It’s in the DNA of AV Concepts to break the mold. President and Co-founder Nick Smith said the company has been doing it since it first started in his garage in the 1980s.
“We look at events as very experiential, we are looking at what creates a ‘wow’ moment, what creates a memory,” Smith said. “We are providing solutions to challenges; we don’t just like to rest on the status quo in AV solutions. We don’t want to do the things we have always done.”
AV Concepts has been the provider of audio and visual needs at the Phoenix Convention Center since 1999. The company works far beyond the walls of the PCC, as well, Smith said. AV Concepts works with different clients and convention centers across the country and has even had a hand in one of the most memorable Coachella performances to date.
“We really specialize in creating holographic effects,” Smith said. “Our senior vice president here is the patent writer for the effects that are mostly used around the world. We brought back Tupac Shakur as a hologram at Coachella in a performance with Dr. Dre. We did it by recreating him in a lifelike situation, if you’ve seen it—it’s amazing, the crowd really believed it.”
Smith said the company has been committed to excellence since it was a small endeavor operating inside his garage, and that commitment has only grown over the years. He said AV Concepts uses advanced technology to create higher resolution projections and has the highest quality custom mapping service. The company’s experience, technology and innovation is what makes them the best choice for meetings and conventions at the Phoenix Convention Center, Smith said.
“I think what
makes
us unique at the convention center is that we are the kind of provider that you don’t usually find as the in-house AV provider,” Smith said. “We are a great choice because we can be cost effective, and we have the ability to manage the labor more effectively when we are here in house. We continue to find ways to keep the ‘wow’ factor going while managing budgets.”
Managing budgets is something Smith and his team are very mindful of. With inflation driving up the costs of nearly everything, it is difficult for some companies to keep exceeding expectations without breaking the bank.
“We focus a lot on how to keep the quality of the event intact and manage the budget,” Smith said. “We focus our energies on packaging and cutting labor costs and being overall more efficient.”
Smith said AV Concepts is continuing to push the envelope and work with the City and the PCC on different green initiatives to reduce the carbon footprints of events.
“The focus is cost savings, but also carbon footprint savings,” Smith said.
For meeting planners, Smith said, the decision to use AV Concepts is an easy one.
“We have a world-class team on the property,” Smith said. “Once a client meets with us, we are able to tell them some of the work we have done and they recognize our work, even if they didn’t recognize our name immediately. Most people don’t realize that they have this kind of company in-house at the Phoenix Convention Center.”