How to Negotiate A/V Pricing for Your Conference: An Insider’s Guide

As the Director of Sales and Marketing for Centric, a highly reputable A/V production company, I’ve negotiated hundreds of A/V contracts with conference planners, venues, and corporate teams. I see the same questions and misconceptions come up again and again. Negotiating your conference A/V can be intimidating, especially if you’ve been burned by surprise fees or inconsistent performance in the past.

I want to share exactly how to approach A/V negotiation from the inside out, so you can protect your event, protect your budget, and build a partnership that sets you up for success. I’m not a technician by trade, but I’ve worked shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best engineers in the industry, and I know how these deals actually get done.

If you want to negotiate confidently — without sacrificing the quality of your show — this is for you.

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High-Level Negotiation Principles

• Understand exactly what’s included (and what’s not) in the A/V quote
• Break down labor, equipment, and hidden fees separately
• Compare in-house A/V to third-party partners
• Know your leverage, including food & beverage spend, room block commitments, and repeat business
• Negotiate on value, not just price
• Prioritize the quality of the final product
• Be honest and transparent with your budget if you trust the partner
• Ask for a line-item proposal to protect yourself from last-minute changes
• Watch out for exclusive in-house clauses
• Build a relationship, not just a transaction

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Start with Vision, Not Price

The very first thing I advise a planner to do is share the goal of their event. Beyond the schedule and headcount, what does success look like from an A/V standpoint?

I ask about pain points with previous providers, and why they’re shopping for something new. Is it slow response times, technical failures, inflexible equipment? Once I know what a “home run” looks like for them, I can help design a solution.

If you start a negotiation focused strictly on lowering prices without sharing the vision, you set yourself up for a purely transactional battle. The best A/V partners want to help you win. That starts with giving them a clear target to hit.

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The Most Overlooked Element: Labor

Let’s be clear: labor surprises clients every single day. I see it constantly.

At Centric, we do not markup our labor — we charge it at cost — because our money is made on equipment. But even so, clients are shocked by how high labor can run. You’re paying for highly skilled technicians, stagehands, lighting engineers, camera operators, and others who ensure your event is seamless.

Labor is not an area to bargain down recklessly. Sometimes, sure, we can get creative — like sending two techs instead of three if the scope allows — but removing qualified people from the job can destroy your event quality. If a planner negotiates so hard on labor that we can’t staff properly, the final product suffers, and nobody wins.

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In-House vs. Third-Party A/V: How Negotiation Changes

This is one of the biggest things I want planners to understand.

Negotiating with in-house A/V can be brutal. There are layers of approval, corporate managers, venue directors — every discount has to crawl through a bureaucratic maze. On top of that, in-house A/V usually shares revenue with the hotel, often up to 50 percent. That means their margins are already thin.

If you’re forced to use in-house A/V, I recommend negotiating each line item. Start with internet, power, labor, individual projectors — line by line. The in-house team cannot usually move on the total number quickly, but they might move on individual elements. Be prepared, though: getting discounts approved can take weeks.

Negotiating with third-party A/V, like my team at Centric, is much more straightforward. I give my sales reps autonomy to adjust pricing, as long as we can hit our internal profit margins. We sell successful events, not isolated features. That means if we’re over your budget by two thousand dollars, we will do everything in our power to bridge that gap without lowering our quality.

That requires trust — and trust goes both ways. The best relationships I’ve built with planners are grounded in shared goals and honest communication, not penny-pinching line-by-line with zero collaboration.

Additionally, here is a great article providing you with some proven hotel negotiation tips.

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Areas Where We Cannot Budge

There are parts of a negotiation that simply cannot move. At Centric, our core non-negotiables are:

• Final product quality. We will never sacrifice a successful event for the sake of trimming price beyond reason.
• Labor pricing. We pass labor through at cost. While we might reduce staffing if it makes sense for the job, we cannot cut rates for skilled technicians.

If your A/V partner agrees to gut labor pricing, that should raise an immediate red flag for you. Good people cost good money, period.

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Real-World Negotiation Stories

Two examples come to mind.

First, I worked with a large concert client. She gave us her budget up front, we designed a beautiful, slightly under-budget show. After she saw the quote, she came back asking for another discount. I walked her through the rendering, and asked which elements she would want removed to cut costs. When she saw what would be lost, she realized the value and signed as quoted.

