Guide
How to compare AV quotes for a hotel seminar
You asked two, maybe three local suppliers for the same event, and back came three documents that look nothing alike. One totals €2,400, one €3,900, one quotes daily rates with no total at all. Same room, same brief — so which one is actually expensive? Until the quotes describe the same event in the same language, the cheapest number is just the one written least carefully.
What a quote should list, line by line
Before comparing anything, ask every supplier for the same five kinds of line. If a quote is missing one, the missing line is the first question you send back.
- Kit, named
- Each item with its brand, model and quantity — "2 × Shure SLX-D handheld radio mics", not "sound system". A brand you recognise is quotable; a vague label is not.
- Hire days, counted
- One supplier quotes a one-day rate, another quietly bills three days for load-in, rehearsal and load-out. The same rig can differ by 3× on hire days alone.
- Crew, in hours
- Who comes, for how long, and what overtime kicks in after. A technician who stays through your gala dinner is a different cost to one who drops the kit at 4pm.
- Logistics, itemised
- Transport, van, prep in the warehouse, consumables (batteries, gaffer tape, cables) — usually small amounts that only look fair once they are listed.
- Tax and total
- HT or TTC, and the total for the event as scoped. Two totals only compare when both carry the same tax treatment and the same scope.
Four traps that make honest quotes look dishonest
Different kit for the "same" result
One quote proposes a basic projector, another a laser unit at five times the price. Neither is wrong — they interpreted your brief differently. A quote is only comparable once the brief said exactly what the room and the audience need.
Day counts that hide in the fine print
"Location" on the invoice rarely says how many days you are paying for. Ask each supplier to state the hire days explicitly, including load-in and strike, before you compare prices.
Crew priced as a lump
A single "technical assistance" line can mean one technician for two hours or two for twelve. Ask for headcount and hours per day.
Options that never leave the appendix
Back-up mic, spare projector, technician on standby: often quoted but not flagged. Decide explicitly which options are in or out, or the "cheapest" quote wins by carrying the least protection.
The three questions to ask before you sign
First: “Is this the total, for this event, tax included?” — the number you need is the one you would actually pay, not a rate card. Second: “What happens if a microphone fails mid-session?” The answer tells you whether the rig has a back-up plan and whether the crew stays on site. Third: “What would you change if the client adds 40 people and a panel discussion?” A supplier who answers in specifics has actually read your brief; a supplier who answers in generalities has not.
The faster way
All of this is doable by hand, and worth doing once. But it is hours of email for every event, which is why most events managers end up re-hiring whoever answered fastest rather than whoever fit best. Régie does the normalising for you: you send one brief in your own words, and it comes back within 24 hours as compared quotes from several vetted local suppliers, put side by side line by line so the choice is obvious. It is free for hotel clients, always — you pay the supplier you choose directly.
This guide, and the business behind it, are built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp, which is why Régie can answer a brief at 2am.
Published 2026-10-05.