A lot of people treat A/V as a checklist item. Book the venue, get catering, call someone to run sound. But when the A/V fails, it becomes the thing everyone remembers.
Here’s what that failure actually costs.
1. You lose credibility
When a mic cuts out mid-sentence or the projector won't display the presentation correctly, your event stops feeling professional. It doesn’t matter how good the content is, if the audience can’t hear or see it clearly, they tune out.
And the audience doesn’t just blame your A/V vendor. They assume you didn’t plan well. That perception reflects directly on you and your organization.
2. Your content becomes worthless
Most events today are about more than just the people in the room. You’re recording sessions to share later, repurposing talks for marketing, or streaming to a remote audience.
But if the audio is distorted or the video is shaky or out of sync, that content can’t be used. You lose any long-term value the event might have created.
3. You lose engagement
If you want people to stay focused, they need to feel confident that what they’re watching and hearing is worth their attention.
When the tech gets in the way, such as bad sound, unreadable slides, or poor camera work, people check out. Engagement drops fast, especially for virtual or hybrid audiences. And when engagement drops, so does the ROI of your event.
4. It adds stress to your team
A lot of A/V issues don’t show up until event day. When things aren’t working, your team ends up scrambling to solve problems they weren’t trained for. That’s time and energy pulled away from managing speakers, guests, and the actual goals of the event.
If your staff is troubleshooting HDMI adapters instead of connecting with your audience, something’s wrong.
What to do about it
Solid A/V doesn’t just happen. It takes planning, the right gear, and someone who knows what to look out for.
That’s what we do at Major Third Media. We don’t just show up with speakers and cameras. We walk through the event with you ahead of time, catch potential issues early, and make sure the experience works—live and on replay.
Planning an event?
If you want to make sure your audience hears the message—not the problems—get in touch. We’ll help you deliver an event that runs smoothly, sounds great, and feels professional from start to finish.