My Preference vs. Venue Preference

Search Google for in-house AV versus outside production company and you get a long list of articles and blog posts complaining about venues requiring the use of their preferred in-house AV company. Our opinion is a little different from many of those writing these articles and posts because we don’t own AV equipment. As event producers and directors we contract the AV equipment (at no mark-up) from the vendor that best fits the requirements and needs of an event.

I have no financial motivation for a client to use outside AV versus the in-house provider. While most of our work is done with outside equipment vendors, there are jobs where it makes sense to use the in-house AV provider. There are also many events where we partner with both an outside equipment vendor for the general session and in-house for breakouts. The decision on AV providers should be based on the best fit for the event and should always be focused on the client’s preference, not the venue’s preference.

When communicating with a venue during their property search, we always encourage our clients to include language that provides them the opportunity to bring in outside AV with no penalty. This is important even though the selection of an AV provider is historically far down the to-do list when planning an event. 

What Language to Include

Include language such as “we reserve the right to bring in our preferred vendor for AV with no penalty or additional fees” as part of your first contact with prospective venues. If the venue pushes back we sometimes encourage clients to include language that says that they will secure a bid from in-house AV firm but still reserve the right to bring in their preferred vendor with no penalty or additional charges.   

One thing I have never understood about venues forcing planners to use the in-house ‘preferred’ AV company is why the preference of the hotel trumps the preference of the event planner. Why should I as a producer or the event planner I work with care about the relationship the hotel may or may not have with their ‘preferred’ vendor? When a producer or planner has their own relationship with an AV company isn’t that the preference that should be important?

Hotel del Coronado

San Diego, CA

Overview: This is a historic hotel right by the water in San Diego. The rooms in the main hotel are the best rooms—the rooms in the adjacent buildings are a little dated. There are a couple of nice restaurants and shops right on the property and you are within walking distance to a number of great restaurants. Everything is a bit pricey, but that is to be expected from a classic hotel like this.

Ballrooms: There are a couple of ballrooms. Off the main lobby there is the ballroom called “The Ballroom”, which has an existing stage and windows that wrap around the room. This is a great room for food events or gala dinners. 

Another ballroom on the property is called the Crown Room. This is a beautiful wood-lined ballroom, which works great for meals and could be used for a small general session.

The final ballroom is the Grande Hall. It is located in an adjacent building and features an upstairs ballroom with multiple breakout rooms on the first floor.

Note: There is a large elevator stage that is ideal for load-in and load-out, but I’ve heard it breaks often. This means load-in to the Grand Hall can be an issue as there is only one other small elevator.

AV Staff and Equipment: In-house AV is expensive at this property. We mainly worked with them to handle a few breakout rooms, but the staff was attentive and the equipment was in good shape. 

Note that in-house AV is exclusive for AV on the garden lawn by the beach. Again, I thought the equipment cost was expensive but they set lighting out there often and provided some nice options for lighting and décor.

Producer’s Notes: The hotel is a historic hotel with a great vibe that is frequented by movie stars. For a destination trip, it would be fantastic. While the rooms for general session are not very large, there are a ton of breakout rooms so the hotel is well suited for a medium size show.