GigRent

How to Decide When to Rent vs. Buy AV Equipment

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 17:31:17 GMT

For production and AV companies, one of the most important financial and operational decisions is whether to rent or purchase equipment.

Make the wrong choice, and you risk tying up capital, limiting flexibility, or missing revenue opportunities. Make the right one, and you create a

scalable, cost-efficient foundation for long-term growth.

This guide breaks down the key factors that determine when renting makes sense—and when ownership is the smarter move.

When Renting AV Equipment Is the Better Choice

1. Your needs change frequently

If your projects vary in size or technical requirements, renting keeps you flexible and open-minded to all solutions.

Owning gear can cause a few issues to surface. Bias towards certain equipment, only selling what you own, and thinking that other gear is inferior. This can lead to a few downsides.

· Under-utilized inventory that doesn’t move as often.

· Storage and maintenance costs that come with owning gear.

· Obsolete technology that you are trying to squeak the last bit of life from.

· Trying to shoehorn a show into a piece of gear that is not

· High transport costs

Renting allows you to scale up or down depending on the event without long-term commitment to any one type or brand of equipment.

2. Technology is constantly evolving and doing so quickly

In areas like Computers, LED, media servers, and video processing, equipment generations change fast.
Buying too early can mean:

· Rapid depreciation

· Compatibility limitations

· Pressure to reinvest sooner than expected

Buying too late can mean:

· Equipment ages out before it’s paid off.

· May not function well or be compatible with the newest gear

· Less customers are interested in the Equipment.

Renting shifts that risk away from you and ensures access to current, show-ready technology.

3. You need equipment only occasionally

If gear is used only a few times per year, ownership rarely makes financial sense.

Using an Item less than 6 - 8x per year can cost you big. Consider the following when you only use items for part of the year:

· Purchase cost

· Maintenance and repairs

· Insurance

· Storage

· Labor for testing and prep

If utilization is low, rental is almost always more cost-effective.

4. Cash flow matters more than ownership

Growing companies often benefit from preserving capital for a multitude of business needs and projects including the following:

· Hiring

· Marketing

· Expansion

· New services

Renting converts a large upfront expense into a predictable project cost, improving cash flow and reducing financial risk.

When Buying AV Equipment Makes More Sense

1. The gear is used constantly

High-utilization items are the strongest candidates for ownership and decrease your dependency on others.

Examples often include:

· Cables and hard infrastructure

· Uncommon rigging or staging elements

· Frequently deployed audio or LED and projection systems

· Monitors and other items with a low entry cost.

If equipment is booked week after week, purchasing can quickly outperform rental costs.

2. You need control and immediate availability

Ownership provides benefits when the gear is always on hand, this includes:

· Guaranteed access

· Faster prep and QC

· Consistent equipment and kits across all shows

For production and AV companies running simultaneous or last-minute events, this reliability can be critical.

3. The equipment supports a core service line

If a specific system defines your primary offering or competitive advantage, owning it may be a strategic advantage rather than purely a financial benefit.

Ownership can:

· Strengthen your brand positioning

· Improve event and company margins over time

· Enable faster and more immediate deployment

This is especially true for companies specializing in recurring event formats or temporary installations.

4. Long-term ROI is clear

A simple rule of thumb:

If the total rental cost over 12–24 months exceeds the purchase and Maintenance price, ownership deserves serious consideration.

At that point, buying may:

· Reduce long-term expenses

· Increase profitability per show

· Create resale or B-stock value later

T he Hybrid Strategy: What Most Successful AV Companies Do

In practice, the smartest approach is rarely all rent or all buy. High-performing AV companies typically use a hybrid model:

Own:

· High-use consistent and stable technology that is always in use.

· Core infrastructure parts and pieces – i.e. Power, consoles, etc.

· Revenue creating systems. These are systems that make your company unique.

Rent:

· Rapidly evolving technology

· Specialty or large-format equipment i.e Displays, LED, high dollar projectors.

· Short-term or one-off needs that are specific to one or two events.

This balance delivers flexibility, financial efficiency, and scalability—without overextending capital.

Key Questions to Ask Before Deciding

Before your next equipment decision, ask:

· How often will this be used each month?

· How quickly will the technology change?

· Does ownership improve our margins or just add overhead?

· Could renting keep us more flexible for future opportunities?

· What is the true total cost of ownership over time?

Clear answers to these questions usually reveal the right path.

Final Thoughts

Choosing between renting and buying AV equipment isn’t just a purchasing decision—it’s a strategy decision that affects cash flow, scalability, and long-term growth.

· Renting delivers flexibility, access to new technology, lower upfront risk, but possibly lower margins.

· Buying creates control, long-term ROI, and stronger margins for high-use gear.

The most successful teams evaluate each piece of equipment through the lens of utilization, technology lifecycle, and financial impact—then build a balanced approach that supports both today’s events and tomorrow’s expansion.

Plug and Pray Isn’t a Strategy: How We QC Gear Before It Leaves the Warehouse

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 05:00:11 GMT

Plug and pray isn’t a strategy. Here’s how GigRent tests, labels, and preps AV gear so

it’s truly show-ready before it ever hits show site.

“Plug and pray” is funny until it’s your show.

If you’ve ever rolled into a ballroom with untested gear, crossed your fingers, and hoped

nothing smokes when you hit power, you already know: that’s not a real strategy.

That’s gambling with your crew’s sanity and your client’s reputation.

At GigRent, our entire business is built on the opposite mindset: show-ready as a default.

Here’s what that actually looks like behind the scenes.

We don’t treat your order as “boxes with serial numbers.” We treat it like a show.

QC starts when the previous order is returned. Once it's been scanned in each piece of gear is inspected and tested.

1. Visual Inspection Before Power

Before we power anything, every piece of gear goes through a quick but thorough visual

check:

- Connectors clean and undamaged

- Fans and filters clear

- Lenses, screens, and tiles checked for obvious defects

- Cables coiled correctly, ends intact, strain reliefs solid

- Road cases verified (foam condition, latches, labels, hardware)

Catching obvious issues here keeps deeper testing clean and focused.

2. Power-On, Then Real-World Signal

Next, we power up and actually use the gear the way you will on site.

Examples:

- Projectors: Powered on, lamp/laser hours checked, test pattern, input tests, lens shift

and focus verified.- LED: Panels - color uniformity checked, Pixels inspected, frames and latches tested.

