Whether it’s a Wedding, Festival, Gala Dinner or A Small Sound Package for Your Garden Party, The Sound & Light Hire Company Can Help

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Here at The Sound and Light Hire Company, we have one of the broadest range of services when it comes to both audio and visual equipment. As the title suggests, whether you’re hosting a little get together in your garden, or you need complete technical production services for your wedding, there’s nothing we can’t accommodate.

With that in mind, we thought we would give you a more in-depth rundown of our equipment hire and support services so that you can understand just how broad the spectrum is when it comes to providing hire services to clients. Let’s make a start with sound equipment hire.

Sound Equipment Hire 

Whether you’re hosting a party, a wedding, or planning a high-level corporate awards dinner, we have the capacity to match any requirements when it comes to sound system hire in London, Surrey, Hampshire and surrounding areas.

We are experienced in handling requests on both sides of the coin. Whether you are a well-established DJ that needs a state-of-the-art PA system to deliver the goods at a series of local venues, or you’ve booked a live band, and you need help with the sound setup, we’re on hand to guide you through our vast range of options.

We offer a range of dry-hire sound packages that are suitable for a broad range of events. For instance, if you’re hosting an anniversary party with 150 attendees, then we can provide a do-it-yourself sound hire package that will more than blow your guests away for less than £100. Better yet, we’ll be on hand to show you everything you need to know regarding the operation of the equipment, and we’re never more than a phone call away (even after hours) should you need any help with anything.

But our sound services go far beyond mere party equipment hire packages. We are part of one of the largest event production companies in the UK. What that means for you, our lovely customers, is that we can provide sound equipment to leading commercial events such as gala dinners, music festivals, and arena concerts. We have industry-leading speaker systems available for hire that are literally used by acts such as Rihanna, Coldplay, and Eminem when on tour, such is their quality.

The best part? All of that expensive gear is owned and maintained by us. Many companies simply locate sound equipment, pay to hire it, and then pass on a specific profit margin to their clients. We don’t believe in that model, since there’s no way to validate what state the sound equipment might be in. For all you know, it could have been used thousands of times and might be moments away from letting you down on your big occasion!

We take pride in our sound equipment stock, continuously rotating our sound systems to ensure that not a single item is more than three years old. We also continually test and inspect all equipment before it’s deemed suitable to go back out on hire again. In over a decade of operations, we’ve yet to experience any equipment failures on the job. We put this down to our stringent care we take over our equipment as well as putting our faith in standard-bearing brands such as d&b audiotechnik.

But of course, the sound is merely one piece of our rather large event services puzzle, so let’s take a closer look at lighting hire.

Lighting Equipment Hire 

In the case of most events, where you might need to hire sound equipment, you’re very likely to be interested in hiring lighting equipment. We found this out the hard way when starting out as an audio visual company back in the early 2000s. Every event we provided equipment for, we were asked if we could handle the lighting requirements. After getting sick of saying “no,” we took the plunge into the lighting, and haven’t looked back since!

In fact, we’ve somewhat become lighting hire specialists, in many cases focusing our hire and support services specifically on lighting for events. Whether it’s wedding lighting or dazzling product launches, we’ve designed and executed so many spectacular lighting shows that have left those in attendance stunned.

We’ve managed to achieve this feat by investing heavily in the latest and greatest lighting fixtures, the majority of which are powered by LED technology. From LED uplighting, to LED-powered PAR cans, we’ve harnessed the power of this incredibly versatile lighting medium to wow our clients. The sheer scope and scale of our lighting capabilities (of all which is also our own equipment, by the way) is difficult to cover in such a short space, but below you will find just a glimpse of the number of distinct types of lighting we have on hand to supply to your wedding, award show, party, festival, or gala dinner:

  • Spotlights
  • Fresnel lanterns
  • PAR cans
  • Wireless LED Uplighters
  • Gobos
  • Pendant lighting
  • Festoon (fairy) lighting
  • Textured lighting
  • Backlighting
  • Lasers
  • Pinspots
  • DMX intelligent moving-head lights

Again that list is by no means exhaustive, but by now you’re probably starting to understand just how vast our Guildford warehouse is! But don’t worry, we’re not done yet! We also supply kinds of related audio visual hire in addition to our sound and lighting hire services.

