Why Technology Is the Invisible Backbone of Your Event

Power is the foundation of everything. Without power, there is no lighting, sound, video, catering, or Wi-Fi. And yet, power capacity is one of the most underestimated aspects of event planning.

Start by calculating the power requirements. What do you need? Consider stage lighting (easily 10 to 20 kW), a sound system (2 to 5 kW), projectors and screens (1 to 3 kW), catering (food trucks up to 16A per truck, coffee machines 2 to 3 kW each), and laptops and charging stations for guests. Add it all up and compare it with what the venue offers.

Most indoor venues have sufficient power, but not always in the right places. Long cable runs result in voltage loss. Check with your AV company and venue manager to find out where the distribution boxes are located and whether additional distribution points are needed.

A generator is often needed for outdoor events. Choose a quiet model: a standard construction generator produces 85 to 95 dB, while an event generator produces less than 65 dB. Place it at least 25 meters away from the nearest audience area.

Always have a backup power plan in place. What happens if the power goes out, and is there a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for critical systems like the sound system and the presentation laptop? A two-minute power outage is a minor inconvenience; a twenty-minute outage is a disaster.

By 2026, reliable internet will no longer be a luxury but a basic necessity at every event. Your guests expect Wi-Fi. Your registration system relies on it. Your livestream depends on it. Your payment terminals need it.

On-site Wi-Fi is rarely sufficient for a large event. The in-house network of a hotel or convention center is designed for hotel guests checking their email, not for 500 people simultaneously filling out a live poll on their phones.

Set up your own event network: a professional Wi-Fi network with access points tailored to the number of users and the required bandwidth. As a rule of thumb, allow for 1 Mbps per user for basic use, and 3 to 5 Mbps for interactive tools or live streaming.

Set up separate networks: one for the organization and AV equipment (backstage network), and one for guests. The backstage network has priority and is secured. The guest network can be open but runs separately. This way, a guest streaming Netflix won’t slow down your presentation laptop.

Use wired connections for critical systems. Live streaming, presentation laptops, and registration desks should always run on a wired connection. Wi-Fi is too unreliable for systems that cannot afford to fail. Be sure to read our article on organizing hybrid events for specific requirements related to live streaming.

Good sound is the difference between a professional event and a frustrating experience. If your audience can’t hear the speaker, nothing else matters.

Start with the room’s acoustics. A concrete hall sounds different from a room with curtains and carpeting. Hard surfaces cause reverberation and echoes, which can impair speech intelligibility. Ask your sound engineer to assess the room in advance and suggest any necessary acoustic measures.

The sound system must be suited to the venue and the event. A presentation for 50 people requires a different system than a gala evening for 500. Consider line arrays for large halls, compact active speakers for smaller setups, and wireless headset microphones for speakers who move around.

Monitors on stage are essential for speakers and presenters. They need to be able to hear themselves. For panel discussions, one conference microphone per participant is required.

A preliminary sound check is not optional. Set aside at least an hour for the sound check, preferably with the actual speakers present. In addition to volume, test the intelligibility in the back row and in the corners of the room.

Also consider noise levels. At a conference followed by a reception with a DJ or band, be sure to manage the volume levels carefully. Excessive noise is unpleasant and may violate occupational safety standards (maximum 85 dB averaged over 8 hours for staff).

Lighting sets the mood for your event and determines the quality of your photos and videos. It serves both a functional and an aesthetic purpose.

Basic lighting ensures that guests can move around safely, read text, and see one another. That sounds simple, but it’s often underestimated. Many venues dim the lights to create a mood. This makes it too dark to read a name tag or recognize a face.

Stage lighting is an art in itself. A well-lit speaker exudes professionalism. Moving heads, spotlights, and wash lights create depth and focus. Backlighting separates the speaker from the background and greatly improves video recordings.

Screens and projectors are the visual centerpiece of most business events. LED screens are more expensive but brighter and more visible in daylight. Projectors are less expensive but sensitive to ambient light. The minimum screen size depends on the room size: as a rule of thumb, the maximum viewing distance is six times the height of the screen.

Don’t forget the technical area. Plan a FOH (front of house) position for the lighting and sound technicians, preferably at the back of the venue with a clear view of the stage. This position should have access to power, a network connection, and a workstation. Be sure to read our article on photography and video at your event to learn about the relationship between lighting and image quality.

Audiovisual technology brings everything together: sound, video, lighting, and IT all come together in a single coordinated system. And that system must run flawlessly when it matters most.

Choose a reliable AV company with experience in your type of event. Ask for references and review past projects. The cheapest quote is rarely the best choice. With AV technology, you’re paying for reliability, speed, and the ability to resolve issues when things go wrong.

Presentation management is critical. Gather all presentations on a single laptop at least 24 hours in advance. Test each presentation on the actual system. Do the videos play properly, are the fonts correct, and do the screen proportions look right? A presentation that looks great on a MacBook may look completely different on the event laptop.

Confidence monitors are indispensable at professional events. These are screens that allow the speaker to see the current slide and a timer. They give speakers confidence and prevent them from having to turn around to look at the screen behind them.

Always have a backup plan. Consider bringing a spare laptop, extra cables, backup copies of all your presentations on a USB drive, and a technician who can think on their feet. The equipment that fails most often is usually the simplest. Think of a broken HDMI cable, a dead battery in a wireless microphone, or a laptop that unexpectedly starts updating.

Successful technical operations at an event are the result of effective communication, not expensive equipment. The collaboration between the organizer, venue, AV company, and caterer determines whether the technical setup works.

Create a technical rider: a document that outlines all the technical requirements for your event. Include details on the power distribution, network setup, sound and lighting requirements, screen positions, cable routes, and setup and teardown times. Share this document with all relevant parties at least two weeks before the event.

Schedule a technical site visit. Walk through the venue with your AV vendor, lighting technician, and, if applicable, the caterer. Discuss cable routing, power distribution, screen placement, and the setup schedule. Many technical issues arise because parties don’t realize something won’t fit until the day of setup.

Setup time is often underestimated. A professional AV setup for an event with 300 guests can easily take a full day to set up. A multi-day conference with multiple rooms takes two to three days. Plan ahead and allow for unforeseen delays.

Appoint a single technical point of contact. Don’t choose an event manager who also handles catering and the guest list; instead, choose someone who can focus entirely on the technical aspects. For larger events, this would be a technical producer; for smaller events, it would be the project manager from your AV company. Also check out our article on booking speakers for your event for tips on coordinating technical details with speakers.

Would you like to know how Live Impact handles the technical planning for your event? Call us at 085 401 40 14 or email us at hello@live-impact.nl.

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