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In-house AV alternative

Your hotel’s in-house AV isn’t your only option.

Book a ballroom and you’ll usually be handed the venue’s in-house AV team — often Encore. You’re rarely required to use them. BËTR is the outside production partner you bring instead: one senior crew that learns your show, your own gear and software, and a Show Plan you can read line-for-line.

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Venue in-house AV vs. bringing in BËTR

Venue in-house AV (e.g. Encore)BËTR
Who runs your showWhoever’s on the property’s rotation that weekOne senior crew that learns your show and comes back
PricingMarked-up house rates + a commission paid back to the venueOne transparent Show Plan — often less, line-for-line
Breakout roomsA tech and a gear table in every roomEvery room on one system, fewer techs, clean floors
Presentations“Email us your deck” / USB at the lecternA speaker portal + producer review; right slide, right screen
RecordingsAdd-on, if someone remembers to hit recordEvery session captured automatically, back fast
When it breaksA ticket and a shrugThe people who built the plan are in the room
SoftwareGenericBËTR’s own Room Control + SlideTrack presentation management

Don’t take our word for it — read their filing

The in-house provider pays your venue a commission. It’s in their own SEC filing.

In its 2026 filing to go public, Encore — the on-site AV provider across roughly 2,200 venues — spells the model out: it pays venues “a percentage of revenue” from your event, and books that revenue “on the gross basis, with commissions paid to venues recorded as a cost of revenue.” Translation: part of what you pay for AV flows straight to the property. (Industry estimates put the venue’s cut at roughly 30–50% of AV spend.) The same filing confirms what the house team won’t volunteer — “event planners retain the option to use outside providers.” You’re not locked in. BËTR sells you production, not commission.

Where your AV budget really goes →

Source: Encore Inc., Form S-1 (registration statement), filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, April 2026 — quotations verbatim. Commission-percentage figures are industry estimates, not from the filing.

Whole event, or any part

You don’t have to fire the house team.

Bring BËTR in for the whole event, or just for presentation management, breakout rooms, or recordings — and let the venue cover the rest. Most venues allow outside production; some add a small facility or power fee. We coordinate load-in, power, and rigging with the property, so the switch is the easy part.

In-house AV vs. outside production — FAQ

Can I use an outside AV company instead of the hotel’s in-house team (or Encore)?
Yes — and you don’t have to take our word for it. Encore’s own 2026 SEC filing states that “event planners retain the option to use outside providers.” Most hotels and convention centers allow outside production; some add a modest facility or power fee. We coordinate directly with the venue on load-in, power, and rigging — bringing in an outside team is routine, not a fight.
Am I required to use the venue’s in-house AV (or Encore)?
Rarely. The in-house provider is the default, not a requirement. You can bring an outside production company for your general session, your breakouts, or the whole show — Encore’s own filing notes its venue contracts only bar non-Encore teams from being in-house, while planners keep the option to use outside providers.
Is an outside team really cheaper than in-house AV?
Frequently. In-house AV is priced per room and per tech with healthy markups, plus a commission paid back to the venue. A single outside team covering your general session and breakouts on one system usually comes in lower — and you see exactly what you’re paying for.
Why does in-house AV cost more?
Two things stack: the commission the provider pays back to the property, and the provider’s own margin on top. As the default option in the building, there’s also less pressure to sharpen the price. Industry estimates put the venue commission at roughly 30–50% of AV spend.
Will switching hurt quality?
Usually the opposite. You get the same senior crew every show instead of a rotating roster — plus BËTR’s own software for presentations and room control.

Get a number you can read

Get a Show Plan you can compare line-for-line.

Send us your venue and run-of-show — or your current in-house quote — and we’ll build a transparent plan you can hold up next to it.

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