The short answer
Conference organisers almost always ask us the same thing on the first call: “roughly, how much will it cost?” It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends. Not out of caution, but because two conferences for a hundred people can need very different systems.
A half-day meeting in a hotel room, with three speakers at a table and one presentation, needs a compact system and one technician. A two-day congress with a plenary, two breakout rooms, streaming and recording is a different project: more equipment, more people, more set-up hours.
What we can say precisely is what the price depends on. Once you know these items, you can read a quote, compare two of them fairly and decide where it is worth investing.
The six items that make the price
In almost every conference quote the cost is spread across these items. Their weight changes from event to event, but the list is always the same.
- Number of rooms: every extra room has its own system, its own mixer and nearly always its own technician.
- Duration: the event days, but also the set-up and de-rig hours, especially when the work happens at night or at dawn.
- Microphones: how many speakers talk at the table, whether there is a lectern, how many people ask questions from the floor.
- Video: slides on screens, cameras, video direction and streaming are the item that raises the budget most.
- Crew: sound engineer, video technician, director, stage manager and room assistants. Often the largest part of the quote.
- Logistics: transport, loading access, lifts, distance from the car park and travel outside the city.
Why the crew costs more than the equipment
Many people expect the equipment to be the main item. In a conference with several sessions, though, the cost of the people often exceeds that of the gear. Technicians do not only work during the talks: they arrive early to set up, rehearse with the speakers, stay for programme changes and de-rig at the end.
That is why an eight-hour conference day can become a twelve or thirteen-hour day for the technical team. A good quote states it clearly, with arrival and finish times, instead of hiding it in a single figure.
Streaming: what really changes
Adding a live stream is not just plugging a camera into the internet. You need a control desk with a video switcher, a camera operator following the speakers, a dedicated audio mix for remote viewers and a stable wired connection. If you want more than one angle, the cameras become two or three.
To give a sense of scale: our catalogue includes a basic streaming kit with a public price of €5,619, designed for conferences and press conferences, with three cameras, a video switcher, lighting for the speakers and wireless microphones for six people. The final quote confirms dates, logistics and technical assistance.
How to compare two quotes
When two offers arrive with very different figures, they almost never describe the same job. Before looking at the total, check that both answer these questions.
- How many technicians are planned, and for how many hours?
- Are set-up, rehearsals and de-rig included?
- How many wireless and table microphones, with spare batteries?
- Is there a backup for critical parts, such as the mixer or the slide computer?
- Are transport, travel and parking included or extra?
- Is session recording included, and in what format is it delivered?
Where you can save, and where you cannot
You save by choosing the room well: a space with little echo and a regular shape needs fewer speakers and fewer corrections. It also helps to lock the programme early, because a clear microphone plan avoids extra gear brought along “just in case”.
It is not worth cutting on speech intelligibility and crew. A conference where the speakers cannot be heard, or where the microphone squeals in the first session, costs far more in reputation than it saves on the quote.
One last thing to ask the venue straight away: some hotels and conference centres charge a fee when you bring an external technical supplier. It is a cost to know before comparing offers.
How to get an estimate in a few minutes
If you need a first order of magnitude without waiting, the configurator on our site asks for the type of event, number of people, rooms and duration, and gives you an indicative estimate at three service levels. For a congress with several rooms or streaming, the next step is a call or a site survey: that is where the quote becomes precise.
