What Does "AV" Actually Stand For? A Plain-English Event AV Glossary

If you just googled “what does AV stand for,” we’ve got you. No judgment — half of running a great event is knowing what to ignore, and AV jargon is near the top of that list.

So here’s the real permission, before the definitions: you do not need to know any of this to run a great event. In fact, pretending you do can actually cost you. If you start tossing around the lingo, your AV rep might assume you know more than you do, and that’s exactly how details slip through the cracks. The right crew speaks plain English to you on purpose. The wrong one rolls its eyes — and if anyone ever makes you feel stupid for asking what a word means, that’s your cue to keep moving.

Okay. The glossary.

The plain-English event AV glossary

AV (audio-visual) — the sound, video, and lighting at your event. The umbrella term for all of it. Why you’d care: it’s everything in this list, bundled.

PA (public address) — the speaker system that makes sure the room can hear. Why you’d care: if people in the back can’t hear the keynote, this is what failed.

FOH (front of house) — the mix position out in the room where the audio engineer sits and controls what the audience hears. Why you’d care: it’s where the person making your event sound good actually works.

Monitors — speakers pointed back at the people on stage so they can hear themselves. Why you’d care: a panelist who can’t hear the question gives a worse answer.

IEMs (in-ear monitors) — the earpiece version of monitors, worn by presenters or performers. Why you’d care: cleaner stage, same job.

Lav mic (lavalier) — the little clip-on microphone presenters wear. Why you’d care: it’s the hands-free mic that lets a speaker walk and talk.

IMAG (image magnification) — the big screens that show a live, magnified video of whoever’s on stage, so the back row sees them too. Why you’d care: this is what makes a 500-person room feel like a front-row seat.

ISO recording — an “isolated” recording that captures a clean, separate feed (a single camera, or the program) for use later. Why you’d care: it’s how you get usable footage after the event.

Streaming — sending your event live to people who aren’t in the room, over Zoom, Teams, or a custom platform. Why you’d care: it’s your remote audience, and it’s the part that most often goes wrong without a real crew.

Rigging — hanging gear (lights, speakers, screens) from the ceiling on trusses and hoists. Why you’d care: sometimes necessary, often skippable for smaller events — and it’s expensive, so it’s worth asking whether you actually need it.

Drayage — the charge to move your gear from the loading dock to the room. Why you’d care: it’s a real cost that’s easy to miss in a venue quote.

Change order — a charge for something added or altered after the original quote. Why you’d care: this is the one that quietly inflates bills — see below.

Exclusivity clause — a line in a venue contract that says you must use their in-house AV. Why you’d care: it can lock you into the most expensive option — see below.

Outside-vendor fee (bring-in fee) — what some venues charge if you bring your own AV crew instead of theirs. Why you’d care: usually it’s still cheaper to pay it and go independent.

Self-contained for AV — contract language that keeps your right to use your own AV crew. Why you’d care: negotiating this in keeps your options open.

Mission Control — (this one’s ours) a private command post for you during the event: real-time visibility into the show, plus the ability to push slides, run a timer, and control lighting from your seat. Why you’d care: it means you can see what’s happening instead of crossing your fingers.

The three terms that actually save you money

If you only remember three out of that whole list, make it these — because they’re the ones with dollars attached.

• Change order — the back-end charge for “extras” that maybe should’ve been in the quote. The fewer questions your AV rep asks up front, the more of these you tend to see later. More on the change-order trap →
• Exclusivity clause — the contract line that can force you into the venue’s pricier in-house AV. Read the AV section before you sign. Hotel AV vs. independent →
• Outside-vendor fee — the cost to bring your own crew. Almost always worth paying, because going independent usually saves you a lot more than the fee. What AV actually costs →

Understand those three and you’ve covered most of what separates a quote that holds from a bill that balloons.

Still feels like a foreign language?

That’s literally our job — and you don’t have to commit to anything to get help with it. Tell us what your event needs to do, not how to do it, and we’ll translate. If you’ve just got questions, we’re happy to answer those too. Let’s talk.