- Switchers: Inputs/outputs tested, multiview confirmed.

- Audio: Consoles booted, faders and encoders exercised, speakers and amps

tested with known reference content.

We’re not just confirming “does it turn on?” We’re looking for weird behavior

3. Packed up and put on the shelf

- Gear is then returned to it Case

-Packed up with all the proper accessories

-put on the shelf with the QC check label to show it's been properly inspected.

If your crew has a question mid-build, they’re not shouting into the void. They’re

texting or calling someone who has actually seen the gear they’re looking at.

Wrapping It Up

“Plug and pray” creates stress, heroics, and near-misses that eventually turn into real

misses.

Show-ready QC creates:

- Calm builds

- Predictable shows

- Crews who trust the gear they’re handedIf you need a subrental partner who treats your show like their own—and sends gear that’s

truly ready to roll—that’s the bar we hold ourselves to every day at GigRent.

How Pro AV Teams Handle Last-Minute Gear Shortages (Without Burning Out Their Crew)

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 21:03:03 GMT

Last-minute gear shortage?

Here’s how pro AV teams handle emergencies with subrentals,

prep, and partners—without burning out their crew.

In live events and especially Corporate AV, nobody plans to be short on gear when they are selling their events.

However between late client changes, overlapping shows, and unorganized warehouses, last-minute shortages are almost guaranteed.

The difference between a nightmare show and a smooth recovery usually comes down to one

thing: the systems and partners you put in place before you get the 10 p.m. “We're missing _______ ” text.

At GigRent, we exist in that world—filling gaps for production companies when their plan A

gets blown up 72, 48, or even 24 hours before Load-in.

In this article, we’ll walk through how pro AV teams handle last-minute gear shortages without frying their crew or gambling

the show.

1. They Know Exactly What’s On Their Floor

The first way to avoid a late-night panic is to actually know what you have.

The best production houses we work with:

- Keep a live inventory system tied to holds and confirmed shows

- Flag “critical path” gear early—things like Barco switchers, UDX/UDM projectors, LED,

line arrays, and RF

- Run weekly “conflict checks” for big weeks so show overlaps don’t surprise them

When they call us for help, it’s rarely “we have no idea what we have.” It’s: “We’ve got

two UDMs and four G62s already committed, plus an E2—here’s the gap we can’t cover.” That

clarity lets us move fast.

2. They Decide Early What They’ll Subrent vs use out of inventory

Last-minute pain usually shows up where the strategy is fuzzy.

Smart shops are brutally honest about:

- Gear they must own (core inventory, brand standards, high-utilization equipment)

- Gear they’re comfortable subrenting (edge cases, overflow, one-off client asks,

specialty lenses, extra LED, High Brightness projectors)

By drawing that line up front, your team doesn’t waste time arguing the night before load-

in. If it’s already in the “subrent bucket,” the answer is simple: call your rental

partner.

3. They Build a Shortlist of “Call-First” Partners

When things get tight, you don’t have time to search and hope for the best.

The teams who sleep better:

- Keep two or three go-to subrental partners with nationwide reach

- Know who can turn Projectors, LED, and switching quickly

- Have direct cell numbers for warehouse and ops contacts

- Test those relationships during calmer weeks—not just in crisis mode

At GigRent we focus specifically on working with production pros, not end clients. That

means we can speak the same shorthand, match show specs, and tell you honestly what will

and won’t make it in time.

4. They Standardize “Emergency Show Files”

When a last-minute subrental happens, every hour you spend re-building paperwork is

another hour you don’t have on the floor.

Pro teams keep a simple emergency package ready to go:

- Standardized pull sheets by show type (general session, breakout, expo, etc.)

- Preferred projector/LED/switcher/audio models by tier

- Shipping and receiving instructions for each venue and warehouse on all the paperwork

- A clear point-of-contact list for gear issues

Then when a show doubles in size and you suddenly need three more rooms, it’s plug-and-

play: duplicate the right show file, send it to your subrental partner, and let them

mirror it from their inventory. This makes scaling a show much simpler.

5. They Protect Their Crew From “Hero Mode”

The hidden cost of last-minute shortages isn’t just freight—it’s burnout.

The best leaders we see:

- Refuse to solve every problem by working people into the ground

- Use subrentals to reduce frantic prep and focus their techs on real show-critical work

- Make a simple rule in their culture: “We don’t gamble with untested gear.”

If you’re building shows overnight or last minute, you need partners who send tested, labeled, show-

ready gear so your team isn’t solving basic issues at 2 a.m.

6. They Run a Post-Show Debrief—Every Time

Every crisis is a lesson if you’re willing to look at it.

After the dust settles, strong teams ask:

- Where did the shortage start—sales promise, design change, scheduling, inventory, or

freight?

- Did we call our subrental partner early enough?

- What should move from “we try to own this” to “we always subrent this”?

- What trigger would have caught this seven days sooner?

Those debriefs are short and sometimes uncomfortable—but they’re how you build a system

where “last-minute” feels more like a controlled fire drill and less like chaos.

Wrapping It Up

You can’t stop last-minute gear problems in live events. Client needs will change, shows

will grow, and the calendar will stack up.

What you can control is how prepared you are:

- Know your inventory

- Decide what you’ll subrent

- Build real relationships with rental partners

- Protect your crew

- Learn from every close call

If you want a subrental partner who lives in that world every day, that’s exactly why we

built GigRent. When your plan A breaks, we help you keep the show moving—without burning

out your team.

Episode 21 – Touring Stage Manager with Ethan Merfy

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 16:45:00 GMT

Get us feedback and leave a review!

Find GigReady at GigReady@GigRent.com

You can reach Ethan on Facebook @ethan.merfy

In December I was able to sit down with world renowned Stage manager Ethan Merfy and talk about what it takes to make it in the big leagues of touring around the world.

Talking about life on and off the road. How make the most of the Road and what you can do to become the best possible Stage Manager and keep the show moving on each and every day.

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Projection mapping is cheap

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 14:42:00 GMT

Projection mapping is considerably more cost effective than traditional alternatives. You can use an existing building or object as a surface for projection, rather than revamping a building at the structural level or constructing a new artifice. Mapping saves time, money, and energy by concentrating labor in a few choice individuals who can get the job done efficiently.

