A Planner's Guide to Negotiating AV
Meeting planners negotiate room rates, food and beverage minimums, attrition clauses, and parking. Then the AV quote arrives, and many of them sign it as written.
The AV quote is a starting point. This guide lists what experienced planners ask for, and how they ask.
We'll email it to you. Takes about seven minutes to read.
Tap below to open it right now. A copy is on its way to your inbox as well.
Have an AV quote on your desk right now? Send it to me at michaelh@yourAVdept.com and I'll give you a second set of eyes before you sign.
Signing it as written is a missed opportunity. AV pricing is among the most negotiable parts of any meeting budget, and that holds whether the provider is the hotel's in-house team or an outside production company. Providers have room to move. They move for planners who know what to ask for.
The catch is timing and precision.
Concessions have to be requested by name, in writing, before the agreement is signed. After signature, the provider has no incentive to concede anything.
The guide is a working list of standard concessions, organized by category, along with guidance on how to make the ask. None of these requests is unusual. Providers hear them regularly and grant them regularly. What separates the planners who get them from the planners who don't is the decision to ask.
Plus the part most planners skip: how and when to ask, which decides what you actually get.
Start with how the quote is built. Multi-day rentals, the days the gear sits in the room without an audience, the fees in the bottom third of the quote, and what a multi-year commitment should be worth, plus the clause to ask for alongside the discount.
Labor is where AV budgets drift. Hourly rates rarely move, so spend your effort on what does: minimum calls, short tasks, premium rates and what triggers them, approval before overtime, and a walk-through of who is on the call and why.
Asks that add value to the show without adding to the invoice: spares, gear for the show office and the small rooms, and creative assets. Routine requests, and far easier to get in the proposal stage than onsite.
The list is half of the work. When to ask, what your leverage is, why one bundled list beats item-by-item haggling, and how to aim your asks at what costs the provider little to give.
The estimate looks reasonable in the proposal. Then the invoice arrives with minimums, overtime, and penalties no one discussed. Ask for the minimum call on every position in the quote.
| Crew | Typical minimum call |
|---|---|
| Traveling crew | A 10-hour day rate |
| Local crew | An 8-hour minimum |
| Certain positions, certain markets | A 4-hour minimum |
| Every position on the quote | Its minimum, in writing |
Typical, not universal. Ask where a shorter minimum applies, especially for load-in and strike.
Then ask the follow-up: does a small job really need a new technician at a full minimum, or can someone already on the call cover it by staying an hour or two later? Questions like that are where the labor line actually moves.
Twelve asks to bring to every AV agreement. Here are the first two.
Discounted rates on multi-day equipment rentals
Reduced or waived rates for load-in, rehearsal, and dark days
Reduced or capped service charges and production fees
Multi-year or multi-event discount pricing
Minimum call for every position, in writing
Build the list once. Bring it to every meeting you plan.
Enter your email and I'll send the guide over. Five pages, about seven minutes to read.
Tap below to open it right now. A copy is on its way to your inbox as well.
Every page on Your AV Department.
15-Minute Strategy Call
Event production shouldn't be a guessing game.
If you are unsure whether your technical plan is fully supporting your event's goals, or if your AV budget seems bloated with unnecessary gear, let's talk.
In 15 minutes, we will review your strategy, spot potential technical pitfalls, and identify immediate actions you can take to effortlessly manage your AV and keep your budget fully protected.
No pitch. No pressure. Just 15 minutes to talk about your event.
