This month I will be looking at common Audio Visual equipment that meeting and event planners use.
LCD Projector LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display In a nutshell how they work is -- You connect the projector to the VGA output of your computer, or DVD player and the projector becomes the monitor screen or shows the DVD. The output of a projector is measured in lumens; the higher the lumen the brighter the projector and the more expensive it is.
There are several websites out there that describe how the LCD projector work, how to connect it to your computer, how to purchase a projector so I won't go into all of that, however; I will take a stab to answer this question: Why are they so expensive to rent on a per day basis. In Pittsburgh, for example, the average rate is $250 +/-.
In my experience LCD projectors are tender creatures that need some care to work correctly and if you don't know how to set up and use the projector you could be asking for problems. One of the things you are paying for when you rent an LCD projector is a technical person to help you get the thing set up correctly with the laptop that has the presentation. If you are not the least technical, then it is worth it. I am not saying don't learn how to use a LCD projector, I am saying having help available when you could be or should be doing other things at an event is a very good idea. Another reason is that like it's predecessor, the slide projector, the LCD projector has a bulb that gets really hot (which is why projectors have fans) and when it is time to replace the bulb; the bulb may cost as much as 50% the cost of a new LCD projector.
Best tip, make sure you allow for the rental in the budget. Ask your speaker if they will need one. Some speakers travel with their own equipment and some venues, especially conference centers have built the cost of using AV into the cost of using the room so you may not need to rent one except on the occasional basis.
Another question I get a lot is should you own a LCD projector. My response: How much do you use the projector? The average cost of a 2,000 lumen LCD projector is $1,000.00 depending on the manufacturer, weight, bulb life specifications and some other factors. At $250.00 a pop to use at a venue, then you would need to use it 4 times in a period of let's say 3 months to make it worthwhile to own.
My advice to beginning planners is to not purchase one right away. You have other things that you could be doing with the money like building your website, and joining MPI (Meeting Professional International) or ISES (International Special Events Society).
That's the Planner's Pointer for today.
Rare are those business events today where there is no audio visual equipment used, in any way. In a large number of such events, be it a meeting of eight or 10 people or a large congregation involving thousands of participants, audio equipment are never absent from the scene. They are used to make events more inclusive, educative, and consequently more effective.
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