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Innovative Rental offers complete event technology solutions including both equipment rental and technical staff capable of making your event run flawlessly. The Innovative Rental International Network of event rental suppliers has been chosen over a period of ten years as the best suppliers money can buy. If an intercom system is in your plans for your event (and it probably should be) please call (212) 461-0959 for the Innovative Rental specialist in Intercom Systems for event technicians.

Intercom Systems

In a vast majority of shows, the proper communications systems can make the difference between a sloppy show and a professional presentation. Generally whenever there are three or more technicians (especially if the are in separate locations) an intercom system is vital to the coordination of cues. As the number of people directly involved grows the need increases exponentially, and the requirement for sophistication of the system increases as well. Most professional intercom systems are quite simple in structure, setup, and operation. A basic system consists of a base station/power supply, local stations, headsets, and cabling.

On more complex shows where there are several groups of operators who must communicate among each other, a multichannel system is the best option. This way the electrician and spotlight operators can coordinate their cues, the video Technical Director can call camera shots, the production crew can coordinate with each other and the talent, and the sound crew can communicate, etc. the separation of the groups eliminates a logjam of cue calling at each major transition as well as allowing each group to communicate problems and issues that develop over the course of the presentation.

Wireless headsets are also a very beneficial addition if there are people in the crew who must have freedom of motion around the entire stage area. Wired headsets can limit the area of movement to a few feet while a wireless headset can allow the stage manager to go where every he is needed. It is also a good idea to give wireless headsets to the trouble shooters on the crew; once a trouble shooter must go off his wired headset to fix something, he is gone until that problem is fixed and he returns, regardless what may arise in the mean time.

A properly designed intercom system will improve the overall quality of a presentation as well as heading off many problems before they become apparent to the audience. This is a small investment to help insure a smooth presentation.

about the author:
John Le Duc has worked in the Audio Visual field in Las Vegas since 1970, served as the Event Staging Coordinator at the Desert Inn Resort from 1995 through 2000. He is currently semi-retired and is available on a consultant basis. Questions and inquiries may be directed through the contact page of this website. Or, to e-mail John Le Duc directly, click here.

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