Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Watch for training for audio visual equipment online

Take the time to regularly watch the AV equipment sites, as you look for opportunities online to advance your career in the whiteboards industry. You'll find a number of online AV training programs that will be most helpful in your search for employment. Look for training to make you more suitable for the position you seek.

I recommend: Take courses from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. Send for a brochure to learn about the online classes to get a degree in video production or audio video equipment from the International Academy of Design and Technology.

Look for projection equipment training through associations

While you are pursuing a career in the audio visual industry you should also be accruing a list of connections that will help you throughout your career. Trade associations are great places to get involved with presentation equipment dealers and make those important contacts. At the same time, most associations offer a wide variety of professional development courses that will look good on your resume.

I recommend: Get your AV certifications from one of the industry’s leading trade groups, the National Systems Contractors Association, which also offers a wide assortment of training opportunities. InfoComm Academy has a slew of educational opportunities and certification programs that you can take advantage of.

Ask for presentation equipment dealer training

Inquire of your employer or potential employers about on the job training. Many companies provide an extensive array of training opportunities in addition to actual hands-on experience. While looking online for jobs, consider the company that will provide additional perks such as training and certification.

I recommend: The Association for Recorded Sound Selections provides an extensive job board as well as training opportunities for its members. You also can join listservs and chat boards to discover more opportunities for career advancement. Check out the programs and chat with an AV advisor online at the Video Symphony TV & Film School.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't forget about the importance of personal networking as you continue to get your training for audio visual equipment. Talking someone into giving you an opportunity to learn on the job could be the most important move you make.

Guide to Planning for Audio-visual Needs

Be seen and heard at your next meeting or event

By Greg Brown

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Know your lumens

The key to getting your message across in a big room is often a video or slide projector. They are getting smaller and cheaper, but definitely not simpler.

I recommend: Read up on how to buy a projector at EffectiveMeetings or ProjectorCentral. Some well-known manufacturers of pro-quality projectors include InFocus, Panasonic, Sharp and NEC.

Hello, this thing on?

Often, the curse of an otherwise great presentation is a faulty or clumsy microphone. Get one you will be comfortable using and make sure it fits the occasion.

I recommend: Hotels and meeting halls will normally provide full audio gear for a fee, but there can be big questions. Handheld or wireless? Boom mics or goosenecks? See a complete guide at Media College.

Complex event? Call in a pro

For an office installation or at events at which cutting-edge technology is a necessary element -- say a technology trade show -- it can help to hire a professional provider. They set up gear, you concentrate on sales.

I recommend: Some professional AV providers at the national level include Aviinc, AVHQ, AVW-Telav and Infocomm.

How to get away with the minimum

If you are know your audience is small -- a conference room or less, everyone in earshot -- then dragging around a ton of AV gear will make you less professional, not more.

I recommend: Consider a tablet-style computer. You can turn the screen toward your audience, advance slides from behind and keep talking as you go. Nearly all PC makers have a tablet model, but some business laptops popular in this space include Dell, Acer, HP and Toshiba.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Lighten the load. Many of the new projectors come with software installed to run Microsoft PowerPoint files. No laptop needed, must plug in a keychain memory drive and use the projector's remote.
• •  Local playhouses and fine arts theaters often have a 'second stage' for smaller shows with full audio and a control booth over the seats. Renting that for an annual event can be easier the renting a truckload of gear and help.
• •  The bane of audiences everywhere is the inevitable delay in AV setup between speakers. Get your presentations on a CD or keychain drive in advance, and have a tech pro load them from a single laptop.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Stick with an experienced presentation equipment dealer

New vendors are opening regularly who claim to offer the best presentation products. You should shop around and consider how long a company has been dealing in AV equipment. Ask for references and call them. Inquire among your peers about the various audio visual equipment rental and sales operations they have dealt with.

I recommend: Find numerous reports and insights on the current trends and best AV equipment providers through industry organizations that serve as watchdogs such as InfoComm International. If you want to go with a known large supplier of audio visual presentation equipment, look to AVI-SPL, which has won numerous industry awards for its trade show and office AV equipment.

Make sure your presentation equipment dealer is trained

Make sure you use authorized technicians. A trained sales force is also important since they are often the first line of communication for a company. Look for certifications for both sales and audio visual equipment rental companies.

I recommend: CCS Projects only employs trained audio visual presentation equipment sales people and technicians. With on-site assistance, you can be more secure in knowing if the equipment you’ve purchased is working in the best way for you. Look for a certification from one of the industry’s leading trade groups, the National Systems Contractors Association. Through the trade group, you can also follow news about government regulations and get the certifications you need to grow your own AV company.

Save by renting or buying used audio visual equipment

While you are looking for experienced presentation equipment dealers when you are laying out the big bucks for new AV equipment, you also should consider the source when you are investigating previously owned presentation equipment. Look for warranties and support services from the audio visual equipment rental companies as well as from used dealers.

I recommend: Since 1949, United Visual has been serving the business community’s need for AV equipment. They sell and rent presentation equipment as well as refurbish the used equipment and offer it for very low prices. All AV equipment comes with a 30-day warranty. Technicians and service department also are available. You can compare prices and find deals on equipment from a variety of sources through a Global Spec trading portal for projection equipment called Kitmondo. At very least, you can see what the going rates are for previously owned AV equipment through on online source.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most audio visual equipment rental companies also sell used equipment. If you really like the setup that you're renting, request a quote to buy the equipment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Resolution

Resolution is the number of pixels in each direction that is displayed. For computer screens, monitors and projection, this is noted in pixel count (e.g. 800x600, 1024x768, or HD resolution).

I recommend: Learn more about resolution from Projector Central.

Whiteboards

Whiteboards are touch-sensitive displays that connect to your computer and digital projector to show your computer's images. Some models are computer-free and include a scratchpad.

I recommend: Find out about whiteboard technology from Comp View.

Response systems

Response systems are wired or wireless keypads that allow you to make your presentations interactive. They use technology that integrates with your presentation to poll your audience for feedback on critical issues or just for fun.

I recommend: Get more information from Audience Response Systems.

Touch panels

Touch panels allow you to have a wireless control solution for browsing the Internet, streaming multimedia, conferencing, using VoIP services, as well as having a remote desktop. Some models fit on a table, while others are hand-held.

I recommend: Review the touch panel information from Crestron.

Switchers

Switchers allow the AV operator to toggle between video, S-video, computer-video and audio inputs. This is particularly important when video presentation material is coming from multiple sources.

I recommend: Read about the capabilities of switchers in the Extron line.

Mixers

Mixers combine digital and analog sources, providing live seamless combination of video, computer and audio sources.

I recommend: Find out more about AV mixers from Grass Valley.