Must I Use the In-House AV Company?

Brian Lagestee, CEO of Clarity Experiences

In this episode of The Event Producer Podcast,  we are going to help you to identify the best A/V provider for your event and answer that nagging question, “Must I use the in-house A/V company?” Today’s guest was once a Senior VP at PSAV, the largest of the in-house AV companies, but today, he is the CEO of a boutique A/V firm, the Southern California based Clarity Experiences. Clarity handles everything from designing custom stage sets and scenic environments to content creation and production of your live event. 

Guest: Brian Legestee, CEO of Clarity Experiences
Host: Glen Sanders, CEO of  Fresh Air Flicks
Links:

• Clarity Experiences
• Clarity Linkedin
• Clarity Instagram

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Show Notes:

• The challenge over the years with the in-house model is that the hotels have continued to take a higher and higher portion of the commissions.
• The challenge that the meeting planners face is do they really know what the truth is in the negotiation. Oftentimes the hotels really care more about the food and beverage revenue and the sleeping room revenue than they do the audiovisual revenue. 
• Bring in a partner or an expert to help make sure that you're asking for the right things during that initial contract negotiation. Don't sign the contract until you've negotiated how the AV is going to be handled by the venue.
• If a prospective AV provider is talking about an equipment model or a specific type of a product, they're not really understanding what you're trying to accomplish at your event. 
• ​Interview more than you run an RFP process. 
• Everybody is going to give you their best references. Look for the ones that they claim are our customers, but don't give you a contact.