10 Rules To Be a Successful AV Technician in the Live Event Field

1. AVEducate
[AV]

2. 10Rules
ToBeASuccessfulAVTechnician
[AV]

3. AVEducate 3
Rule01
Be Ready
Be at the worksite at least 15
minutes early, clients will remember
you for being early.
Be Prepared
always have your tools ready to
make sure you give yourself plenty
of time for traffic, parking, and
buying food.
.
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4. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“Partying all night, and
getting to work sleepy”
INSTEAD OF
“Leaving your tools home
or in the car”
INSTEAD OF
”Working a 10 hour
call all night, and
coming in tired and
sleepy from the last
gig”
TRY
“Getting enough rest for
the next day”
TRY
“Bring all your tools for
the show with you”
TRY
“Calculating your work
schedule to give your best
to all clients”
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5. AVEducate 5
“Bettertobepreparedforno
opportunity,thentohavethe
opportunityandnotbeprepared”
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6. RUNDO 6AVEducate
Punctuality Is
key,
no one notices if you are 30 min
early, but just get there 10 min
late and you stand out as late.
Stand out for being a great
technician, not for being late
80% Of
Success Is
JUST SHOWING UP.
Rule02
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7. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“There was no parking”
INSTEAD OF
“There was an accident
on the highway”
INSTEAD OF
“Too much traffic”
TRY
“I knew parking was
scarce so I came earlier”
TRY
“Just incase there are
any issues, I always give
myself enough time"
TRY
“Leaving home before
traffic starts”
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8. AVEducate 8
“Punctualityisthefirststep
towardssuccess”
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9. AVEducate 9
Dress Code: Show
Blacks: What does this mean?
Clean black pants that are in good
condition. No holes or noticeable
wear and tear. black polo shirts
with no logos, During show calls this
might require you to wear long
sleeve black dress shirt to Cover up
visible tattoos
Rule03
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10. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“wearing shorts and a
black t-shirt with a logo”
INSTEAD OF
“Wearing regular
Sneakers”
INSTEAD OF
“Not showering and
wearing unwashed
cloths”
TRY
“black pants, black polo
collar shirt”
TRY
“Steel toe shoes for
protection, in show call
you can wear dress
shoes"
TRY
“Smelling good and
dressing like a tech”
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11. AVEducate 11
“Youcannotclimbthelatterof
successintheoutfitoffailure”
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12. RUNDO 12
Rule04
Language
Always watch your language in the worksite,
never assume that your alone.
Reputation
Make sure to remember that you represent
your clients and yourself. You are your own
business.
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13. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
Saying in front of the
client
“We are getting into
overtime”
INSTEAD OF
We are charging penalty
for this extra hour
INSTEAD OF
“I have to leave early
because I have
another gig”
TRY
“We are here to help
you until we finish”
TRY
“speaking with your
lead
and remind them
of the time"
TRY
“Sc hedu ling you rs e lf
a c c o rd i n g l y , d o n ’ t
d o u b l e b o o k , a n d / o r
compromise
a n y b o d y ’ s t i m e”
[AV]

14. AVEducate 14
“Theartofcommunicationis,the
languageofleadership”
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15. AVEducate 15
Rule5
Network:
The most important rule is to
network with your peers in good
faith and help each other. This
one rule will help you learn new
things and meet new clients. By
doing this alone, your knowledge
and rate will increase drastically.
Linkedin creates a professional profile, and network
with your peers all around the globe.
Instagram create a portfolio of gigs. This helps future
clients get to known you and the type of work you do.
Resume digital PDF resume so you can e-mail to
everyone
[AV]

16. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“spending time on Social
Media”
INSTEAD OF
“watching TV and
wasting time”
INSTEAD OF
”solisate work at a gig
from a c li en t t h at is
d o i n g b u s i n e s s w i t h t h e
c om pa n y th at you work
for
TRY
“Building your business
on professional
platforms”
TRY
“getting all your images
together from your gigs and
build a portfolio"
TRY
Being Loyal to the company
that hires you. There is a
correct way to network"
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17. AVEducate 17
“Theoppositeofnetworkingis
notworking”
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18. AVEducate 18
Rule06
Take Pride In
Your Work
Care about your work, make
sure everything looks show ready
for the client. Be picky with your
self.Build yourself up, the more
you learn the more you earn take
advantage of all the valuable
information that is given to you
here and there.
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19. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
”when are we going
home?”
INSTEAD OF
“disappearing in the
bathroom”
INSTEAD OF
“taking pictures of
yourself at the event and
posting it on social
media”
TRY
“looking around and
seeing anything that
needs to be taped up”
TRY
“asking the client or your
lead, what else needs to
be done"
TRY
“Creating a Portfolio
with what you did on
that event”
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20. AVEducate 20
“Everyjobisaself-potraitofthe
personwhodidit.Autograph
yourworkwithexcellence”
[AV]