In another case, a client tried to use a competitor’s lower quote to pressure us. I opened up both quotes side by side with her, and showed exactly where the competitor’s proposal was missing critical items. Then I showed her our Google reviews — over 120 five-star reviews — compared to their 19 reviews. She quickly realized the competitor’s cheaper price wasn’t apples to apples, and chose to stay with us.

These moments happen constantly. My job is to protect the quality of your show while respecting your budget.

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Sharing Your Budget: Smart or Risky?

Planners sometimes fear telling an A/V partner their budget. I get it — some companies will use your budget like a target to overcharge you. But if you trust your A/V partner, sharing your budget is one of the most powerful tools you have.

A true partner will help design the best possible event within your budget, advise you where to cut, and even offer creative ideas to save money. For our repeat partners, we will sometimes take a small hit on margin to protect their show, because we know they’ll come back to us.

If you’re working with a trusted A/V consultant, not just an “order taker,” sharing your budget is essential.

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Building Negotiation Trust

Negotiation always works better with trust. If you want to build that trust, here’s my personal advice:

• Be honest, transparent, and communicative
• Ask for a discovery meeting to build rapport
• Check references, look at case studies, and verify the company’s reputation
• Come prepared with a clear event vision
• Be upfront if you have a budget target
• Act professionally and commit to honest timelines

One of the biggest reasons A/V companies refuse to negotiate is the fear that a client will expand the scope after signing. Prove you will respect their effort and honesty, and you’ll have a much easier path to negotiation.

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Red Flags in Negotiation

Over the years, I’ve spotted certain warning signs that a client might be difficult to work with:

• No clear event vision or design
• Slow, stalling communication
• Demanding a price cut before even discussing goals
• Treating the event like a checklist instead of a mission
• Focusing strictly on price from the very first conversation

If I see these, I know the partnership may be rocky. A/V is too mission-critical to trust to someone who isn’t fully committed.

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Working With In-House A/V Providers Under Contract

Let’s be blunt: venues intentionally write ambiguous contracts to make you think you must use their in-house A/V. The truth is, the hotel’s biggest priorities are selling food, beverage, and room nights. A/V revenue is secondary, and is often just a commission stream.

The best place to negotiate is before you even sign with the venue. You can often strike out exclusivity clauses, remove excessive liaison fees, and even get them to waive certain power fees.

If you’ve already booked, you’re not out of options. Come prepared with competitor quotes before you request a price from the in-house provider — but don’t reveal those quotes yet. Insist on a fully itemized proposal so you can challenge sudden upcharges later.

If they still resist, show them those competitor quotes. Remind them that even after paying their mandatory fees, you could still save with a third-party partner. You’d be surprised how often they’ll find a way to match or negotiate.

In-house A/V can work, but be patient. Their discount approvals can take weeks due to layers of corporate red tape.

For the record, my honest opinion is that a trusted third-party A/V partner almost always delivers higher value, greater service, and a smoother planning process. We see this time and time again.

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The Mindset Shift

If there’s one mindset shift I wish planners would make, it’s this: stop viewing A/V as a commodity. Your conference production is the experience. It’s what attendees see, hear, and feel.

Have a clear vision. Know roughly what you can invest. Look for a partner — a consultant — who will think ahead for you, protect you from problems, and design a show that makes you shine. That mindset alone will transform your negotiation results.

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My One Golden Rule

If you take nothing else away, remember this:

Be honest, genuine, and transparent, but don’t trust until your provider has earned your trust. Don’t demand a discount. Explain why you need help to bring pricing down, and if you truly prefer to work with that partner, say so. A seasoned sales professional can smell a “price shopper” from a mile away.

Never expect a quality A/V partner to join a race to the bottom. Like any premium brand, we protect the quality of what we deliver. Apple doesn’t slash its prices to match a $50 tablet, and we won’t either. However, if we see a true partner who wants to build a long-term relationship, we will move mountains to help you succeed.

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Final Thoughts & Call to Action

If you’re planning a conference and wrestling with your A/V contract — whether you’re working with an in-house provider or a third-party — I’d be happy to help. My team offers a no-pressure, no-cost review of your A/V contract. We’ll look for red flags, hidden fees, and potential pitfalls so you can make an informed decision.

We’re passionate about this industry, and we’re passionate about seeing planners win. If you’d like me to take a look, just reach out. I’m here to help.