For example, you can quickly convert a building downtown into street art by using projection instead of painting the whole structure. You can use projection to display restaurant menus that can be adjusted easily for daily specials. Properly mapping your house for Christmas can be more cost effective and energy efficient than the usual string of lights. Even your local theater could use an overhaul: mapping can save you the time, supplies, and effort involved in painting multiple different sets.

With all of that said, most of the time when people look at a projection mapping budget, they don’t understand the gravity of what they are looking at and the time required to execute it. Many people think that you can shine a projector at a building with some video and call that projection mapping. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The building has to be mapped and a pre-render of the actual surface needs to be produced before you can even begin to create the content that will be projected.

The process of projection mapping involves identifying its purpose and intention and then planning for its content. Having the right people to write, build, and execute your content is the essential piece to successful projection mapping. As we mentioned in our last blog post , content matters. The substance of the show is far more important than the resolution. There are times when a lower resolution device might be the best tool for a job based on the object that you are mapping. Depending on which building you’re using, you might need to go old school in order to maximize your light output onto the surface. You need professionals on your team who can make these calls.

The idea of mapping takes into account the unique features of the building or object in question and makes them a key component of the performance. Instead of overlaying the same image across all of it and treating the building as a flat surface, content creators seek to understand and enhance the building’s character. The creators see all aspects as assets rather than obstacles. Their mantra is: if you can’t fix it, feature it.
An excellent example of execution of both content and planning is the celebration of the Apollo 11 mission at the Washington Monument. Our friends at DWP in Nashville executed their specific purpose and intent on a grand scale to create a magnificent experience. We loved watching their successful use of projection mapping and took notes for future mapping opportunities of our own.

To put it plainly, projection mapping does cost money if you’re going to do it right . When you craft an experience for people, you have to understand that creating that experience requires the expertise of professionals. It is never “cheap” to use professionals, but the result will repay your investment with interest. Hire people who don’t just throw light.

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Why 4K isn’t enough: Content matters

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 17:28:00 GMT

Our world has become increasingly oriented around technology, because too often technological advancement is prized over artistic perspective. As a society, we’ve obsessed over camera quality and features while at times sacrificing quality of content. In general, the average consumer is duped into thinking that higher resolution automatically guarantees a superior product. The client pursues high resolution first and foremost, but without meaningful content within that resolution, the product will have no real value. What many of us have failed to understand is that technology is merely the vehicle for the message we need to convey. If our message isn’t properly communicated or didn’t exist from the start, then our image, video, or virtual event is a failure. No matter how advanced the technology, a video without substance is not worth its pixels.

Technology is meant to enhance what already exists. If no value is present in the content, then the concept of “high resolution” crumbles. Say your skincare video’s resolution is so pristine that your viewers can see each and every pimple on the subject’s face. Eye-catching, right? But if you don’t teach them how to treat their acne, then what is the point of the video? Do you make someone’s life better by sharing your knowledge with them? How do you improve your viewer’s skincare routine? If you can’t answer these questions positively, then it’s time to revisit why you started this project in the first place. Perhaps a shift in priorities is in order.

Another fitting example would be Apple’s tendency to release a product with a better camera without otherwise improving upon previous models. Many customers believe that this new product is going to elevate their pictures and videos drastically, but all it can do is boost their preexisting skillsets. Sharpened focus will not make you a better photographer if you lack the ability to frame your shots and use editing tools correctly and effectively. Technology alone cannot sustain your project if you lack worthwhile material. The creativity that you put into your work determines the quality of the finished product.

With these facts in mind, let’s return to making exceptional content the backbone of our events. Content is the primary differentiating factor in any event ever created. Not only our pictures, but our overarching narrative, the words we use, our style and cadence, and the manner in which we tell our stories will determine how people receive and interpret our message. We need to stress less about image quality and pour our efforts into communicating real value. People will either remember that your message was good despite poor video quality or that it was bad despite great video quality. Technology is always an afterthought when people form their impressions of your work. The key takeaway in their minds will be whether or not your video was worth their time and if it raised their quality of life whatsoever. They won’t be wishing it was in 4k instead of 1080p.

To cap it all off, your job as a content creator is to do just that – create content. It is critical that you have something worthwhile to say if you wish to avoid adding to the noise. Rather than expending energy on producing state-of-the-art visuals, let your message be the primary focus in the workshop. The rest will follow. The old adage in this case applies: “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.”

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Integration

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 11:31:00 GMT

Since the world is never the same place twice, we are always living in somewhat unprecedented times. However, this year especially has presented challenges that have strained relationships of all types, including those within the church. It is crucial for church leaders to prioritize meaningful connection and effective communication to combat isolation and loneliness in congregation. This could entail updating your sound and video systems, displays, or possibly revamping your online presence to reflect the shift in protocols over the past year.

Detachment pervades every aspect of our lives in the wake of COVID-19. It is the church leaders’ responsibility to reinstitute a sense of the whole by redefining community, virtually. A few thoughts come to mind: becoming more easily accessible by renovating websites to include online chat features or prayer walls; streaming all your services; or having a post-service stream available. Using these tools, your congregation can still seek assistance and guidance even though you can’t give advice in person. In addition, creating virtual Bible study groups and prayer chains could foster familiar bonds of mentorship and encouragement in a new way. Furthermore, it would benefit churches to branch out beyond traditional services and reimagine other community events that have been placed on hold since the start of the pandemic.

It’s very easy for members to become overwhelmed by navigating any new system, so you should facilitate their participation. Church shouldn’t feel like a chore. No one should be forced to rummage around the website to gather information about service times or the location of the live stream. To minimize technical issues, you should embed your live stream on your website for easy viewing. If your service is hard to find or requires multiple steps to access it, people will be discouraged from going online. Leaders are responsible for laying the groundwork; all the members should have to do is be present.

The church is always growing, learning, and changing; with that being said, the current times demand that the church showcases its evolution. More than ever, church leaders need to convey forward momentum by communicating how they will meet future developments and challenges, while also manifesting church growth in a tangible manner. Your church can represent its willingness to move forward by adding in technology as a monetary investment in your members’ spiritual health. This overhaul might include installing LED backdrops on stage, updating speakers, or replacing your church’s current video systems. Each church will have unique needs, but the overarching goal is to display progress physically and virtually.

