Do you want to save $50,000 today?

Did I catch your attention with that?  When you're in a facility with installed audio, video, or lighting, projects where you upgrade some or all of your AV system are going to be some of the greatest opportunities to get things right, and some of the greatest places where you can easily save or spend $50k more or less than you originally intended!

Obviously, we are using that $50k number to catch your attention, but in reality, it is very easy to have a large upgrade project cost +/- 50% of what you were originally quoted by time it is completed.

And significantly more importantly, when you do a large initial installation or upgrade, it is critical to get a system in that works for YOU and your needs.  You need to have the fixtures, control, and backbone infrastructure to run your church or venue smoothly today or in the future.

The single biggest decision you’re going to make for your church or venue's audio, video and lighting system is going to be the decision to replace your current system with something new.

Depending on the size of your building and the complexity required, this is going to cost you anywhere from thousands of dollars on the low end to millions of dollars on the high end.

It would be an understatement to say that choosing wisely when it comes to a AV contractor or integrator is really important!  Getting this single decision correct will mean a great AVL system that meets your needs, is well thought out and comes in on budget.

Unfortunately, we all probably know of someone who made a bad choice in an AV contractor and got burned or didn’t get the system they needed - ranging from poorly deployed systems of good gear, to downright criminal cases where promised gear was never installed, or was used gear sold as new!

Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to you:

So how do you choose wisely?

Step 0: Do You Actually Need an Integrator?

Integrators or installation contractors can be a great fit if you need a complete system, or certain work done like rigging and electrical.  But you're not required to use an integrator if you are only updating parts of your system, or if you can use existing rigging pipes or trusses and value saving money over having it done for you. 

If your team of staff or even volunteers has the time, they can install new lights, audio, and other equipment themselves or with guidance.

For many churches or music venues, it can be significantly less expensive to do it yourself - changing out some light fixtures or moving to a new console, perhaps with some help from a local electrician or a consultant.

At Above AVL, we do exactly that – we help folks through our quote process or contact form everyday to figure out what they need, and then give them the support to install it themselves – you save money, and we help you get the gear you need!  Check it out at the link above or use our Contact page to ask us for help!

Not only that, but we also work with trusted installers that can do some (i.e. Rigging and electrical), or all of the installation to give you the results you need.  Our customers find that it doesn't necessarily cost more than a local installer, and sometimes it costs less, and you have a team of dedicated staff who ensures you get the perfect fit of AVL gear for your needs, not just the installer's favorite brand.  Learn more about how we can help you, here!

Step 1: Ask Around

One of the great advantages to being a church, is that you probably know of another local church who has recently put in a AVL system.  And if you don’t, ask around and you may be able to find someone!

Before shopping for a AVL contractor, you need to call around to ANYONE you know and ask about their experience with getting a new system installed.

You’ll quickly find out who’s happy with the AVL contractor they hired and who’s not!

Arrange visits to these other churches and take your AVL leaders with you to see what other finished systems look like, and begin to create a vision of what your system will be.  You may find that another church claims to love their system, but then you visit and find that you really don't like it all at.

The last caveat there is that you definitely want to visit a rehearsal for a service if at all possible.  This can help you to be able to see what is the result of a bad mix or bad lighting programming vs. a bad system install.

If you are a smaller church or looking at smaller projects, it can be very difficult to find an installer in your area that does a great job and works with smaller churches.  Sometimes there simply isn't a great matchup between who is in your local area and who has the love for the local church and a passion for finding the right fit in AVL system that meets your needs.

We used to say that if you were a smaller or mid-sized church, you almost had to work with a local-to-you integrator to make it practical cost-wise on a small system. 

Today, that doesn't have to be true- thanks to the fact that we all have great cameras in our pockets and Zoom calls, it's not out of the question to work with someone from out of town on a system without them stepping into the room until the installation starts. 

Step 2: Find Your Identity First, and Make Sure They’re Listening!

Like step 1, this second step is really, really important!

Long before you get any bids or talk with any contractors, you need to get a good idea of what you want your end product to look like.

Think about your current system and what needs to be improved.  Think about the identity of your congregation and what styles of corporate worship and special events currently go on, and what you want to see in the future. 

Think about the quality level of gear that you currently have, and if you're happy with that, or if you want to upgrade to something nicer that may either make the life of your staff and volunteers easier and/or last longer.

When you do begin to talk to contractors/consultants, you can weed out the bad ones by seeing who listens to your needs, and which ones send you a “form quote”, that doesn’t match your congregation at all. 

This isn’t about brands of gear and individual products, but it’s about the end result. While their quotes will feature names/brands of gear, in your conversations with the integrator they should be talking more about the type of atmosphere you are looking to create and how to get there from where you currently stand.

Be sure and talk over each quote with the contractor when things don’t match up and see why they suggested such items.  Contractors may suggest gear or placement that you didn’t think of which would be perfect for your needs!

This is also where we step in - here at Above AVL, we don't maintain an expensive office full of installers, we do it even better - we have installers that we use all across the country, and we can pair our expertise in finding the right gear for your specific needs (across MANY brands, not just 1 or 2) with local or national installers who truly know their craft and will do an excellent job - whether the job is big or small!

Step 3: Get Multiple Bids…But DON’T Make The Final Decision 100% About Cost

Like any big project, it’s important to get multiple bids and evaluate them to see which will work best for you.

As you look over your bids, some will likely be abnormally high or low.  One of the biggest things you'll see are differences in brands - some installers will only use 1 brand for each type of item, which can be a warning sign that they aren't making the best choice for your needs, but rather they are only dealers for one brand, or they prefer a specific brand that gives them the highest profit.

This isn’t the place to go cheap or to use the cheapest products – you will likely regret it, unless the contractor/consultant in question comes highly recommended.  Like in many projects, choosing the lowest bidder often ends poorly….and as MANY folks will point out, it is actually often a waste of money to go with the lowest bidder because you end up replacing their system in a much shorter timeframe than another bidder.

The balance to hit is to find the installer who understands your needs, who delivers a quote with equipment that is going to last, but isn't overkill, and who isn't basing the gear decisions off of the brand that makes them the most money (without considering the other options on the market).

When talking with churches, we often find that integrators that seem to be the best fit tend to be in the middle of the price range of bids.

Step 4: Choose Wisely and Keep Tabs on the Project (But Not Too Closely!)

Once you choose a contractor and work begins, it’s important to poke your head in every once in awhile and see how things are going.  The hardest work for you as the client should be on the frontend, getting the details and needs right before the project begins.

Do show interest and ask specific questions if you are unsure about anything.  Remember that 90% of the work is going to look like very little progress is happening, and 10% of the work will look like major progress!

Having an advocate who can help you find the right equipment out of far more brands than most integrators have access to can really be a huge help. 

Let us step in and help you - at Above AVL, we offer full installation services through partner installers where we find the proper gear and design the systems - from basic designs all the way up through massive projects.

We have project managers who are fully qualified to evaluate not only the AVL aspect, but also rigging, electrical and more.  The benefit of using us as an installation partner is that we can not only design it correctly on the frontend, but also ensure that the work gets done right and provide both you and the installer support before, during, and after the installation.  Learn more and get started by clicking here!