Short answer: most professionally-produced events land somewhere between a few thousand and a few tens of thousands of dollars — but the number is meaningless without knowing what drives it. Here's what you're actually paying for, and how to read a quote so you never overpay.
The honest truth is that "how much does AV cost?" is like asking "how much does a car cost?" A single wireless mic for a 40-person meeting and a three-day national conference with LED walls, IMAG cameras and a live band are both "event AV," and they're thousands of dollars apart. What matters is understanding the four things that move the number.
The four cost drivers
- Equipment. The gear itself — audio, lighting, video/LED, staging. LED video walls and camera/IMAG packages are usually the biggest single line items; a couple of speakers and mics are the smallest.
- Crew and labor. The people who design, load in, operate and strike your event. A named engineer running your show live is worth far more than gear dropped off in a corner — and it's often the difference between "fine" and "flawless."
- Scale and complexity. Room size, headcount, number of screens, breakout rooms, livestream, a band changeover — each adds gear and crew.
- Logistics. Delivery, setup time, power, rigging, and any venue-required vendors (some venues force you to pay their crew to plug into power or hang anything — a real, and sometimes pricey, line item worth asking about early).
Realistic ranges
These are ballparks for a professionally-produced event in the Salt Lake–Provo area. Your quote will vary with venue and scope — but this is the shape of it:
| Event type | Typical scope | Rough range |
|---|---|---|
| Small meeting / panel | PA, a few wireless mics, basic lighting | $1,000–$3,500 |
| Corporate general session | Sound, stage wash, a screen or LED wall, an operator | $4,000–$15,000 |
| Multi-day conference | LED walls, IMAG, breakout rooms, livestream, crew | $15,000–$60,000+ |
| Gala / awards night | Program audio, lighting design, recognition video, staging | $6,000–$30,000 |
| Wedding / private (with band) | Live-band sound, uplighting, ceremony audio, dance lighting | $3,500–$15,000 |
Why itemized pricing saves you money
We build every quote line by line — audio, lighting, video, staging, crew and logistics all broken out — for one reason: it lets you make smart trade-offs. Maybe you don't need the second camera, or projection works instead of an LED wall, or a smaller PA covers the room. You can only make those calls if you can see the pieces. That transparency is the whole reason we're called True AV, and it's the opposite of the "what's your budget?" game, where a vendor quietly prices to your wallet instead of your event.
How to get an accurate quote fast
Give any AV company four things and you'll get a real number quickly: your date, your venue (or city), your headcount, and a sentence on what you're trying to pull off. From there a good production company will ask the right follow-ups — including the ones you didn't know to ask.
FAQ
Why do AV quotes vary so much?
Because 'AV' spans everything from one microphone to a full national conference. Equipment, crew, scale and logistics all move the number — which is why an itemized quote is so useful.
Is it cheaper to rent gear and run it myself?
Sometimes, for simple events. But for anything high-stakes, an operated show is far safer — the cost of a keynote going dark dwarfs the savings. We're happy to tell you honestly which path fits.
What's a hidden cost people forget?
Venue-required vendors — some venues make you pay their crew to connect power or rig anything. Ask about it before you sign so it's in the quote, not a surprise.