Aside from helping to demonstrate your church’s general mindset, AV integrators provide the tools necessary to create a dynamic service that engages your viewers. People consistently fixate on awkward transitions, poor lighting or camera angles, and sound issues; when they are focused on mistakes, they become distracted listeners and miss the gravity of the sermon. Your church can eliminate technical mishaps by updating your equipment so the human element of the service can shine through. Viewers will soon tire of static camera angles and lack of visual stimuli, so you need to keep your audience on the edge of the proverbial pew. A manned camera that follows the pastor for a waist-to-head shot will render the best magnification on the live stream, so people will feel as close to the service as possible. Additionally, robotic cameras can create multiple angles throughout the auditorium, creating an experience that will secure and even boost future attendance.

To accomplish your church’s goals going forward, you need to partner with qualified integrators who understand the equipment that would best suit your needs. At GigRent, our only goal is to make your entire system work the way you need it to function. We can do a complete overhaul of the current video system within the building, or in-church display devices like LED walls, screens, or even the TVs in lobbies or nurseries. Everywhere video is played or recorded, we love to make sure everyone has the best experience possible. We handle the mounting, cabling, and installation of TVs, as well as anything involving video switches, media servers, and fiber systems. GigStream can also broadcast the service on our global distribution network and embed the feed on your church website, rather than a hosted, ad-based site. No matter the complexity, communicating your message online has never been more important. Whether it’s just a few questions or a complete overhaul, we are happy to assist in any way that we can.

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Be a forward thinker

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 09:56:00 GMT

We are beginning to see a fundamental shift in the way that people are holding events around the world. With that in mind, we must adjust our thinking and push ourselves into the new age. Life doesn’t wait for our approval to move along; we either keep up with the times or become irrelevant within our own industry.

Maintaining relevance starts with acknowledging the facts set before us. We have to accept that virtual and remote events are here to stay. We can no longer treat these events as unfortunate byproducts of temporary circumstances. Virtual conferences are now permanently categorized alongside in-person events, and so we must approach them with an equally durable strategy. Three mindset shifts in particular can provide the momentum needed to drive our industry forward.

Firstly, we must understand that we, as individuals, are rarely able to influence anything outside of our own circles. Keeping a realistic outline of our spheres of influence in mind helps us market our brands more effectively.

Next, in addition to the power of influence, we should be aware of our ability to keep others from dragging us down. We don’t have to allow the hopeless to drown out our hope.

Finally, we must remember that there is hope and we can succeed in spreading it to those around us. We are in charge of our own optimism.

We must pair new skills and tools with this fresh perspective to equip ourselves for future ventures. We build this skillset by asking ourselves the following:

These will all be questions that need to be answered if you don’t plan on walking away. Again, we must remember that winning means not giving up or giving into despair.

YOU can make it and we (everyone around you) can help.

It will take a drastic amount of work and determination over a long period of time. It will feel like we’re going backwards for a while. However, it’s a necessary process – backward is the only way forward into the new age.

To find our way, we have to retrace our steps and study new methods. We must develop the ability to stay focused throughout our education if we want to make the most of it. Thinking long term is always the most difficult part of any change, but it’s crucial for making a lasting impact. To believe in the change going forward, we need to find a set of core principles and goals to guide us. When we stay focused on the fundamentals, we are carried through the uncertainty that abounds and propels us toward success.

Take 30 minutes today and figure out what those core principles are, and then share them with me at jordan@gigrent.com . We will only make it through this if we face forward and keep an empathetic spirit. You never know what the people next to you are dealing with, but you can always make a difference in their lives.

Keep pressing on!

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Episode 20 – Video direction and touring

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 15:02:00 GMT

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Episode 19 – GigReady and back of house!

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 15:00:00 GMT

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Premium and why it matters

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 10:58:00 GMT

Premium streaming services realize your vision of an ideal event. They create a custom virtual or hybrid solution while keeping all components of your brand and message in mind. That all sounds great, but custom tailoring can lose its appeal when you’re presented with cheaper, faster options.

Services that seem time-consuming and expensive can be daunting at times, so why should you hire a premium platform? Well, friend, it all comes down to return on investment in your business – both temporal and monetary. Let’s take a look at premium services and why they are worth every penny.

A conventional conference will sabotage your efforts to stand out within a challenging industry. Event design is an art form, and as such, it takes time and calculation to master. Premium streaming platforms showcase your company’s inherent value and demonstrate that you care how your audience encounters your brand. A premium platform will provide a completely unique experience for your viewers, as our designers will collaborate directly with your team to build your event from the ground up. Each aspect is designed not only to fulfill your immediate needs, but also to further the mission of your brand as a whole.

Dependable streaming services are marked by their devotion to efficiency and reliability. When they promise custom tailoring, they should deliver consistent results. To be the most dependable on the market, their content delivery networks must be built out worldwide. The best data servers target your attendees’ specific geographical locations in order to reach everyone in your intended audience.

Custom platforms offer seamless streaming out of respect for your message and the desire to economize your time. They cut out the ads, side bar, and general distractions of other platforms to give your viewers a streamlined experience without any extra fluff. When you have your audience’s undivided attention, your message can then hit home that much easier. The call, content, Q & A and analytics for your event are all supported by their networks, so you can call the shots from start to finish and make every minute count.

You want your streaming platform of choice to both protect and enhance your image. Premium services do just that by making your event private yet easily accessible to your clients, registered attendees, and team members. They operate strictly within your company’s brand by giving each audience member his/her/their own special login information. The allure of exclusive content attracts potential customers while simultaneously upholding the integrity of your business.

Put simply, you need more than a typical platform – you need a partner that is invested in your success. Here at GigStream, your mission becomes ours. We craft each interaction between you and your audience with precision to reflect your core values and realize your goals. Thanks to our safe and reliable servers, you can invest in meaningful connections with individuals and brands across the globe. We protect the privacy and purity of your content so that your viewers encounter an untainted version of YOU.

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Episode 18 – The Event Safety Alliance with Jim Digby: Getting back to work in a Covid world

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 14:35:00 GMT

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Content Delivery Networks: The backbone of a successful streaming platform

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 11:54:00 GMT

By David Panscik (MASTER OF ACCOUNTS AND LEAD TECHNICAL COMPOSER)

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed platform of servers used to minimize page load delays and increase streaming quality, regardless of a viewer’s physical location.

I recently saw a client try to stream to their audience via their website’s hosting server and it didn’t work well. The server struggled to keep up with demand, and every audience member had excessive buffering issues. It could have been worse: the server could have given up and crashed.

