What CEOs Need to Know About AV (Before the AGM)

Annual General Meetings are where vision gets reinforced, performance gets scrutinized, and confidence—internally and externally—gets calibrated. CEOs know how to prep their message, but there’s a side of AGM planning that’s often underestimated: the AV. And when something goes wrong with it, everyone notices.

If you’re leading the room—or the screen—you need to be confident that your team’s got the technical side locked down. This isn’t just about mics and screens. AV touches everything from the quality of your video stream to whether your investor Q&A actually functions the way it’s supposed to. And if your AGM has a virtual component, the stakes are even higher. You need AV solutions for virtual events and webinars that are built for reliability, not just convenience.

Start with the format

Hybrid, fully virtual, or in-person? The AV requirements change dramatically depending on what you choose. A purely in-person AGM needs solid sound, great visuals, and recording capability. Hybrid means you’re essentially running two events at once: one for people in the room, another for those watching online. Virtual? That’s a full broadcast production, and it should be treated like one. Unresolved technical issues during hybrid AGMs can significantly hinder the experience for virtual attendees and impede essential activities such as conducting elections.

Your AV partner should be fluent in all three formats. And your internal team needs to understand the logistical impact of each. If you’re thinking about pivoting from in-person to hybrid to widen access, the earlier you decide, the better.

Prioritize sound over visuals

If your video drops out for a second, people will stay. If they can’t hear what’s being said, they’ll tune out—mentally or literally. Audio issues kill credibility faster than anything else. That means microphones have to be reliable, feedback loops need to be eliminated, and remote attendees should never feel like they’re listening through a tin can.

Make sure your presenters are mic’d properly (not just handhelds—consider lavaliers for mobility and clarity), and test the sound in the actual room setup, not just during a generic run-through.

Understand what “tech check” really means

A tech check isn’t just about turning things on and seeing if they light up. It’s a full simulation of your AGM environment. That includes testing transitions, Q&A functionality, live polling (if you’re using it), camera switching, and any content transitions like PowerPoint decks or video inserts.

This should happen at least 24 hours before your AGM. If you’re doing a virtual component, test from multiple internet connections—not just from HQ, but from wherever your speakers or remote execs will be logging in.

Know what happens if something fails

Even the best AV setups can run into issues. What matters is what happens next. Your AV partner should have a clear redundancy plan. That could mean backup mics, spare laptops with loaded presentations, even an alternate internet connection for streaming.

As CEO, you don’t need to know the technical specs. But you should be able to ask one question—“What’s the backup plan if X fails?”—and get a confident, specific answer. According to the latest numbers, of the $247 billion total professional AV market, the live events segment, which includes corporate events like AGMs, represented $26.7 billion.

Match the AV setup to your brand presence

If your AGM is your moment to reinforce leadership and vision, the environment has to support that. Lighting that feels too harsh or too dim, slides that don’t display cleanly, awkward video cuts—these things don’t just look amateur, they distract from the message.

You’re not expected to direct a live show, but you do need to sign off on the overall look and feel. That includes how your backdrop aligns with your visual branding, how the camera frames you when you speak, and how your messaging appears on screen for remote attendees.

Final word

You don’t need to become an AV expert. But walking into your AGM with a basic understanding of what can make or break the tech side of things is part of modern executive presence. The good news? A solid AV team can handle most of it. You just need to ask the right questions—and make sure you’re not the one discovering the problem when you’re already live.