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Most Phoenix and Scottsdale event planners don't realize they have a choice. Hotel in-house AV is convenient — but it comes with a 20-40% markup built in. Here's what you need to know before your next event.
The truth: The majority of Phoenix and Scottsdale hotels allow you to bring an outside AV company to your event. You are not required to use their in-house provider. Most event planners simply don't ask — and hotels don't volunteer this information. Ready AV works at Phoenix and Scottsdale's top resorts and hotels regularly — Marriott, Hilton, Westin, Hyatt, Sheraton, Omni, Renaissance, Doubletree, and many more. We handle all coordination with the hotel team so you don't have to.
A transparent look at what you get — and what you pay — with each option.
When you book a meeting room or ballroom at a Phoenix or Scottsdale hotel, the venue has a financial relationship with their in-house AV provider. The hotel receives a commission or revenue share on every AV package sold. This built-in arrangement means the in-house AV company needs to price their services high enough to cover both their costs and the hotel's cut — and that markup gets passed directly to you.
In Phoenix and Scottsdale, this markup typically runs 20-40% above standard market rates for comparable equipment and service. On a $10,000 AV budget, that's $2,000-$4,000 in extra costs that have nothing to do with the quality of your event.
Here's what most hotels won't tell you: the majority of Phoenix and Scottsdale hotels allow outside, independent AV companies at their events. The requirement is typically just proof of general liability insurance and advance coordination with the hotel's catering and events team.
Ready AV carries full liability insurance and has established relationships with catering managers at hotels throughout Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Goodyear, and the broader Arizona market. We handle the hotel coordination process — so you don't have to navigate it yourself.
One common misconception is that hotel in-house AV uses better equipment than independent companies. This is not true. The professional AV industry runs on the same equipment regardless of who operates it — Shure wireless microphones, Sennheiser audio systems, Christie and Barco projection, Blackmagic switching and streaming, and standard LED wall technology.
What differs is not the equipment — it's the pricing, the personal service, and the flexibility to build a package around what your event actually needs rather than what fits a predetermined price point.
Ready AV was founded specifically because our team experienced firsthand how hotel AV contracts were consistently overselling clients on equipment and services they didn't need — then charging premium rates for the privilege. We only provide what your event requires. Nothing more. If your meeting needs a screen, a projector, and a wireless mic — that's what we quote. We won't add a confidence monitor, a second camera, and a video switcher unless you genuinely need them.
That's the honest AV approach. And it's why Phoenix and Scottsdale event planners keep calling us back.
Questions Phoenix and Scottsdale event planners ask when considering outside AV for the first time.
Tell us your venue, your date, and your estimated attendance. We'll give you a transparent, line-item quote — and if you have a hotel AV quote already, we'll compare it side by side at no charge.