Find power bars and extension cords

[dlanger]

AV provider from #7 will be able to provide them; rate should be negotiated in the context of the larger order.

[wolever]

Ok, good to know.

Could you give me some idea what to expect from an AV provider? What will they provide? How much will they cost? Will they get picky about fire codes?

Currently on the AV front, we are considering:

• Using a good friend of mine who does concert and church type audio stuff fairly seriously to recommend and setup audio gear (including renting from Long and McQuade, I expect).
• Begging, borrowing, or renting projectors
• Begging, borrowing, or buying power and extension cords, possibly to later rent them out (or sell them) to other Toronto orgs.

[dlanger]

Re: what to expect, it depends on what level of AV we're looking at. The general hierarchy of suppliers starts with renting DJ gear from somewhere like Stephenson's Rent-All, then Long & McQuade, then smaller AV companies (e.g. Shakedown), then big AV companies (e.g. Mediaco/TelAV)

As for what they'll provide, it depends on what you're getting from them. If you're just renting equipment from somewhere like L&M, you'll get the gear you order and the cables to power it, and that's about it. The next level up (where you're getting more of a service provider, as opposed on only equipment), will come with a tech to man the AV board and do setup/teardown. They're the kind of company that would be able to supply cords/power management if needed, for a fee.

You shouldn't have to worry about fire codes when it comes to AV companies; they'll be interested in the power system in the building (to make sure they've got the circuits needed to run their gear appropriately) and may offer advice about crowd management and what kind of gear you need for a given size, but ultimately our following fire codes is our problem, and not theirs.

Of the three lines you've raised, I'll bet that getting appropriate projectors will be the challenging part (unless people have workplaces they can borrow from). AV service companies will have them, but it's harder to find places that will rent them as one-offs without staff.

[wolever]

Ok, cool. What's a ballpark figure for the cost of hiring an AV company (assuming, say, five projectors, sound in the main hall, and 300 power outlets)?

[dlanger]

Not sure - I'll send an email tonight to a few guys I've worked with before to get a soft quote (I've never ordered that many power bars before).

[codersquid]

Hi, poking in here to get a status update since Carl has power bars/extensions that we can bring depending on need and requirements. I don't know what people have figured out already.

Number of bars and cords and drops is bounded by people requirements (which is bounded by how the rooms are laid out, e.g. tables in each room for laptops vs. no tables) and power capability (which AV peeps will know more on).

[codersquid]

Carl has about 10 of these

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?p_id=6299 6 Outlet Power Strip - 200 Joules - Metal w/ 5ft Cord (Yellow)

Earlier pycons used longer strips, but those are probably overkill.