GigRent’s platform has a worldwide CDN backbone, which means that when a user watches a live presentation on the GigStream platform, the platform itself is not serving up the content to the audience member. Rather, the platform sends the live stream to servers out in the CDN, meaning the audience member is actually watching a copy of the live stream from a server that is in the same town or geographically nearby. The heavy lifting is done in the audience member’s local community, resulting in less opportunity for hiccups and glitches compared to audience members watching a stream that is not using a CDN.

Let’s dive into an example of how CDNs work. The GigStream platform originates in Denver. If there are audience members in Los Angeles and Miami, servers in Los Angeles and Miami are sent a copy of the stream from the server in Denver. The servers in Los Angeles and Miami distribute the stream locally and do all the hard work. In this example, the server in Denver only needs to send out two copies of the stream: one copy to Los Angeles and one copy to Miami. Easy.

To target an audience of 2,000 people, it’s a realistic expectation that the GigStream platform in Denver only needs to send out 18-22 copies of the stream to local CDN servers. With a CDN backbone, the main server is not overly tasked. The really hard work happens in each and every local community, decreasing load times and increasing stream quality.

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Episode 17 – Local labor management and booking with Chris Breton

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 13:59:00 GMT

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Episode 16 – Touring Monitor Engineer with Kevin “Tater” McCarthy

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 13:59:00 GMT

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Episode 15 – Post Covid-labor and the mindset needed to thrive!

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 13:58:00 GMT

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Episode 14 – Selling and preparing for virtual events with Ryan Konikoff

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 13:57:00 GMT

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Episode 13 – Touring FOH Engineer with Ken “Pooch” Van Druten

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 13:56:00 GMT

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Episode 12 – Rigging and all things hanging over your head

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 13:56:00 GMT

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Episode 11 – High resolution switching and media server operation

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 13:55:00 GMT

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Episode 10 – Houses of worship and lighting design

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 13:54:00 GMT

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Episode 9 – Webcasting and virtual events

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:53:00 GMT

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Episode 8 – Audio systems engineering and audio vendors with Pete Wiejaczks

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 13:52:00 GMT

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Episode 7 – Media server and content creation

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 13:51:00 GMT

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Episode 6 – Career projection with Clem Harrod

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 13:50:00 GMT

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Episode 5 – Lighting Director and Designer

Mon, 25 May 2020 13:49:00 GMT

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Episode 4 – Audio team and A2

Mon, 18 May 2020 13:48:00 GMT

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Episode 3 – Audio engineering as an A1 and Audio Designer

Mon, 11 May 2020 13:47:00 GMT

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Episode 2 – Being a technical director

Thu, 07 May 2020 09:53:00 GMT

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Episode 1 – Intro

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 09:06:00 GMT

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5 ways to make your corporate event more sustainable

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 03:21:00 GMT

When you see the word “sustainability,” what do you think of? Less power consumption, less waste, increased efficiency? Sustainability can come from many parts of an event, including technology and audio visual.

If you’re looking for tips and tricks on how to improve sustainability, check out our guide to the 5 ways to become more sustainable with your corporate event, available as a free download .

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On a budget? The cheapest way to create a great experience at your event in San Antonio

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 02:13:00 GMT

On a budget for your event? Really all you need are TVs for visuals and lighting for mood effect! With continued advances in technology in the AV space, producing your own AV event is becoming a DIY opportunity.

Let’s start with lighting, probably one of the easier aspects of event production. Color-changing household bulbs are becoming more available and cheaper by the day! Another perk? These bulbs are getting “smarter,” now with the ability to control the color and brightness right from the palm of your hand (also known as your smartphone).

Want to have more of an upgrade? There are multiple types of LED packages that you can rent for one-time use for your event! No need to personally invest in equipment when GigRent can provide you with the equipment, technical direction, and consulting at a low cost.

What about visuals? Create your presentation with animations and smooth transitions and then display it on a big TV! With continued advancement in TV technology, the quality and picture of the screens are impeccable and truly make any conference or event top-notch.

Need something even bigger than that? GigRent also offers video packages with larger widescreens to make your presentation even more of a hit! Check out our Large Inventory of Rental Items .

Needless to say, there are so many options for AV technology involvement in your upcoming event. A little research can help uncover ways to improve the experience of your event with little to no cost.

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Create a hologram of the speaker at your next event in Portland at HALF the speaker’s cost!

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 02:11:00 GMT

What if you could bring Tony Robbins to speak at your event in Portland? And at HALF the cost?

This can be possible with holograms! Now, we’re not saying Tony Robbins can be at everyone’s event for half his usual rate, but it’s important to know that hologram technology has arrived and can have a significant impact on the success and engagement of your event.

Hologram technology is built on projection technology, and as the two industries advance, they will continue to benefit each other. As projectors get brighter and more efficient, holograms will be able to appear virtually anywhere and at much closer proximity to the audience!

With these advances in hologram and projection technology, it’s becoming easier for people to take part in events around the world within the same 24 hours. It’s cheaper, too!

Next time you’re planning a conference, party, or reception, consider creating a hologram of your keynote speakers if they are unable to be there physically.

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Broadcast your concert to bring everyone to San Diego!

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 02:09:00 GMT

For those in the music industry, making a living from song and record sales is increasingly difficult due to the availability of streaming services.

Today, the need for artists to find creative ways of reaching their audience is crucial. One way is for artists to increase the number of concert dates on their tours. Another option is to make live-recorded concerts available online, so fans around the world can feel as if they were there, too. Whether it’s YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook, artists find the avenues they need to reach their fans, which is a critical part of each artist’s plan.

Live streams of local concerts through Facebook and Youtube are gaining popularity , so if you’re producing an upcoming concert, you need to explore this emerging avenue of marketing your artist and event venue.

By renting equipment and hiring the right audio visual support, not only do you put on a quality event for your live audience, but you also reach the artist’s fans across the country with a livestream and recorded version of the performance that will bring everyone exposure.

The AV equipment you will need can range from speakers, subwoofers, processors, and, of course, high-quality wireless and wired microphones.

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Phoenix, work with seamless technology and efficiency at your next conference event!

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 19:08:00 GMT

Do you have a conference coming up? One that is going to require engagement and interaction with systems and software at your event?

Having the appropriate audio visual technology to power and aid your event is key to achieving your goals. AV support helps the audience resonate with and experience your presentation through useful content, increased interaction, and better engagement. This is not to mention the efficiency that is created by using the power of AV technology to reach every attendee at your event. Audio visual equipment works hard, allowing you to create a powerful connection between the audience members and your presenters. If the audience cannot hear or see the content, the presentation may as well be blank. Proper AV support will create excitement both before and throughout each of your events!