Audio Visual and Event Production Equipment Hire

Our services really do run the full gamut when it comes to event production. For instance, if you’re looking to put on a conference in London, we can provide all manner of audio visual equipment such as projector and screen hire, LED screen hire, and even the podium if you’re short! No matter what you need on the technical side of your event, the Sound and Light Hire Company can provide it for you.

But of course, we don’t just offer all manner of audio visual equipment. We also offer up all manner of necessary event production equipment for hire. For example, as lighting experts, we understand the need for special effects equipment to really bring out the best in your light show. Let’s be honest; no light show would be complete without the supplementary hazers that help to make the lasers stand out so much. Or what about making your stage the centre of attention by adding flames? They work at small children’s parties just as well as they do as music festivals, so why not add they to one of our party equipment hire packages?

We’re also well-versed in providing all manner of staging requirements. From small wedding productions to large-scale music festival stage hire capable of accommodating up to 10,000 attendees, we have expert teams on hand that can not only assemble stage equipment, but that can design sets and stages from scratch if necessary. Need a tiered stage for an upscale London awards show? That’s not a problem either. We can genuinely offer all aspects of technical equipment hire for your event, which brings us neatly onto our next point, our event production services.

Event Production Services for Corporate Events and Music Festivals

Providing event equipment for hire is one thing, but sometimes event organisers need much more support in bringing their vision from concept to reality. Whether it be a corporate event or a music festival, you will likely need the help of professional event production services on top of hiring all of the necessary equipment. In case you hadn’t already guessed, we can do that too!

In case you were wondering what we mean by event services, we are referring to the work that goes into the production of the evening you have planned. For instance, you may have hired a sound and lighting package, but do you or your staff have a technician capable of creating a fantastic light show? Or how about someone that is an expert at sound mixing for the live band that you hired for later in the evening?

These are the critical services that can make all of the difference in the world. To use a sporting analogy, an F1 car is no good to someone who doesn’t know how to drive one, so what’s the point in hiring one? In other words, there’s no point utilising our admittedly brilliant sound systems and lighting arrays, without employing the on-site personnel that understand how to unlock their maximum performance.

Fortunately, we’ve got some of the best in the business in this particular arena. From stage crew to sound engineers and light technicians, we can provide a turn-key package for your event, which includes all equipment, staff, and event production services. We’ve provided these services to some of the most significant events in the UK, including the cage fighting at the 02 in London. Therefore, you can trust that we have the capacity and ability to provide our industry-leading event services to the smallest weddings to the biggest music festivals.

We can either listen to your specific requirements and point you to towards one of our “off the shelf” complete event packages, or we can hold your hand through the entire process, advising you every step of the way. We’re flexible to work with almost all budgets, and while we never aim to be the cheapest, we are NEVER beaten on value for money. What we charge compared to what you receive in terms of both hardware and personnel cannot be beaten by any other provider in the UK.

Talk to the Sound and Light Hire Company About Your Event

Whether you need to hire a small PA speaker system for your children’s birthday party, or you need the entire event production of an industry gala dinner, we are just adept at excelling in both environments. We have one of the biggest inventories in the whole country when it comes to sound and lighting equipment, and what’s more, we never skimp on quality. If you’re hiring from us, you’re receiving brand names that are widely regarded as the best in the business.

As for our event production services, we are the first to acknowledge that our staff are the best in the business and we’re immensely proud and fortunate to have them represent us at each event. From lighting displays that could literally bring a tear to your eye, to sound so immersive that you simply get lost in the moment, our event production team are capable of handling any challenge your event could possibly throw at them.

Even if you are only dry-hiring a PA system and you just want a touch of on the spot training, our team are just as happy giving advice in this environment as they are under the pressure of getting the mixing right for a headline act at a music festival, such is their enormous range of capabilities.

