Video and Audio Equipment Best Practices [Maximize Utilization]
In this post, we explore five of the top ways to prolong the lifespan of your AV equipment, and learn how investing in Itefy’s premier tracking solution can save you thousands of dollars per year in lost or damaged equipment costs.
AV equipment is some of the most expensive (and sensitive) equipment available, requiring trained experts to use it, set it up, and tear it down. Naturally, over the course of events and travel, your equipment will begin to show wear and tear. When this happens, not only can it compromise the quality of your equipment and its performance, but it can also significantly decrease the equipment’s value.
Here are the five of the top ways to prolong the life of your media production equipment:
1. Know What AV Equipment You Have In Your Fleet
To extend the life of your pre-existing equipment, it’s important to have a running list of what you already have to prevent you from buying unnecessary duplicate items. Beyond this, you’ll also want to consider using a real-time tracking system, especially if you have a fast-moving schedule with regularly moving equipment. Prevention is the best way to avoid equipment duplication and expensive mistakes — relying on a real-time updated database that gives your team members accurate information in a single glance.
2. Store Your Equipment Using Best Practices
While every piece of AV equipment has its own associated best practices when it comes to storage, there are a few common guidelines that you can (and should) use to prolong the life of your equipment. For example, you will want to:
- Avoid any moist areas, and keep your equipment dry and insulated at all times.
- Store your equipment in a cool, dark area to avoid overheating or damage.
- Store in a place that doesn’t require frequent moves or bumps that could damage the equipment.
Moving locations is inevitable, especially if you have multiple gigs on the calendar. However, using these storage habits in conjunction with safe moving practices can help to prolong the life of your equipment and ensure that it is in its best condition when it comes time to use it at the event.
3. Plan Ahead
Hurried moves and fast-track shipments can take their toll on the longevity of your equipment. To avoid this wherever possible, consider software solutions that show the current state and location of your equipment. This allows your team to plan ahead before your next big event and determine a safe transportation plan to the venue. Systems and software solutions such as Itefy make this easy, featuring live-time improvement insights that can help your team to use the equipment more effectively and safely, as well as offer you a resource management system that is designed to suit your unique needs.
4. Report And Handle Damages Efficiently
Damaged equipment requires prompt attention and fix in order to stop the damage from progressing. Often, using ineffective equipment management techniques like old or fragmented spreadsheets, or manual logs, can increase the risk that management and fixes will be delayed or forgotten altogether.
By using a cloud-based tech solution, you can ensure that everyone on your team will have access to the status and last use of your equipment, ensuring that equipment health is consistently top of mind. This type of recording system also makes fixes simple, offering all information that is needed to execute the fix and keeping an ongoing record for your later reference.
Having this information at your fingertips not only prolongs the life of your equipment, but can also be an asset to you that helps to maintain the equipment’s overall resale value. This can give you significant benefit if you decide to sell your equipment in order to invest in the next latest iteration.
5. Take Advantage of Preventative Maintenance Opportunities
When it comes to managing your equipment, you don’t have to wait for damage to occur before taking action. Investing in preventative maintenance and checks for your AV equipment can help you to avoid more costly repairs and extensive, undetected damage to your equipment that could occur as a result of environmental factors or user misuse.
Using a digital solution that regularly tracks and reminds you and your team about preventative maintenance can save you thousands of dollars in repair costs per year, and ensure that you get the most out of your equipment — every time.
Itefy Is Your Premier Solution For Prolonging The Life of Your Equipment
Itefy was designed by industry professionals who wanted to create a quality, software based solution that could help you to track, repair, and get the most use out of your equipment-based assets — from construction to AV. Our system uses the power of AI insights and reminders to ensure that your equipment management is as effective and efficient as possible based on your current levels of use.
Through a sophisticated system of notifications, insights, and tracking, the system offers tailored solutions for more effective and safe equipment use, repair and maintenance reminders, and tracking that allows your team to see an overview and location of every asset in seconds.