Equipment that would be of great use for a conference can range from LED walls, sound systems, wireless microphones, computers, iPads, LED TVs, and projectors that can provide sound and visuals for conference presentations and speeches.

Our expertise developed from supporting conferences for clients such as SAP Software Company and the Microsoft Ignite the Tour . GigRent has the equipment and industry experience needed to coach you on the exact equipment you need to make sure your event is a huge success!

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The top 3 advances in audio visual production you should know about for your next event

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 21:25:00 GMT

What if we told you that we now have the ability to steer sound to exactly where we want it to go? How about the fact that implementing dazzling LED is now more cost effective than ever? The audio visual industry is making massive strides in technology that is reducing power consumption and decreasing costs, all while improving the quality of visual and sound support. Read this and do your research before you hire your next audio visual company.

Gone are the days of bad sound in the farthest sections of a concert. With the development of sound steering, companies are releasing speakers that have the ability to direct certain frequencies to specific areas of an arena or venue. Whether you’re up in the nosebleeds, or down on the floor, the sound is perfectly clear and you’re able to enjoy the event with ease.

Continuously improving LED technology is lowering overall power consumption costs! This is significant because audio visual companies are now able to create more visually-appealing and engaging light shows, all while using the same (or less) power consumption. If you think having LED lighting at your event is too expensive, do some more research, as it may be a lot more cost effective than you think!

Need a high quality video shown at your event? Consider hiring a team that provides laser projection video. Just like LED, the continuously improving technology in the laser projection space is continuing to drive down power consumption and overall costs. Companies are starting to use 20K laser projectors that are able to run off the same amount of power as a 10K projector just 4 or 5 years ago. Newer projectors produce much brighter images and they are becoming a frequent go-to for events!

Do you have questions for what you should do for your next event? GigRent is here to help! Schedule a call with us to learn more about how we can help take the audio visual stuff off your hands.

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GigRent CEO’s Jordan Goodfellow’s top 3 favorite shows

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 21:23:00 GMT

Can you imagine being on tour with Nine Inch Nails for six months? We can’t either, but one of our own had this experience and was able to provide audio visual support to one of the top bands in the world and of this time. Jordan Goodfellow, GigRent’s CEO and Technical Composer, and his team have provided audio visual support to a number of different events and we recently asked to recount his top three favorite shows.

Nine Inch Nails Tour
“One of the best and coolest shows I’ve been a part of was actually back in 2008 when I was on tour with Nine Inch Nails for five or six months. The stuff that they came up with for that show still astounds me to this day. It was cutting edge at that point in time and doing just so many things with motion tracking and light tracking and everything that they did on stage with the movement and the motion of the show and the way that the entire show was really crafted to be a full flow together was fantastic.”

Hans Zimmer at the New Skin Global Meeting
“One of the other great shows that I loved was in 2017. We did the global meeting for New Skin and I had the privilege of being one of the technical directors on that show. Mark Herring brought me into that show because he felt that my ability to solve problems and think on my feet and work hard to ensure that we were able to get the job done was imperative to what he needed to get done for that show. It was a massive show. It was an arena event, 15,000 people in an arena.

The last night we had Hans Zimmer perform with his full orchestra and they took all of the different movies that Hans has written scores for and with an 80 foot led wall behind them, lights coming all the way out in the crowd, covering the entire floor, just lit the whole thing up for about 15,000 people. And he performed an incredible bit of music from every single movie he’s done from Superman and from Jurassic Park and from Pirates of the Caribbean and from the Lion King and the list goes on.”

US Foods – Orange County Convention Center
“As for the third one, we did a show back in 2015 for US foods at the Orange County Convention Center and we did a scenic that was mostly projection. It was about 230 feet wide of projection. It was approximately 130 feet on either side, if I remember correctly, but we were creating an experience for about 5,000 US foods employees. And the reason that that one sticks out in my mind is because it was the first time that I had been the lead technical director on a job of that size of scope in the corporate world. You know, I’ve production-managed multiple stadium events and arena shows and all that sort of stuff. And so for me, from a technical standpoint, we did some really cool stuff and made some really great pictures happen. We incorporated pyrotechnics, projection, blending, high resolution switching, great playback and great speakers and content.

We brought in a drone at that show and they were showcasing some technology that US Foods was working on at the time to try and use drones to be able to pinpoint locational data and then utilize that for delivery and things of that nature. And so there was a lot of really cool stuff in there.”

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Top 5 reasons your event fails

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 21:20:00 GMT

Have you ever hosted an event that didn’t go to plan and wondered what you could’ve done different? Are you currently planning an event or thinking about it and want to avoid as many pitfalls as possible?

Here at GigRent, we certainly know a thing or two about what makes events a hit or a miss. So, we gathered our resources and have listed the top 5 reasons an event fails, including mistakes that lead to event mishaps, in hopes that this can help you better prepare for your next one!

Asking for help too late ( source )
There are a number of different areas of expertise when it comes to planning events. You have your venue management, producers, ticketing provider, decor team, audiovisual support, and more. The key to success when a large number of people are involved is communication, communication, and more communication.

Don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help with your event. Plan for certain people to take ownership of different aspects so that you’re not left to coordinate everything on your own, which then inevitably leads to asking for help the week of the event!

Ignoring technology ( source )
Listen up, in case you haven’t noticed, technology is constantly changing. Something that may have not been possible to do a year ago, can be in progress today! When you’re planning an event, do your research and don’t skimp out on technology, because it can really aid to the success of your event.

One example is WiFi. This was invented 20 years ago, yet many events still do not offer WiFi freely to their attendees. How are attendees supposed to rave about your event when they can’t load their Facebook because of the clog in data use coming from the event area?

Another is LED. Do you have a big speaker coming to your event? Aid their presentation with fantastic audio visual support, so that the experience is unforgettable. Sounds expensive, but with improving technology each and every day, this is becoming more and more financially feasible. Let the experts handle your audio visual, so you can focus on all of the other details corporate events require.

Repeated performances ( source )
Do you have an annual or regularly scheduled event? Do you spend time planning new speakers, highlights, or facets to change it up each time? If not, you need to.

