly engaging experience for all.
- Better communication: With AV equipment like video walls, you can achieve greater communication by providing a centralised platform for all important notices and task information. Reducing the number of communication channels and distributing consistent information in the same format for all can greatly reduce miscommunication.
- Scalable solutions: Modern businesses need scalable solutions to adapt to changing market trends. Thankfully, the right AV equipment will help you scale up and down according to your audience size and needs, helping you stay adaptable.
- Competitive edge: AV equipment can greatly impact your business profile and help you create impressive displays that wow your audience. This sets you apart from your competitors and can attract potential interest from business partners or investors looking for innovative brands.
Final thoughts
Forget what you know about advancing your business and embrace unorthodox methods like making the right decision about your AV equipment. From providing better communication platforms to ensuring each display is engaging and impressive, AV equipment can significantly impact your business progression. Follow these steps to securing the right AV equipment, and watch your business transform!