So if you’ve got a corporate event lined up at a swanky London hotel, or you’ve got a wedding booked at a Surrey venue, we can supply everything you could ever need, and run it all for you on the night should you wish. Just give us a call any day of the week on 0800 8611136 to have a chat with a member of our friendly team. We look forward to hearing all about it!

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Tips on Choosing the Right Wedding Lighting

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The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Tips on Choosing the Right Wedding Lighting

If you’re planning on having a formal wedding, you may be wondering whether you should hire wedding lighting for your reception. This article will give you some ideas on the pros and cons of wedding lighting as well as advice on how to choose the right one for your big day!

So, how exactly do you crack the wedding lighting jargon? Well, so many words have been bandied about that it’s become impossible for someone not familiar with lighting concepts to explain them. Just in case you’re still wondering, let’s start with lighting fixtures. It would be best to start with a basic set and work upwards as your needs and your budget will dictate.

Wedding lighting comes in many forms – chandeliers, spotlights, pendants and many more. Some of them can be very expensive to buy and some of them are so basic that you can even build them yourself! As well as style, they can also be made from many different materials.

One important thing to keep in mind when looking at the different types of wedding lighting is the type of wedding you’re having. If you’re having a beach wedding, which often has a lot of candles, then you’re going to want to go for a type of lighting that’s very romantic but is also safe to use.

On the other hand, if you’re having a formal wedding, then you should go for a more sober look – using more white, with perhaps some decorative lighting fixtures placed strategically around the venue. In terms of your budget, this type of lighting should fit into your budget well as the cost of a wedding is going to be spread over a lot of smaller pieces. You may find it’s difficult to pick out the right lights depending on the style and theme of your reception, so it’s a good idea to ask for help!

In terms of the wedding theme, there are so many different options available. From classical, to floral, to a fairy tale wedding, there’s literally hundreds of options to choose from. The only rule to remember is to make sure that the lighting will compliment the overall look of the wedding venue.

When picking out your wedding lighting, it’s also important to consider other factors such as the budget, the time of year, the season, your personal taste, and the size of your guests. Depending on the amount of light you need, you should always be able to find the perfect match – just make sure that you think about the following before you make your final decision.

For example, it’s very important to choose a light that’s easy to install – a chandelier or table-style light is great if you need a lot of natural light throughout the room. On the other hand, if your reception will be held in a small space, then a smaller, more intimate pendant would be ideal. Or if your reception is more formal, then a chandelier would not be the best choice as you’ll probably be using lots of artificial lighting.

For more information about our wedding lighting & event lighting hire services please see our main website www.truesoundhire.co.uk or our wedding lighting section which can be found here https://www.truesoundhire.co.uk/hire-packages/category/lighting-hire-packages/wedding-lighting-hire-packages/

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We Talk About PA System Hire & What Is A PA System

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The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Whether you’ve got a birthday coming up, or your hosting a fashion show, PA system hire should form a crucial part of your event production considerations. The last thing you want is your guests to be underwhelmed by your sound performance, so hiring an excellent PA system is crucial.

This post will lay out what a PA system is, what the benefits of hiring one are as opposed to buying one, where and when you might want to hire a PA system, and why we offer the best PA system hire packages across London, Surrey, and Hampshire.

So let’s start with the first question – what is a PA system exactly?

What is a PA System? 

Put simply; a PA system is usually a set of speakers that help to fill a room, venue, or stage with sound. Standing for ‘public address,’ PA systems are used up and down the country, from wedding DJs to football stadiums.

They usually come as a set of at least two speakers to help create an immersive ‘stereo’ sound. But when you hire outdoor line array PA systems, you could have as many as five to seven speakers strapped together along with amplifiers and subwoofers to enhance the output. They can be used as speakers for playing pre-recorded music off a mobile phone or laptop, or they can be used for live musical performances. They are perfectly adept at performing either task.

Most contemporary PA systems are classed as ‘active’ systems whereby they have built-in amplification and just need to be plugged in to get to work. By contrast, ‘passive’ PA speakers will need an external power amplification unit to work. Modern active PA speaker systems are great for birthday parties, weddings, and any other celebration since all you have to do is ‘plugin and play’ with a 3.5mm jack aux cable.