21. AVEducate 21
“KnowledgeShared
isPowerMultiplied”
Know your worlds Make sure that you have a working
knowledge of each department. Some people have their forte on a specific
department. But if you are a freelancer its more beneficial for you to be
proficient in all departments. Knowing all the departments can help you get
booked for different roles and fill up your calendar quickly, but mastering
one can really boost your income and make life easy.
Rule07
[AV]

22. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“no sorry, I can only do
audio. I’m not a video
guy”
INSTEAD OF
“holding yourself back
and remaining a basic
stagehand”
INSTEAD OF
“Fake it till you make it”
TRY
“Im more proficient in
audio, but I can do
video as well”
TRY
“Expanding your
education on your off
time by following AV
Educate"
TRY
Be Honest with your
client, they will be
more inclined to trust
you and help you,”
[AV]

23. AVEducate 23
“Knowledgewillgiveyouthe
opportunitytomakeadiffrence”
[AV]

24. AVEducate 24
Rule08
Communication
make sure to find out everything you
need to know for your upcoming gig.
If you can’t show up for any reason, it
is your responsibility to at least find a
replacement, and finally when
accepting a gig find out the rate for
that event before you start not after.
.
[AV]

25. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“No call no show”
INSTEAD OF
”showing up in show
blacks, and it was an
outside gig, shorts day”
INSTEAD OF
”calling that you
haven’t gotten paid”
TRY
“giving sufficient time for
you or your client to find a
replacement”
TRY
“Pack extra cloths in the
trunk for emergency
situations”
TRY
“finding out the pay
schedule for that
client”
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26. AVEducate 26
Agoodrelationshipstartswith
goodcommunication
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27. AVEducate 27
Rule9
Build
Relationships
Clients prefer to work with people
they know and get along with, if
you want to build a successfully
Freelance business make it easy
to work with you. Send updated
W9 instead of waiting to be
asked, send availability reports so
you can be booked ahead of
time, reach out for the holiday
and be personably with your
clients.
[AV]

28. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“waiting to get a call for
work”
INSTEAD OF
”complaining about the
gear”
INSTEAD OF
”Complaining about a
client you work for”
TRY
“Send them monthly
availability reports to know
when they can call you”
TRY
“Send them bits of
information you think will
help them grow”
TRY
“Try Networking to find
a new client”
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29. AVEducate 29
RELATIONSHIPSAREBUILDONA
FOUNDATIONOFMUTUALRESPECT
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30. AVEducate 30
Recreational drugs
Does not reflect a good image of a responsible ,and professional AV tech
Protect your reputation by never being the tech known for getting high on the
job.
Rule10
[AV]

31. INSTEADOF TRY
INSTEAD OF
“getting to work under
the influence”
INSTEAD OF
“talking about drugs in
the work place”
INSTEAD OF
“telling everyone your
business and letting
the world know”
TRY
“calling another tech to
take your place”
TRY
“not talking too much, you
never know who is listening
in on your convo”
TRY
“keeping your business
to yourself”
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32. AVEducate 32
Ifpeoplelikeyoutheywilllisten
toyou,ifpeopletrustyou,they’ll
dobusinesswithyou
[AV]

33. [AVEducate] 33
LetsRe-Cap
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34. AVEducate 34
01
Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you
can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once
you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”
- Harvey Mackay
03
Every day, every one of us sets the stage for our
sentiment, our confidence, and our success by getting
dressed. When you feel great, when you feel your best,
it opens up a world of possibility. Feeling confident and
self-assured are important inputs into good days,
successful days, and happy days.
- Katrina Lake
02
I never could have done what I have
done without the habits of punctuality,
order, and diligence, without the
determination to concentrate myself on
one subject at a time.
- Charles Dickens
04
“Character is like a tree and reputation
like a shadow. The shadow is what we
think of it the tree is the real thing”
- Abraham Lincoln
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35. AVEducate 35
05
Networking has been cited as the number one
unwritten rule of success in business. Who you know
really impacts what you know.
- Sallie Krawcheck
07
We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever
becomes a master.
- Ernest Hemingway
06
I think people who don't work don't really have
interesting and meaningful lives. More than
anything, it hurts them. When you're born rich,
people just associate you with what you've
been given, but the truth is every individual
feels better when you create something on
your own. Everyone takes pride in the work
they do.
- Jamie Johnson
08
The art of communication is the language of
leadership.
- James Humes
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36. [AVEducate] 36
09
People are the core of every business.
Businesses are based on relationships, and
relationships are based on people. I would
go to an average restaurant run by
amazing people over an outstanding
restaurant run by awful people.
- Marcus Lemonis
10
It seems people are more willing to let
other people control their minds now and
recreational drug use doesn't seem to
have that same renegade sense of
adventure that it once did.
- Marc Maron
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[AV]Copyright 2019 by [AVEducate]photos courtesy of Omar Colom