It’s just like watching a movie – people cannot keep watching the same thing over and over! Before you start planning the event for next time, take a moment to reflect on the presentations and performances that stood out most to people, what went well, what didn’t, and the things you can change for next year to make people want to buy your tickets again.

It should be noted that your partners have ideas for you too. At GigRent, we produce and support hundreds of shows and events each year, and we love what we do. We provide ideas all the time, so consider asking your partners.

You didn’t stick to a budget ( source )
Regardless if your event is a concert for 50,000 people or a small local arts and crafts event, a budget is key. Before any planning of the event actually begins, a budget must be created so that you put up the guard rails right away. This is to ensure that you have funds available for the right things, all the way up to the day of the event. It’s critical that you not only create a budget, but also keep it updated as you continue along.

If you don’t have a budget put in place with a contingency figure, you’ll run out of money very quickly, and then be stressed on being able to put on the show in the first place! However, do not worry, as this is easy to avoid as long as a realistic budget is created and maintained throughout planning and event execution.

Have a backup plan ( source )
Remember when Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance in 2013 supposedly created a 34 minute blackout in the whole stadium and tv station CBS? Due to the amount of lights and visual effects that were used for the performance, a power surge disrupted the game for the half hour! Don’t be that guy that forgot to double check the equipment and backup generators for the event. In fact, we have ideas and innovations that can help reduce the costs of energy for your event and save you money.

No matter the situation, always create a plan B, and ensure that all the parts are in place for that to take effect immediately if needed.

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The biggest challenge in event planning and production industry

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 14:17:00 GMT

All service-based companies need the cooperation of their client to ensure success for all parties involved. The audio visual and event production industry is no different! In fact, cooperation from the client is absolutely vital to the success of each event, though, more often than not, this is difficult to obtain.

In a recent interview, GigRent’s CEO Jordan Goodfellow, explains how many clients and partners in the event planning and production industry do not share all of the event information necessary to GigRent and/or other audio visual production companies. Most times this is done in an attempt to prevent anyone from stealing the information that they have.

When you hire an audio visual production company like GigRent, the team is there to make sure your event is a hit. It’s important to share all relevant information so that the team is able to do each job to the best of their ability. We have no interest in stealing yours or anyone’s information, be it propriety or not. Our only goal is to make sure that each and every event is executed flawlessly.

Next time you seek out support for your event, know that production companies are there to help and support you, and want nothing more than to create an amazing production.

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The importance of 4K video for your next Washington, D.C. event

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:26:00 GMT

It is becoming increasingly difficult to capture and maintain people’s attention, especially when it comes to marketing and advertisements. Businesses are needing to adapt and learn within this rapidly changing world in order to keep their doors open. One of the most lucrative ways of engaging people, or getting them excited about an event, is through video.

Still photos and images are becoming less important within the advertising world. Video with music, interviews, and candid footage of people at an event are proving to be the most successful. Studies have shown that adding video to your event’s landing page can increase conversions by 80%. Video content also has much greater ROI. While it isn’t the easiest or cheapest task, producing video content has always paid off successfully, according to 83% of businesses .

As 2020 approaches, the capital will become busier with presidential campaigns and events. Some families will be at the live events, but most of the country will be sitting around their 4K TV, watching and listening to the candidates, speakers, and representatives, as they deliver their messages to the country. 4K video cameras will be essential to delivering those messages with clarity.

Do you have an event coming up in Washington, D.C.? Hire an audio visual team to capture the experiences of everyone in attendance. In the past, GigRent has provided audio visual support to Anheuser Busch , Bank of America , and Microsoft , as well as many other Fortune 500 and 100 businesses.

GigRent uses 4K video equipment that is able to capture a phenomenal amount of detail and clarity. This footage is vital to video marketing, as it will grab the attention of those scrolling by and make them feel as if they were at your event themselves.

More consumers are investing in 4K televisions each and every day, so don’t let your business get left behind in the video marketing space. Read more about the audio visual support that GigRent provides and how our team can help you in planning your next event here .

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Light up your world, Dallas, with LED for your corporate event!

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:08:00 GMT

LED video walls aren’t going to have a replacement anytime soon, and it’s for a number of different reasons :

Recently, GigRent set up and directed a live video wall for The Yes Royal Affair tour that featured 4 bands and 4 live video shows. One member of the team was able to run this 35 foot x 15 foot LED for the entirety of the show. It was a hit!

Now, Dallas, TX, is home to 21 Fortune 500 companies , including Exxon Mobil, JCPenney, AT&T, and Texas Instruments . Thousands of conferences, seminars, and concerts are held in Dallas annually, many which benefit from LED and audio visual support. Upcoming events like the 2019 Small Business Conference, America’s Got Talent Season 15 Castings, and NCAA Holiday Classic at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, will all have an abundance of audio visual technology running the show.

GigRent offers many different types of LED package rentals that can add to the experience at your next event. Not to mention, the equipment is very adaptable and can turn any space into an interactive stage! Walls, floors, ceilings, tunnels – you name it, we’ll light it. It all starts with your vision and the type of experience you want to offer your attendees.

Unsure of the exact equipment you need to make your event a success? Schedule a call with GigRent and we’ll help you with your planning!

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The key to event success in Austin, TX: Projection mapping

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 20:34:00 GMT

No giant TV screen? No problem. Using projection mapping, you can turn any wall, building, or mountainside into an audio visual work of art to promote your event or business.

So what is projection mapping? Also known as “spatial augmented reality,” it is a technology that can project images, shapes, and colors onto 3D objects instead of traditional flat surfaces. While it may seem like a newer concept, projection mapping has been around for quite some time, so you’ve probably already seen it in action at concerts, theatres, or sporting events.

The first known use of projection mapping dates back to 1969 at the opening of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride, where images of a disembodied head and ghosts were projected onto sculptures that sang the theme song throughout the ride. Projection mapping really began to gain traction through academic work at UNC Chapel Hill in 1998, specifically from an academic paper, titled The Office of the Future. This paper imagined a world where we could experience augmented reality from our desks. People would have the ability to Skype with life-size versions of colleagues!

Projection mapping is a highly sought out service within the audio visual equipment rental industry. It’s been seen at many world-renowned events, such as the Olympics , Super Bowl , and Rugby World Cup , as well as at local corporate events. In August 2011, Klip Collective illuminated the iconic tower at the University of Texas in Austin for a television spot celebrating UT’s roster of successful alumni. Using 3D animation and mapping, Klip rebuilt the tower as a 17-story stack of blocks that twisted like a sky-high Rubik’s Cube.

