The urge to splurge on cool technology is strong for many businesses. Audiovisual (AV) equipment is particularly attractive — it’s easy to show off, looks great, and best of all, it’s even usable every now and then.
But you don’t always need to own equipment, much the same as you don’t always need to own a tuxedo. If you’re only going to use it once every now and then, it makes much more sense to rent rather than buy. Additionally, different event locations will often require different setups. Trying to buy all the gear to be ready for all occasions is simply impractical.
So, here are 5 reasons you should rent audio visual equipment:
Specialization
The audio visual equipment you might already have is probably great for a lot of uses — but no AV gear is one size fits all. This leaves you with two solutions when faced with a venue that requires a special setup: either hope you can stretch existing equipment to suit, or get the specialist gear. The former is rarely advisable, so if you do need to get more kit — rent it. There’s no point buying a specialized piece of gear just to use once and then sit in a cupboard somewhere.
Savings
Owning audio visual equipment costs more than just the initial outlay. Maintaining, repairing, and properly storing equipment also adds to cost of ownership. Gear that doesn’t get used much won’t be worth the cost of storing and maintaining it — and some bigger pieces of equipment are often cheaper to rent than to work out what to do with it when it’s not in use.
Tech Support
If you own the equipment, you’re in charge of knowing how to operate and trouble-shoot it (or hiring someone whose job it is, anyway). That means if your microphone dies in the middle of a keynote, it’s on you to fix it.
When you rent gear, it usually comes with an expert for setting it up and maintaining it on the day. You get immediate tech support from someone who knows what they’re doing, leaving you to stay relaxed during unfortunate hiccups.
Newest, Best, Maintained Equipment
Rental companies want to stay competitive, and for them that usually means keeping up to date on the latest equipment. It’s in their best interest to provide the newest, best AV equipment in the best possible condition — meaning you can always get top of the line without repeated, high-ticket cost outlays.
Expert Installation
This kind of goes back to the tech support point above, but when you get rental equipment, expert installation is part and parcel. Preparation prevents poor performance, and having gear set up properly to begin with lessens the chances of hiccups during events.When to Rent Audio Visual Equipment
