What Do the A/V Terms on a Venue Quote Mean?
Somewhere between booking the room and running the event, you will receive an A/V list — either the venue's included equipment or a priced add-on sheet. This page translates it. As always: definition first, example second, exception last.
Video
Projector and lumens. A projector's brightness is measured in lumens — more lumens, brighter image. The practical meaning: a dim projector in a bright room produces a washed-out image. Rather than memorizing numbers, ask the venue one question: "Is this projector bright enough for this room with the lights at the level we plan to use?" A venue that runs events in that room knows the answer.
Throw distance. How far the projector sits from the screen for a given image size. It matters to you for one reason: a floor-mounted projector puts a table and cabling in your floor plan, right where a banquet round wanted to be. Ceiling-mounted projectors make this problem disappear.
Screen size and placement. A common-sense rule: the farther the farthest viewer, the bigger the screen must be, and the higher its bottom edge must sit so heads in front do not block it. If your room is long and narrow, ask about a second screen rather than a bigger one.
Confidence monitor. A screen at the foot of the stage facing the speaker, showing their slides or notes, so they never turn their back to read the projection wall. A small luxury that markedly improves nervous presenters.
Connections. Ask what input the system takes — HDMI is the common standard — and bring the adapter for your specific laptop anyway. The five minutes before a presentation is the wrong time to discover a port mismatch. If presenters are using a slide deck, collect files in advance on one machine; switching laptops mid-event is where delays are born.
Audio
House sound. The room's built-in speaker system. Fine for a single speaking voice in a modest room; often underpowered for music or large halls. Ask what the house system is rated to do — speech, background music, or a band — and believe the answer.
Microphone types. The three you will be offered:
- Handheld: wireless, passed around; best for Q&A and toasts.
- Lavalier (lapel): clips to clothing, hands-free; best for presenters who move or gesture.
- Podium: fixed to the lectern; simplest, but it chains the speaker to one spot.
Example: a typical banquet needs exactly two — a handheld for toasts and announcements, and whatever the DJ or band brings for themselves.
Technician or "A/V on-site." Some venues include equipment but not a person. For a simple slideshow, that is fine. For anything with multiple microphones, video playback, or a program that must run on time, a dedicated technician is the difference between a hiccup and a stall. Ask which one your quote includes.
Hybrid and recording
If remote attendees are joining, the vocabulary shifts: you will hear about a camera feed, an audio bridge (getting the room's microphones into the call, not just a laptop mic across the room), and bandwidth (whether the venue's internet can carry a video call reliably — ask for a wired connection for the host machine). The honest general rule: a hybrid event is a second event layered on the first, and it deserves its own run-through.
The exceptions
1. "A/V included" has a quantity. Included may mean one microphone and one screen. Count your needs — every simultaneous speaker, every screen — against the list.
2. Outside A/V may carry fees. Like catering, some venues charge for or restrict outside production companies. Check the rental agreement before hiring one.
3. Test in the room, at the time. Sound behaves differently in an empty hall than a full one, and a screen readable at noon may glare at 4 p.m. Schedule a tech check in the actual room, ideally at the event's actual hour.
With this vocabulary, the A/V line items on a quote stop being mysterious fees and become choices you can actually weigh.