PA System Hire vs Buying a PA System

Given how easy to set up and use they are; many individuals are tempted to invest their hard-earned money in a PA system that they can use whenever they like. While that may seem like a good idea at the time, in most scenarios, it makes much more sense to hire a PA system than to buy one outright.

For a start, the initial investment in a high-quality PA is north of a thousand pounds. They’re serious pieces of kit and not investments to take lightly. People who end up buying a PA system often don’t get much use out of them since the celebrations they’re bought for only tend to come around annually or bi-annually.

Remember these are not average speakers that you can use at home after your event is over. Well not without complaints from the neighbours anyway! Storage is another factor need to consider, they are quite bulky, especially if you buy a more advanced system with multiple speakers, amps, and subwoofers.

Given the fact that you can hire a powerful PA system setup for £120 from us, complete with two subwoofers with plenty of oomph for up to 200 guests, we just don’t think there are many scenarios where spending north of a thousand pounds makes sense (not that we’re biased of course!). For example, let’s say you spent £1200 on a comparable PA system for a large get-together you host once a year. It would take you a decade to break even on your investment. By which time, PA speaker technology will have well and truly moved on.

When Might You Need PA System Hire?

The short answer is whenever you need to project sound far and wide. As you can imagine that leaves a pretty broad scope of events, but for now, let’s focus on the most popular instances PA System hire based on our decades of experience.

Parties/Birthday Celebrations

There’s nothing better than a good old fashioned party! Whether you are celebrating an anniversary, exam results, or a milestone birthday; if you plan on having a good time, then you’re undoubtedly going need to hire a PA system to blast out the hits that will get both you and your guests up and dancing.

Unless you plan on inviting several hundreds of attendees, our laptop and phone PA System hire packages are an excellent fit for this purpose. They pack plenty of punch for less than £100 and are guaranteed to get your guests at least tapping their foot as they nervously watch their parents approach the dancefloor!

Weddings 

One of our most popular requests is for PA system hire for wedding celebrations and receptions. Dancing is a prerequisite at weddings, and whether you need to hire a PA system for your live band, or you need one for the DJ you’ve booked (or both), then it’s always worth investing in a premium PA system setup.

Our premium PA system hire packages offer top of the range d&b audiotechnik speakers combined with power amps and subwoofers will easily cater up to 500 guests, perfect for even the largest wedding celebrations out there.

Live Music Acts/Performers

As a live band, singer/songwriter, or a DJ, you need to have a PA system you can rely on to do you justice. If you’ve found some initial success, you may be able to land bookings for venues with their own PA systems. However, it many cases, once you arrive, you’ll quickly discover that the systems in question are old and barely fit for purpose.

Rather than leave it to chance, if you’ve got a critical live musical performance coming up, it makes sense to invest in reliable PA equipment that is no older than three years. If you’re a bit of a PA system aficionado, you can even offer to include providing your own sound equipment (for an additional fee, of course) to venues. If they are short on knowledge and time, it saves them from having to deal with the hassle of sorting it all out for you, and you score an extra win by being represented by the premium sound quality.

Outdoor Events 

From music festivals in Surrey to horse shows in Hampshire, we’ve provided all manner of PA systems to outdoor events. In most instances, when it comes to outdoor events, in particular, line array PA system hire makes the most sense.

The most extensive setups for these types of PA systems can comfortably accommodate up to 5,000 guests, which is perfect for an outdoor stage at a local music festival, for example. But they are just as suitable for any outdoor event with a large audience.

Fashion and Award Shows

Of course, line array PA systems are just as suited to providing the booming sound required for significant indoor events held at venues such as the O2. Over the years we’ve helped out plenty of London fashion shows, as well as awards and gala dinners with PA system hire.

For larger events of this nature, we can provide not just equipment, but a full turn-key d&b J Series PA System, complete with our own highly-skilled and experienced sound technicians to help set up and run the speakers during the event.

Why Choose the Sound and Light Hire Company for PA System Hire? 

We can provide all manner of sound equipment hire for your events. Whether you need a PA system for you live DJ, or you wish to host a local live band, there’s nothing we can’t provide to ensure our PA system hire services are precisely what you’re looking for.

