Outdoor events are a great way to enjoy the summer weather and spend time with friends and family. However, if you want to make sure that your outdoor event is a success, you need to take some steps to set up your home entertainment system properly. Here are a few essential AV tips to help you have a great time with av outdoors!

Being outdoors can be fun and magical as long as the conditions are ideal and everything is done as it should be done. To help ensure that everything goes smoothly at your next outdoor event, we have a few AV tips to help you out so you can focus on all the other details without worrying about the audiovisual portion of the event.

Competing with Mother Nature

You may be worried that potential rain and wind can affect the technology you will be using at your event. However, you also need to keep in mind that other environmental factors, including heat and sunlight, can also cause the equipment to be less than effective.

Tarps and sandbags should be used around all audiovisual equipment to keep everyone safe. There should also be some kind of communication plan in place in the case of inclement weather conditions.

 

If there is a chance of catastrophic weather, make sure you have a conversation with your audiovisual team about a communication plan for your attendees. This will be essential if you need to take cover or if the event is delayed.  

Arrange Lighting Accordingly

When you move your event outside, and especially if it’s at night, it can lead to more lighting needs than originally anticipated. Don’t forget the small details that’ll help ensure your attendees’ safety. Remember to light seating areas, pathways, dance floors, etc.

Depending on the time of day for your event, your lighting needs may vary. You don’t want to overlook even the smallest of details here when it comes to ensuring the safety of everyone attending the event.

Therefore, you should make sure to have lighting along the pathways, around all the seating areas, and the dance floor. You also want to be sure that the right light is used when there is a presenter, so they are not blinded when they take the stage.

Remember to have lighting available for the event’s setup (if early in the morning, before sunrise) and for the teardown, of the event. Your vendors will need as much light as possible to get everything wrapped up in the dark.

 

Additional Power

Most of the vendors at the outdoor event are going to require some kind of power. So, you should understand how many circuits will be required before the event. If you need a lot of power, you may also want to consider a backup generator. Doing all this will ensure that you get the AV aspects of the event started out on the right foot.

 

Sound Options

One of the more overlooked aspects of AV during an outdoor event is the sound. Audio speaker systems with much more output and coverage should be used during an outdoor event. Therefore, the budget for the AV should probably be slightly higher than if it were an event indoors.

 

Set-Up and Clean Up

Finally, the biggest AV tip for your outdoor event is allowing the AV team to set up as early as possible during the day. This way they will have the proper lighting to ensure that everything is connected properly. It also gives them the chance to make sure that everything works and you are getting the right coverage.

You also want to ensure that there is proper lighting for when it is time to take everything down. It isn’t something you want to be trapped in the dark trying to do.

 

Bottom Line

If you follow these simple AV tips and you take the time to prepare for the outdoor event while keeping in mind everything that can possibly go wrong, you will find that you are much more prepared, and your event will be much more successful.

When doing AV for an outdoor event, the safety of the attendees, the staff, and everyone else in attendance is a top priority. For more information on how to ensure that your AV is right for your next outdoor event, contact Montrose Associates today.

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