AV production just might be one of the unsung heroes of the event world. From setting the mood to facilitating seamless transitions between sessions, the right AV setup can elevate any event from ordinary to extraordinary.
To gain deeper insights into the current trends and effective strategies in AV production, we recently sat down with Clay McDaniel, Shepard’s Director of AV Technical Production. In this two-part content series, we’re delving into some key ways AV can transform your event.
1. The right AV production can bring your goals to life
Some clients come to Shepard with a very clear vision for their event’s production—and they just need a partner who understands the technical aspects and can bring it to life. For many other customers, though, they come to us with a loose idea of what they want and need Shepard’s help to flush those ideas out and make them a reality.
Regardless of the starting point, Clay emphasizes the importance of defining clear goals early in the process. “Understanding what the purpose of that event is, and what the customer is trying to get out of it, really gives us a much better idea of how we need to help support it,” he explains. “It all starts with that basic communication and being able to convey that message of purpose—and then building everything else around it.”
2. AV can be tailored to your specific event type
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to AV, Clay adds. Take corporate vs. association events, for example: “With associations, because they’re customer-based, they’re trying to create much more of a gathering place and a community environment,” he points out. “Whereas with corporations, the community environment’s already there—so what you’re trying to do is pivot more toward a brand perspective and focus on the culture of that community that’s already established.”
These key differences impact things like stage design and other AV components. “For an association, you’re going to try and create larger areas where you can bring different parts of the community together so they have a common thread,” he says, “whereas in a corporate environment that community is already established in little pods—technical or sales or operations for example—so you’re trying to establish more of an experience that bonds those people together on a deeper level.”
3. Engaging AV components can immerse attendees without breaking the bank
The costs associated with AV can often be intimidating to customers—but it doesn’t actually need to max out your budget, notes Clay. For customers with smaller budgets, “We start with talking about lighting, because it’s relatively low-cost compared to other solutions,” he says.
Similarly, a lot can be done with the room layout to create a big impact with fewer screens and a smaller, more intimate stage. “Maybe instead of doing a standard speaker, two-screen, talking-head kind of general session, we turn it to the corner right and create more of a curved room. They didn’t spend any more, but we’ve created a much closer, intimate environment.”
From there, he adds, it’s cost-effective to add more stage area that extends into the audience, giving presenters a way to interact with attendees beyond just the first and second row. “So now that person sitting in the sixth row has the opportunity to be seen or talked to,” he explains. “You eliminate that divide between your audience and your presenter, and it didn’t really cost you anything extra.”
4. Mixed AV elements can set the mood and convey information like nothing else
When customers want to use AV to set a specific mood in an event space, he encourages them to think about interior design or movies. “A lot of those philosophies transfer over,” he says. “Use lighting to set moods, and then lay in video to alter that mood and convey a whole lot of information in a short amount of time.”
In particular, Clay emphasizes the power of a well-produced video element. “Look at Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts–you can create a lot of information and put it into 60 seconds. When you’re just scrolling on your phone, that’s one thing. But once it’s 30 feet high and 60 feet wide? You’re creating a shared emotional experience, especially when paired with the lighting and the rest of the audio that goes along with it.”
5. AV can help create a comprehensive experience across meeting rooms, general sessions, and exhibit floors
When Clay first started in the industry, he notes meeting rooms, general sessions, and exhibit floors were considered separate entities. But now, “one of the bigger trends that I’ve noticed, especially for associations that are geared more towards younger people, is that they’ve been putting the general session stage—the main attraction—directly on the trade show floor.”
Clay loves the change. “It forces everybody to come through that area. It’s like they’re throwing a concert back there—they’ve taken that experience to a whole different level.”
Regardless of the layout, the key is flawless AV, he adds. “A meeting might just be straight-up informational, 500 words on a PowerPoint slide—but on the AV side, it still needs to work every single time,” he points out. “No longer can we think about meeting rooms and general sessions and exhibits as separate individuals—we have to think about it all as a cohesive unit where everything runs perfectly.”
6. Technology adds an extra layer of engagement
Clay also finds that technology like mobile apps has made a big difference in an event’s value, particularly for attendee scheduling at large events that may have different content tracks. “They understand their engineering folks, for example, are going to want to hit five or six different meetings, and the app can help them schedule it all and remind them to hit the main stage presentation. Being able to consolidate that information really has helped the engagement all the way through.”
As for the AV team, “our job is to make sure that the seamless experience the client is expecting happens.”
Stay tuned for the second part of our series, where Clay shares some tips and best practices for working with your AV team!
