AV Trends for 2015

Last time we spoke about the event industry from an total eventing point of view, this time I would like to bring up some interesting things I have noticed about events from an AV point of view.

Speaker Countdown Timers

During a conference in 2014 we noticed that many presenters failed to adhere to allocated times given to their speeches. This caused a chain reaction, as the conference ran late, other speakers decided to walk away from the event as their time was not respected. Thus causing unhappy clients.

SUGGESTION 1:  A great way to avoid this is to have a running timer on the monitor for presenters to adhere to. The speaker can then be disconnected at the end of the required time. This will ensure the smooth running of the event and make your lives better.

Breakaway Rooms

This simple concept is so powerFull. Although this has become popular my SUGGESTION 2: Breakaway rooms are a necessity at your events.
I believe that the ideal option is an hour/two presentation with 2-3 speakers after which a breakaway room to dissect and discuss the presenters and the way forward.

High Def – The new buzz word

When creating presentations never forget:

HD = widescreen BUT widescreen ≠ HD

HD means more pixels and therefore more info can be displayed. 
There are amazing new technologies that utilise HD, like screens, projectors and video projection. This allows guys like me to build bigger screens and project onto bigger surfaces. 
Recently I saw an amazing screen – a 50m X 7m curved screen. It was spectacular and could only be achieved using HD projectors. 
SUGGESTION 3: Ask for HD when getting quotes and pricing from your suppliers. It may cost a few extra bob but the value received will be well worth it. 

LED Lighting

Whether your event requires huge lighting engineering or a simple ambiance lighting, LED’s are the way to go.
It is environmentally friendly as it uses less power and is extremely bright to be used in a variety of purposes. 
I saw the LED’s being used around a ramp for a Fashion show and I saw a massive party with 100’s of lights and both were equally magnificent.
SUGGESTION 4: LED’s to a staircase or ramp or even welcome center will add a premium look and feel to the event

Click here view other events using LED lighting.

Sight and Sound spend a lot of time trying to bring you the best of the best trends, equipment and knowledge-base to enhance your offerings at your event. What are your top observations in the AV world? I would love to hear them.