Nautical AV presentations
Event organisers keen to provide unusual locations for their clients often turn to ships. The nautical flavour adds extra interest, especially if a short voyage is included.
It does present extra hazards for any presentation or event involving audio visual equipment. The rocking motion of the boat can play havoc with attempts to maintain sightlines, or ensure audio quality. Such venues are also unpredictable – choppy or rough waters and unexpected storms can not only make audio visual effects harder, it can lead to motion sickness among participants.
Ensuring the stability of the image and sound quality is clearly essential. This can only be done by allowing plenty of set up time for the audio visual technicians. They will need to check over the venue carefully in their initial briefing, and will have to bear in mind the constraints of space and access. In some cases, the installer may only be able to work at night.
A further problem is the fact that all the electricity will be generated on board via the engine room. This may cause constraints on the available power at times, and this has to be taken into account when considering the type of presentations. Steel walls may need specific solutions to be devised for installation and mounting the equipment.
Consider too the way in which AV can be used extensively throughout the trip, not just in terms of the actual presentation but in the wider event. AV can provide background music and images during meals and receptions, create light shows on deck at night, and provide communications between organisers and participants. The type of venue means that getting messages to everyone in potential emergencies is extremely important.
If you are taking a group on board a cruise ship and planning group activities, remember that any AV presentation you plan will have to compete with the extremely high standards to be found on the cruise vessels Bear in mind, that on board cruise ship entertainment can reach spectacular West End levels. Having AV equipment that breaks down, and has poor sound and visual effects will leave your participants with some very unfavorable comparisons.
Talking to your AV company will provide lots of ideas and information as to how these features can be built into your ship board event, no matter how large or small the vessel, to ensure that everything runs smoothly and ship shape from start to finish.
