AV rental prices: what drives the cost
How much AV costs depends on the event it has to run, not on a list of boxes. Two events for the same number of guests can be priced very differently. These factors move the total:
- Audience and venue: room size, shape, daylight and acoustics decide how large the screen and the sound system must be.
- Event days: most equipment is priced per event day, and a rehearsal or a build the day before adds time.
- Display type: an LED wall is priced per m², a projector per projector, lens and screen, a TV per unit and stand.
- Sound: how many microphones are live at once, video playback, music, a DJ or a band.
- Lighting: how many stage looks are needed and how much programming they take.
- Crew: technical lead, sound, lighting and video engineers, LED operators, and the length of their shifts.
- Logistics: distance, loading windows, night work and power, especially outdoors.
Agree what must remain true
Before removing equipment, write three or four outcomes that define a successful event. For a conference these might be understandable speech, readable presentation content from the agreed seats and reliable playback of the opening film. For a stand they might be a visible main product and a usable demonstration. Make them specific enough to check.
APM relates value to the needs met for the resources used (benefits versus cost). For AV this means comparing ways to reach the agreed result instead of treating every original equipment line as essential.
Separate requirements from preferences
Mark each part of the brief as required, preferred or optional. A screen for a technical presentation may be required; a decorative extension may be optional. Ask the supplier to explain uncertain items: something that looks like an accessory may be needed to make the system work. If a smaller screen requires larger text or a new seating layout, record that change and who delivers it.
Compare alternatives across the complete project
| Possible change | Question about the result | Full-cost check |
|---|---|---|
| Change display dimensions or layout | Is the actual content readable from the agreed positions? | Include content adaptation, supports and installation |
| Combine or remove a zone | Can the programme and visitors still use the space as intended? | Include any new routing, staffing or timetable needs |
| Simplify lighting states | Are important people and products still presented correctly? | Compare equipment and programming work |
| Adapt existing content | Does it still explain the intended message? | Include editing, translations and required rights checks |
| Coordinate delivery and access | Can the teams complete dependent tasks in the available window? | Compare transport, handling and crew hours |
| Reuse a confirmed venue resource | Does it pass the same application test? | Include access, operation and integration charges |
Ask for each option as a change to a common baseline. Otherwise one supplier may remove the operator while another changes the display, and the totals will hide the real decision. Our guide on how to compare AV quotes shows how to line them up.
Worked example: a presentation with a lounge
Imagine a hypothetical event for 120 seated guests with a presentation, a film, a lounge screen and decorative lighting, quoted above budget. Speech clarity, readable slides and correct film playback are required; lounge messaging and decorative looks are preferences. Option A replaces the lounge screen with a printed programme, B keeps it but uses fewer lighting states, C changes the main display and needs simpler slides. A works only if the lounge needs no live information, and C only after the slides pass a check from the planned seats. None is automatically the right or cheapest choice.
Where savings usually come from
- Size the LED wall to the content. Its cost grows with the surface: indoor LED starts from €84 per m² ground-stacked and €95 per m² flown, net per event day. Check readability before you cut square metres.
- Book sound, lighting and screens together. One crew and one technical lead share transport, build time and coordination.
- Use the venue's equipment where it fits. We can operate it when we receive its specification in advance or check it on site.
- Consider dry hire for simple set-ups: we deliver, install, test and hand over, and your team runs the event. Read dry hire or managed AV first.
- Send final content early, in the right format, so no crew hours go to last-minute fixes.
Do not move work out of the quote and call it a saving
If your staff run playback, plan their availability and rehearsal; if the venue supplies a screen, confirm who operates it. Work moved to another team still needs an owner and may still cost money, so compare the total spend, including venue items, and keep unpriced items visible. Decide before content production and booking are fixed, then update the plan, quote and acceptance checks together.
What a REX Lab AV quote includes
We do not publish a price list for sound, lighting or projection, because each system is sized to the event. Every quote is net and per event day, with delivery, installation, setup and dismantling included. Crew shifts are billed separately and shown as their own lines, and every project has a technical lead. We work in any city in Poland and across Europe. At Flo Camp 25, a corporate event across five locations, each zone had its own sound system within one full AV equipment rental package.
Send the required outcomes, venue, audience size, dates and budget through the contact form for a full net quote within 24 hours; on request we add two alternatives with our design and visualisation team. Book at least one week ahead.
Frequently asked questions
How much does AV cost for a conference?
It depends on the audience size, the room, the number of event days, how many microphones are live at once, the display and the crew shifts. Send the agenda, room and guest numbers and we reply with a full net quote within 24 hours.
What does AV stand for?
AV means audiovisual: sound and image. For events it usually covers sound systems and microphones, LED walls, projectors and TVs, and in practice also lighting, truss and the crew who run them.
Are delivery and installation included in AV rental prices?
Yes. Our quotes are net, per event day, and include delivery, installation, setup and dismantling. Crew shifts are billed separately, so you can see what the operators cost.
Why do AV quotes for the same event differ so much?
They usually describe different scopes: another display size, fewer microphones, no operator, no rehearsal or no delivery. Compare them on the same venue, programme and working hours.
How can I lower the AV cost without hurting the event?
Cut preferences, not requirements. Size the screen to the content, combine sound, lighting and screens in one quote, reuse suitable venue equipment and book at least one week ahead.