Hiring out PA equipment not fit for the event in question is something we’re increasingly witnessing in the industry. We distinguish ourselves as a PA system hire company by offering state-of-the-art equipment that is more than capable of meeting the demands of your events, or specific guest numbers.

We realise that our PA system hire packages are only as good as the quality of the equipment. That’s why we continuously invest in new stock to ensure that not a single item is more than three years old. We also continually test and inspect all equipment before it’s deemed suitable to go back out on hire again. Every amp, subwoofer, and speaker is serviced every six months to ensure a reliable service.

In over a decade of operations, we have never had any PA system equipment failures. We believe that is a testament to our exacting standards of care we take over our equipment, as well as the faith we put in premium brands such as d&b audiotechnik.

How Much Does PA System Hire Cost?

The question on most people’s lips! The answer is, as usual, it depends. If you want to have a simple set up for your garden party with 50 odd guests, then we can provide you with everything you need for as little as £60. Going for something much bigger? For £120, you can hire a hefty 2.5KW PA system, which will comfortably stretch up to 200 guests.

On the other hand, let’s suppose you’re looking at professional-standard equipment for a music festival or an indoor arena award show. In that case, you’re going to need to invest in d&b audiotechnik Q series line array setups, which still come within £1,000. We feel this is unbeatable value for the amount, and crucially, the quality of the equipment you receive.

Are Your PA System Hire Packages Dry Hire Only? 

We’re also flexible with our PA system offerings. We realise that not everyone is going to be an expert when it comes to setting up and mixing state of the art PA systems. That’s why we offer live sound engineer hire from as little as £125 per day plus travel based within 25 miles of Guildford, Surrey, or London.

In fact, we’re on hand to provide any additional help you might need, whether that’s lighting hire or special effects. If you also need a sound engineer, a lighting technician, or a small production team, then that’s what we’ll provide. We are here to serve your needs at the end of the day, whatever they may be.

If you do decide to hire one or more members of our team, you’ve also got the added benefit of not having to worry about the equipment set up, operation, and subsequent dismantling. Instead, you can get on with running your event or enjoying your celebration.

Choose the Sounds and Light Hire Company for All of your PA System Hire Requirements

Be it a party, or a full-blown festival stage, a PA system can make all the difference when it comes to the quality of the sound relayed to your audience. PA system hire offers those in attendance to enjoy a truly immersive sound experience and is bound to get your guest dancing for those upbeat numbers!

No matter your reason for looking at hiring a PA system, it almost always makes sense to hire instead of buy. By doing so, you can benefit from the latest and greatest systems and additional technical support, should you need it.

So whether you’re having a small scale garden party, or your planning your industry’s biggest award show, we have the PA system hire capabilities to match. Just give us a call any day of the week using the information below, and we’ll happily discuss your requirements.

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The Sound & Light Hire Company Talks Festival Stage Hire & What Other Event Equipment You Might Need to Hire

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The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Despite the cancellations across the board in 2020, the music festival industry is still in a strong position for next year’s summer season. In fact, we are a nation of revellers with over a quarter of all UK adults attending a music festival last year.

As a festival or music event organiser, you should know that the stage is the cornerstone of any successful musical event. It focuses the attention of your attendees, provides an elevated platform for your performers to look out over their adoring fans, and it houses of all the technical production equipment required for artists to sound their best.

Get your festival stage hire wrong though, and both fans and performers will be quick to notice that you’ve missed the mark. So if you’re organising a music festival or event for the spring or summer of 2021, what are the factors that you need to be thinking about now for your event to be a rip-roaring success?

Let’s take a look with a little help from our sister company Outdoor Stages, the arm of our operation dedicated to providing all manner of festival and music event stages.

Determine Your Requirements Based on the Scale of Your Event

It may sound obvious, but you’ve got to start with the scale of your event to make sure you’re choosing the right size of stage to hire. Hire a stage too small, and the performances can look awkward and cramped. By contrast, go way too big, and your attendees will think you have suffered from delusions of grandeur and you’ll likely lose money given the costs involved with hiring a much larger stage.

