Here is a problem most people never picture. You want a rear projector for your event. A rear projector needs roughly three metres of clearance behind the screen. That pushes the whole set three metres forward from the back wall. Put a five-metre stage in front of that, and your audience cannot start until eight metres into the room.
If you imagined your front row near the back wall, the day is going to feel very different from what you pictured. Unless, that is, someone showed you the plan first. That is what AV system design is for, and it is why we draw everything before we touch a cable.
What AV system design actually is
AV system design is the work of planning the whole sound, lighting, and video setup before anything is installed or built. We use CAD software called Vectorworks to produce a scaled, accurate plan of the space.
How detailed that gets depends on three things: how much information we have, the budget for the event, and whether an existing CAD plan of the venue already exists. Together those decide how involved the design process needs to be. A simple meeting room and a complex multi-day production are not the same amount of drawing.
The point is the same at every level, though. Visualising the design helps clients grasp the scale of the project, and it catches problems while they are still cheap to fix.
What you actually receive
For most events, you get a plan view. That is a scaled overhead drawing showing the proposed layout, the spacing, and how everything sits in the room.
For larger or more complex productions, you also get a 3D render of the final look. You see the set, the screens, and the staging as they will actually appear, before a single cable is run. There are no surprises on the day, because you already saw the day on screen.
Even a basic plan reveals things a verbal description never can. Without room measurements it is very hard to produce an accurate plan at all, which is one reason we measure properly rather than guess.
A real example: the UEFA Under-19 Finals Draw
When we delivered the AV for the UEFA Under-19 Finals Draw at Wrexham University, the design process did something a conversation never could have.
As a preferred supplier for the venue, I had the flexibility to measure the room, and the budget allowed me to spend a full day mapping it out. That mattered, because the rig was complicated and fitting everything in took careful planning.
The lectern was off to one side, and there was not enough room to place the video screen behind it in the usual way. On camera, that would have looked wrong. Because I could see the whole room in CAD, I amended the design to add a branded set panel return behind the presenter, framing the video wall properly. The drawing also showed exactly how much access space we had on each side. Conversations that would have been confusing in words became simple with the design in front of everyone.
Design goes beyond the drawing
For installed systems, our design capability does not stop at plans. We build on the Allen & Heath AHM audio matrix for multi-zone work, partly because of its open API.
That open API lets us create bespoke control solutions, including custom interfaces built on small dedicated controllers that talk directly to the system. It means we can give a client exactly the controls they need, rather than whatever a standard panel happens to offer. Good design is about the experience of using the system every day, not just how it looks on a plan.
And once an installation is in, the design lives on through RackMap, our own installation management platform, where the wiring schematics, rack designs, and equipment manuals are all available online for the life of the system.
Why this matters when you choose a company
Not many companies, especially regionally, will show you what your room will look like before the day. We think that is exactly backwards.
A production company that cannot produce a plan or a render is asking you to take a risk you do not need to take. The rear projector example is a small one. On a bigger event, the things a plan catches early are the things that ruin a day when they are caught late.
If you are planning conference AV or an AV installation, ask to see the design. A good company will be glad you did.
Frequently asked questions
What is AV system design?
It is the process of planning a sound, lighting, and video setup before any equipment is installed. We use CAD to produce a scaled plan, and for larger jobs a 3D render, so you can see exactly what the room will look like.
Why does AV design use CAD?
CAD turns a confusing verbal description into something you can see, and reveals problems early, like a rear projector needing three metres of clearance behind the screen. Catching that on a drawing is far cheaper than on the day.
What does the client actually receive?
For most events, a plan view of the layout and spacing. For larger productions, a 3D render of the finished look as well.
Do many AV companies offer CAD design?
It is far from standard, especially regionally. A company that cannot show you the room before the day is asking you to take an unnecessary risk.
Planning an event or installation in North Wales?
We design every job in CAD before we build it, so you can see it before you commit to it. That is true for conferences, installations, and large-scale productions alike.
Get in touch and we will show you what your space can be.
Darren Hughes is Director of Pivotal Sound & Lighting, an AV and event production company based in Llay, Wrexham, North Wales. PSL designs conferences, installations, and live events in CAD, and is one of the few companies in the region to offer full plan views and 3D renders as standard.