Planning a Trade Show? Here's the AV Checklist Organizers Forget

Trade show producers think they have AV handled until 72 hours before the show, when the convention center calls about a fire-marshal-required cable spec they didn't budget for.

Here's the 14-item AV checklist for trade show producers — covering the things venue contracts won't tell you and competitors won't share.

Pre-show (60-90 days out)

1. Convention center jurisdiction pre-coordination

Every major convention center has its own labor jurisdiction:

• McCormick Place: IATSE Local 2 + Teamsters 727 (the Teamsters rules cost 30-50% more time on freight)
• Las Vegas Convention Center: IATSE Local 720 + booking density during CES doubles labor cost
• Javits Center NYC: IATSE Local One, very strict
• Mandalay Bay / Caesars: IATSE Local 720 + venue-specific rules

Send the show packet to the venue's labor coordinator early. Ask explicitly about:

• Required call sizes for general session
• Booth AV labor restrictions (some venues require house labor for in-booth)
• After-hours / overtime triggers
• Holiday + weekend rate multipliers

2. Booth AV per-exhibitor coordination

Most shows have 50-300 exhibitors with their own booth AV. The producer needs to coordinate:

• Pre-show booth AV survey sent to exhibitors 60-90 days out
• Standardized AV options (A/V package tiers exhibitors can purchase)
• Self-supplied AV rules (what exhibitors can bring vs. what venue requires they rent)

Without this coordination, day-of becomes 50 simultaneous fires when 50 booths can't make their setup work.

3. I&D scheduling vs. show-floor open hours

Install/dismantle windows are tighter than producers think:

• Install window: typically 24-72 hours before doors open
• Show hours: 6-10 hours/day for 2-5 days
• Dismantle window: typically 8-16 hours after doors close

The math matters. A 200-exhibitor show with a 48-hour install window means 4 booths per hour of crew capacity. Plan crew accordingly.

Show prep (30-45 days out)

4. General session redundancy + tech rehearsal

The general session keynote is the highest-stakes 90 minutes of the show. Plan:

• Backup audio path — secondary mic + secondary mixer ready to switch
• Backup video path — secondary projector or LED config
• Tech rehearsal at least 24 hours before doors with full crew + all keynote presenters
• Run-of-show review with show caller + presenters

A general session that starts 5 minutes late kills the booth-floor schedule for the entire day.

5. Sponsor activation AV — separate scope, never combined

Sponsor activations (booth takeovers, branded experiences, lounges) need their OWN AV scope:

• Different labor (more brand-finesse, less raw production)
• Different timing (often after main show hours)
• Different content workflow
• Different invoicing

If you bundle sponsor AV into the main show contract, you'll lose track of who owes what and the sponsor invoicing gets messy.

Show week (7 days out)

6. Freight-to-floor logistics + loading dock window

Convention centers have loading docks with hard windows. Miss the window and your gear sits in a parking lot. Plan:

• Confirmed dock time with venue (sometimes scheduled 4-12 weeks in advance)
• Driver phone numbers for the 24 hours before delivery
• Backup plan if driver gets stuck in traffic / weather

Hidden cost: most venues charge detention fees if a truck sits more than 30 minutes past its dock window. $200-500/hour penalty is normal.

7. Strike protocol — under-budgeted by every first-time producer

Producers always under-budget strike. Reality:

• Strike is typically 60-80% of install time (faster, but not as fast as people think)
• Crew + freight cost during strike is 100% of show-day rate
• Many venues impose after-hours surcharges for strike that runs past midnight

Budget strike at 70% of install cost as a default. If you have a tight strike window, increase crew, don't cut.

Show day

8. Floor manager + general session PM coordination

Two people, two jobs:

• Floor manager owns the show-floor exhibitor experience
• General session PM owns the keynote/main-stage execution

These are different roles. Don't try to make one person do both.

9. Real-time communication

Production buyers are usually focused on logistics. Don't forget the comms layer:

• Backstage radios for crew (not just walkie-talkies — proper Motorola or Clear-Com)
• Backstage cell for non-crew (sponsors, exhibitors, talent reps)
• Public address fallback for show floor announcements

10. Backup power for booth AV

Convention center power can flicker. The producer's main show usually has backup. Booth AV often doesn't. Either:

• Provide UPS + battery backup for critical booth AV (premium tier)
• Pre-warn exhibitors that they need to provide their own UPS
• Build flicker-tolerance into your AV spec

Wrap (post-show)

11. Wrap report + lessons learned

Within 5 business days of strike, the producer should send:

• Final invoice + receipts
• Wrap report covering hours, crew, gear, any issues
• Lessons-learned doc for the next show

Without this, year-over-year shows recreate the same problems.

12. Exhibitor feedback survey

Within 7 days of strike, survey exhibitors on AV:

• Was their booth AV working?
• Was the show-floor signage working?
• What would they change?

Use the data to refine year-over-year.

Long-term

13. Year-over-year vendor relationship

The producers who run great shows year-over-year work with the same vendors year-over-year. Switching vendors every year costs 30-50% in inefficiency from rebuilding institutional knowledge.

Don't switch your AV vendor unless they've genuinely failed. Switching to save 5% costs you 30%.

14. Convention venue relationship

Most convention centers have a "preferred AV vendor" they'll push. You don't have to use them. Compare quotes from outside vendors — savings of 25-50% are common.

But: outside vendors often require coordination with the venue's house AV (jurisdiction, staging, freight). Budget for that coordination time.

How we work trade shows

We crew trade show I&D + booth AV + general session staffing for trade show producers across the convention circuit. We're the second-tier vendor (not the venue's house vendor) — which means we compete on price and we don't have rebate distortions on hardware recommendations.

If you're running a trade show and want a quote that's transparent, we'll compete with whatever the venue's preferred vendor is quoting.

📞 (407) 885-5770 · 📧 info@axiosprosolutions.com