When you are trying to negotiate a contract with audiovisual service providers, know that there are various options available now and it is essential to ensure a “win-win” situation to go ahead with. From an ideal deal, both the client and the audiovisual provider both can achieve the best benefits for their corresponding organizations. From the service taker’s point of view, it is more about keeping the costs down without compromising on quality and for the AV provider, it is maximizing the profit along with ensuring optimum service delivery.
Will these objectives of both parties effectively fulfill?
Here we will discuss about five basic things to consider to achieve all these goals at the best. These points are seemingly simple, but really creative to make all come out of an audiovisual service negotiation table with a winning smile.
- Request for Proposal (RFP) – As a service seeker, make the RFP as detailed as possible about your event and how you want to execute it in a better way. Gain some basic knowledge about the most modern interactive audio visual technologies offered by audio visual companies, and mention all your “must haves” in the RPF and secondary “would like to have” requirements. If you know the supplier from previous associations, you can ask for their creative inputs too.
- Provide the history and trend analysis: If you are holding the same kind of events for many years, include all the details about the AV equipment you used and your new requirements. Provide all details like number of attendees, rooms, speakers, presentations, interactive sessions etc. Also try to offers a detail 3-year snapshot of the events you conduct. This will help the provider understand your needs and the trend to explore the best possible methods for you.
- Determining flexibility: While implementing the AV system or hiring services of audio visual companies, considering your requirement for AV systems in terms of days of the week and how many times a month/year etc. is important. With this details in hand, you need not have to overdo things which may stretch your budget and ultimately put you in trouble. Conduct a careful and detailed analysis in this regard, which is a one-time effort and can save hugely for you.
- Know the exact cost: While getting on to a deal with an AV service provider, ensure that you get details of all-inclusive fee for it in writing before planning the event. Labor may be the largest cost involved, so ensure that you understand all aspects of labor involvement in terms of man-hours and time-and-a-half concepts along with transportation costs. Also consider the additional supplies as lamps, batteries, extension cords etc.
- Reliability in terms of support: At the service takers end, similar to that of any third-party services you take, always ensure that the audio visual companies you consider are reliable in terms of service support. Make sure that they have a hotline support mechanism to answer your queries and meet your needs any time of the day. Also consider the client testimonials and feedback of other users about the provider before choosing one.