GigRent provided projection mapping for the Sam Adams Air & Apres tour . GigRent founder Jordan Goodfellow describes project mapping as one of the best ways to elevate your event planning:

“The most awesome visual effect? I’m really partial to when our projectors were used for the Samuel Adams Ski Events last year in 2018. I think it looks super cool when you’re projecting on snow or projecting on a medium that is not “normal,” is not something that people are used to seeing a projection on. It’s a white surface. It may as well be a projection screen. I would say that those are some of the coolest visuals and I would love to see us do more around that sort of an event or an opportunity. Whether it’s with person tracking, or utilizing the projection to create a visual that interacts with the people that are either in the crowd or the people that are jumping.”

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Industry insights: Why GigRent works with The National Weather Laboratory and meteorologists for event planning

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 17:36:00 GMT

Whether your event is indoors, outdoors, or a mixture of both, planning for weather is part of the discussion and strategy, especially when electronics and audio visual equipment will be used. Designing a layout and planning for severe weather safety should begin weeks or months in advance. Go over the possible scenarios with all key team members. While you may plan for the most obvious natural phenomena, like heavy winds or rain, don’t forget to research other potential pitfalls specific to the venue, region, or time of the year. Don’t rely on just your local news channel’s forecast for guidance; event planning requires more specific and nuanced detail.

GigRent has worked with production manager Jim Digby, who founded an organization called the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) . ESA works very hard to find ways for our events to be safer and more efficient, so that everyone can go home to their families. Once, we worked at an event in Austria when a big storm hit – dark clouds rolled in and the wind became intense. Jim was in constant contact with the National Weather Laboratory back in Norman, Oklahoma. Under other circumstances, the event would have been stopped and cancelled. However, having a meteorologist on retainer allowed GigRent to get real data-driven information from an expert, even though she was on the other side of the world. The meteorologist was able to tell us the bad weather would break within the next 10-20 minutes. It played out exactly as we were told and we were able to proceed with the event. We had taken down all the LEDs, secured our electronic audio visual equipment, and kept the event attendees informed. As soon as the weather broke, the event was back on. The cost of the retainer for the meteorologist paid for the next 10 years of the event, because the event wasn’t cancelled due to weather.

Early in the planning process, designate key people who are critical in the event of a weather emergency. Law enforcement, security, medical staff, the public relations team, event announcer(s), and front-office personnel should all be informed on how to properly communicate updates to guests.

Fatalities, injuries, and/or damage have occurred at venues due to lightning, wind gusts, extreme heat, hail, flooding, ice, snow, extreme cold, tornadoes, and hurricanes. It is important for venue operators and event organizers to be situationally aware of every weather risk that can occur and proactively plan to mitigate those risks.

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GigRent provides projection mapping and audio visual support for Sam Adams – Air & Apres Tour

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 23:16:00 GMT

GigRent provided projection mapping for the Sam Adams Air & Apres Tour. The Tour consists of 11 locations (Mount Snow, Big Sky, Hunter Mountain, Cranmore Mountain, and more) where snow boarders and skiers performed big air jumps. GigRent used projection mapping, a cutting edge technique, to project images onto the snow. The images were audio reactive and programmed to work with the music for full effect. With state-of-the-art 32k laser projectors, GigRent used software to compensate for the uneven surface and to maintain the integrity of the images being projected in conjunction with the audio, which allowed skiers and snow boarders to land on the projection that was being mapped on the side of the mountain. But why read about it when you can watch it in action?

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Projection mapping and audio visual equipment for The Big Game in Atlanta

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 15:00:00 GMT

GigRent was proud to provide projection mapping for buildings involved with “The Big Game” in Atlanta. One of those buildings, The Westin Hotel in downtown, was used as a canvas to display the Lombardi trophy.

Projection mapping, a cutting-edge technique, uses everyday video projectors to map light onto any surface. Projection mapping allows you to turn common objects of any 3D shape into an interactive display. More formally, projection mapping is “the display of an image on a non-flat or non-white surface.” Projection mapping is the process of projecting an image or video, large or small, onto an object that is not a standard size. In order to project onto The Westin Hotel, which has a curved surface, different beam lengths need to be taken into account. Multiple audio visual projectors are used for one image and software is used to compensate for the curved surface, ensuring that the image appears correctly.

Mad Mapper was the projection software that GigRent used for this specific project. Mad Mappers allows users to upload shapes, textures, and images into the software, which enables the software to determine how many projectors are being used and where they are located. Then the software determines which projectors are actually shooting on the surface and which are sending the image to the surface you want to move. The software will digitally manipulate the video or the image to compensate accordingly. The projection for “The Big Game” was a still image, but required coordination between multiple projectors to sync and maintain the integrity of the image.

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GigRent provides audio visual equipment and technical support for Microsoft Ignite Tour

Fri, 24 May 2019 12:25:00 GMT

For the third straight year, GigRent has worked on the Microsoft Ignite Tour . The Microsoft Ignite Tour is a national and international tour that hosts conferences with the latest insights and skills from technology leaders and practitioners shaping the future of cloud, data, business intelligence, teamwork, and productivity. Toronto, Washington, D.C., Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, Seoul, Mumbai, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Milan, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Stockholm, Sau Paulo, and Mexico City were this year’s tour locations.

GigRent managed the technical aspects for the tour dates in these cities, as well as put together pre-built audio visual packages for ease of use and consistency. Among the items provided for each conference were fiber infrastructure throughout the building site, the ability to transmit 3GSGI and/or HDSGI with embedded audio to the delay televisions, and projectors networked around the room to display all video and camera content. The GigRent team also provided troubleshooting to minimize delay (5-8 second delay in audio and video, reduced to 2 milliseconds by running fiber) in transmission timing and worked seamlessly with translators at each site to ensure minimal transmission and broadcast delays. Pre-built packages included transmitters, splitters, and PAs, all built into a small kit that could be easily transported.

GigRent oversaw the management of a troubleshooting team to ensure no problems with demo interfaces occurred. To do this, each demo team brought in multiple laptops to run different machines with different coding and examples of presentations that use Microsoft cloud infrastructure to create different web apps, applications, databases, multiple sys admin products. GigRent worked with each demo team and with the variety of systems to ensure timely demonstrations and flawless performances.

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