Rooms
List the general session, every breakout and any overflow or remote audience. A room that is live at the same time needs its own operating plan.
Enterprise AV buyer guide
The Anatomy of an Enterprise AV Proposal
Every material line should connect to the room, the schedule or a deliverable. This annotated example shows what to check before you compare totals.
The short answer
An enterprise AV proposal should separate planning, equipment, crew, logistics, venue services, deliverables and commercial terms. Two proposals are comparable only when they cover the same rooms, schedule, technical scope and exclusions.
Before the total
Make sure every company priced the same show
A lower proposal may be efficient. It may also omit rehearsal, split one technician across two active rooms, leave venue labor unpriced or exclude the recording you expected. Start with four checks: rooms, days, crew coverage and deliverables.
Schedule
Match load-in, setup, rehearsal, show hours and strike. Those calls determine labor days and overtime exposure.
Crew coverage
Ask which person owns audio, video, lighting, playback and the run of show during every active period.
Deliverables
Confirm streaming, recording, captions, isolated feeds, file formats, editing and delivery dates in writing.
200hypothetical attendees
1 roomgeneral session
1 dayplus load-in and rehearsal
$25,000illustrative teaching total
Annotated example
A sample $25,000 enterprise AV proposal
The hypothetical event is a 200-person San Francisco corporate meeting with one general session, presentations, a panel, audience questions, projection, basic stage lighting, a small stage and a show recording. It does not include a public livestream.
Illustrative example: This is a teaching model created to explain proposal structure. It is not a client quote, a Westwave AV rate card or a Bay Area average. Actual proposals depend on the venue, room, schedule, crew, equipment and deliverables.
| Proposal line | Example | What it covers | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production planning | $2,250 | Technical design, venue coordination, schedules, crew plan and cue preparation | Named owner, planning period and included revision rounds |
| Audio equipment | $2,750 | Microphones, console, loudspeakers, stands, cabling and backup paths | Quantities, room coverage, RF plan and audience microphone method |
| Video and presentation | $4,500 | Projection, screens, switching, playback, confidence monitors and signal distribution | Screen size, brightness, source count, aspect ratio and backup playback |
| Lighting | $2,000 | Stage fixtures, control, cabling and focus | House inventory, power, rigging and whether scenic lighting is included |
| Staging and scenic | $1,500 | Stage deck, soft goods, lectern or simple scenic elements | Dimensions, finish, stairs, railings and venue approval |
| Show crew | $8,000 | The people operating audio, video, lighting and the show schedule | Roles, call times, day length, room coverage, rehearsal and overtime |
| Delivery, setup and strike | $2,200 | Transport, loading, installation, testing, teardown and collection | Dock access, freight timing and late-night strike terms |
| Recording deliverables | $750 | Record paths, media handling and agreed file delivery | What is recorded, whether files are edited, format and delivery date |
| Venue service allowance | $600 | A teaching placeholder for one known venue-controlled service | Fixed, estimated, marked up or billed directly by the venue |
| Meals, parking and incidentals | $450 | Crew expenses created by the schedule and venue | Per diem, parking, meal penalties and approval rules |
| Illustrative total | $25,000 | The included example lines above | Do not use this total to estimate a real event |
How to read the sections
The line item is useful only when its unit is clear
Planning should produce something
Look for a technical plan, schedule, cue process, venue handoff and named decision owner. A general planning fee without an output is hard to evaluate.
Labor needs a role and a call
A1, V1 and lighting roles identify responsibility. Call times, minimums, rehearsal and overtime identify how that responsibility is billed.
Equipment should map to the room
A microphone count should match the panel and audience format. Screen size and brightness should match the room, sightlines and ambient light.
Logistics can move the total
Dock access, freight elevators, parking, early access and late-night strike can add labor or transport even when the equipment package stays fixed.
Allowances are not fixed promises
An allowance marks a cost that is not final. The proposal should explain who controls it, what happens if it changes and whether a fee applies.
Exclusions belong in the comparison
An excluded service does not disappear. It moves to the venue, the client or a later change order, so it still belongs in the full event budget.
Composite scope change
Why one extra room changes more than the equipment list
Composite example: This scenario is assembled from recurring proposal patterns in private Westwave AV records. It is not a client quote and contains no client-specific pricing.
One general session
One room carries presentations, a panel and audience questions with one coordinated show team.
Add a simultaneous breakout
The breakout also needs a recorded remote presenter contribution, while the general session remains live.
Parallel coverage and checks
The revised plan needs separate room coverage, another signal path, recording checks and more setup and rehearsal time. The total changes because responsibility is duplicated while both rooms are active.
Outside the example
Five costs that may sit beyond the vendor subtotal
These are not automatically required. They are scope and venue questions that need an owner before the proposal is approved.
Union or house labor
Confirm required roles, minimum calls, overtime rules and whether the venue or production company contracts them.
Dedicated internet
Confirm bandwidth, support hours, backup paths and venue restrictions when the program includes remote presenters or streaming.
Rigging and power
Confirm venue rules, engineering, required labor and service providers for flown systems or power distribution.
Taxes and fees
Ask whether tax, service fees, credit-card charges and venue markups appear inside or after the displayed total.
Scope changes
Require a written approval path for added rooms, longer hours, new deliverables or schedule changes.
Commercial and contract language should be reviewed by your own procurement or legal team. This guide explains production scope, not legal advice.
Print-ready worksheet
A one-page enterprise AV proposal comparison worksheet
Put both proposals against the same event brief. Write the included quantity, hours, responsibility or exclusion in each column. Leave a blank only when the proposal leaves it blank.
| Scope check | Proposal A | Proposal B | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms and active hours General session, breakouts, overflow and remote audience |
|||
| Schedule Load-in, setup, rehearsal, show and strike |
|||
| Crew coverage Named roles, calls, day length and overtime |
|||
| Technical systems Audio, video, lighting, staging and playback |
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| Deliverables Recording, streaming, remote feeds, captions and files |
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| Venue-controlled costs House labor, union, internet, power and rigging |
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| Taxes, fees and expenses Tax, service fees, transport, parking and meals |
|||
| Commercial terms Deposit, payment schedule, cancellation and changes |
The Excel file also opens in Google Sheets. If a cost is excluded, name who owns it and where it appears in the full event budget.
Ten-minute reconciliation
Put both proposals against the same eight checks
Same rooms and active hours
Same load-in, rehearsal and strike
Same crew roles and day length
Same screens, microphones and playback
Same recording or remote deliverables
Same venue, union, internet, power and rigging treatment
Same tax, fee and expense treatment
Same cancellation and change terms
Continue planning
Use the right resource for the next decision
Build the event brief
Give every bidder the same venue, schedule, room list and deliverables before requesting equipment.
Understand the planning range
See how audience, rooms, lead time, venue and crew change a San Francisco AV budget.
Check the venue terms
Settle house systems, exclusive services, access and responsibility before the final comparison.
Planning a Bay Area event?
Send the venue, date and draft schedule.
Westwave AV can reconcile the room and program before anyone guesses at an equipment list.