Nobody publishes AV prices, which makes budgeting an event feel like guessing. So here's the honest version: not a price list (every event genuinely is different), but the shapes the numbers take, what actually moves them, and where you can save without your audience ever noticing.
The shapes, roughly
A simple conference or seminar setup — a PA the room deserves, wireless microphones, a screen people can read, a technician running it — tends to land in the low thousands. A gala dinner with full lighting, audio and screens sits in the lower reaches of the mid five figures. Multi-day conferences, brand launches and anything with broadcast or custom builds scale from there. Treat those as orientation, not quotes: the same headcount can cost half or double depending on the brief.
What actually moves the number
Rooms and zones: every space that needs coverage — breakouts, foyers, outdoor moments — adds equipment and crew. Live operation: a running order full of cues needs more hands and rehearsal than a set-and-forget setup. Hybrid and streaming: a proper stream roughly doubles the audio complexity and adds a vision switch and a dedicated operator. Custom builds and staging: bespoke sets are wonderful and priced like bespoke anything. Duration: bump-in days, rehearsal days and late bump-outs are crew time, and crew time is real money.
Where you can save (without anyone noticing)
Share a technician across staggered breakout sessions instead of staffing every room all day. Choose projection over LED in rooms you can darken. Trim the moving-light show from a daytime business program. Run the sponsor loop on the main screen between sessions instead of hiring a second one. Book early enough that the right-sized kit is available — substitutions made in a rush rarely save money.
Where you shouldn't
The operator. The microphone count (one per simultaneous speaker, plus a spare). The redundancy on anything that would stop the show if it failed. And the site visit — an hour walking the venue with your production team prevents most of the expensive surprises.
How quoting actually works
We quote against your run sheet, not a package tier: venue, audience size, program, the moments that matter, your budget range. That last one isn't a trick — knowing the envelope lets us design to it and tell you honestly what fits. If you're weighing up whether you need production at all, start with AV production, explained, then tell us about your event and we'll put real numbers on it within the week.