Corporate Audio Visual Events Basics

Corporate audio visual productions are often complex. It’s important to achieve good quality standards. The main issue is making these productions seamless and straightforward. Plan your live event production well in advance.

Important: Best practice is to contract a professional audio visual production firm to manage the recording and technical aspects of the event.

Production basics- The corporate event structure

It’s best to consider the entire audio visual production as being very like a corporate presentation.  You require a structure and timing for each element of your event. A typical production has a range of well-defined stages with each technical production element prepared. The entire production is scripted, and each participant is assigned specific roles and tasks.

These are the elements of a two hour basic corporate award event:

• Introduction by Master of Ceremonies- Video and audio (welcome speech, 4 minutes)
• Introduce first speaker – Video and audio recording (2 minutes)
• First speaker address- Video and audio (10 minutes)
• Corporate video- Screen video and audio pre-recorded (15 minutes)
• MC introduction of second speaker – Video and audio recording (2 minutes)
• Second speaker address- Video and audio recording (10 minutes)
• Corporate video- Screen video and audio pre-recorded (20 minutes)
• MC introduction of CEO- Video and audio recording (2 minutes)
• CEO speech introducing Guest of Honor- Video and audio recording (5 minutes)
• Corporate video of Guest of Honor – Video and audio recording (10 minutes)
• Award presentation to Guest of Honor by CEO (5 minutes)
• Guest of Honor speech- Video and audio recording (15 minutes)
• 1 minute allowed for each change of speaker and video phase (10 minutes)
• MC closing speech- Video and audio recording (5 minutes)
• 5 minutes grace time (Spare time allowed for overruns)

As you can see, there are four participants in the production in this example. Each prepares their presentation content to fit with production times.

Pre-production

Pre-production is carried out on a strict, no-nonsense contract schedule. Technical support needs to be briefed and coordinated well in advance of the event, preferably a month beforehand in close liaison with a senior corporate manager.

Time frames for venue setup must be scheduled, and a “dummy run” of the audio visual production carried out prior to going live. This rehearsal/ walk-through is valuable for the participants by allowing them to get oriented to their roles and improves their performance.

Other issues to be checked include:

• Venue and stage lighting
• Audio checks
• Video quality checks
• Power supply
• Makeup
• Electrical and electronic systems
• Recording equipment setup and testing

Corporate video content

Although the corporate video content is pre-recorded, the production version must be edited and checked for both content quality and timing prior to going live. This is best done by the delegated manager with technical support from the audio visual contractor to ensure the video content is tested and ready to go for the event.