If this is something you’re initially struggling with, it’s often helpful to determine your needs based on the size of the audience. Generally, the larger your anticipated attendance, the larger your stage hire requirements will be. But this is not always the case. For instance, you may prefer to hire several compact stages to accommodate multiple performances in one central festival site location.

Once again, the larger the number of attendees, the more likely you are to invest in a large stage that provides a central focal point, an unobstructed viewing experience, and that can accommodate the technical event equipment hire required for clear sound and visuals for audience members hundreds of yards away from the stage.

Consider the Needs of Your Performers 

Next, you’ve got to factor in the requirements of the performers. If you’re hosting a classical orchestra, then obviously they are going to require a stage with a larger surface area than a local rock band, for example.

But it goes beyond merely space requirements, think about the technical specifications of your performers. While the acts scheduled to perform earlier in the day may not require much in the way of technical support, headline acts will often demand all kinds of additional technical support such as special effects, lighting shows, and superior sound equipment hire.

That’s without mentioning the offstage and backstage demands of top musical performers. Many will require at least a changing area. Some will specify a specific stage monitor mixing area or a musical instrument changeover zone. You might also need to put on a hospitality area and a side-on viewing platform for esteemed guests. By contrast, if you’ve booked an orchestra or a dance troupe, you’re going to need a sizeable backstage area to accommodate the sheer number of performers and their warm-up routines.

As the event organiser, it’s crucial that you receive each musical act’s rider in advance of booking in your festival stage hire so that you can make the necessary accommodations without any hassle.

Nature of Your Event Will Influence Your Event Equipment Hire Choices

Of course, you’ll also have to consider the nature of your event. For instance, are you running a festival with 12 local bands spread throughout the day? If so, it may be the case that you can have the artists share much of the technical equipment, saving on space and auxiliary event equipment hire requirements.

On the other hand, if you’re planning more of a one-night musical concert with two or three well-known national performers, each may demand their own specific technical setup. That means you’ll have to budget extra space for equipment storage in the wings ready for changeover between performances, even if the acts in question are solo performers.

Next, think about your preferred setup, which was briefly referred to previously. Are you going to out for one large stage for all performances, or are you going to over a couple of smaller breakout stages for solo performers? If so, you may want to spread you hire budget over several stages, rather than investing everything in your allocation on just the one.

Are There Any Venue/Location Restrictions?

One of the biggest mistakes we see from new festival organisers is not considering the limitations or restrictions of the venue. Erecting a stage requires significant engineering and logistical planning.

One of the first considerations you should make before you hire an outdoor stage is the ground. You need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of concrete and grass. If it’s going to be grass, is it even? Very rarely is the location proposed for a stage exactly flat in the case of those erected on lawn areas. But if it’s smooth and even, then it’s usually a suitable location for a stage.

Next, make sure that the area is free of any trees and human-made obstacles which might not necessarily be visible. Think underground pipes or wiring, as well as drainage systems. You can investigate the location of underground obstacles by obtaining ground surveys for your local council.

Lastly, turn your attention to logistics, even in their component parts, outdoor stages are not small. That means you’re going to need space for several HGVs to gain access and unload. Without sufficient access, your stage may never make it to the intended location, so don’t overlook this critical factor!

Other Considerations for Stage Hire That Are Often Forgotten

Perhaps the most underestimated factors of stage hire by festival organisers are the factors that are outside of their control, namely the weather. We don’t have to tell you that we live in one of the most unpredictable climates on the planet, and it’s par for the course to experience four seasons in one day, even in the middle of summer!

The important takeaway for you as the organiser to realise is that poor weather causes issues with building an outdoor stage. Firstly, it can cause access issues (particularly for grass setups). Secondly, poor weather means slow-going on the building of a stage. That’s why you must budget enough time for the building phase. You don’t want to find yourself on the morning of the event still having little bits and pieces to finish off on stage construction.

Speaking of time, don’t underestimate how long stages take to build regardless of weather conditions. While we can erect our smallest mobile outdoor covered stages in a matter of hours, our large 12m x 9m arc roof stage can take well in excess of a day to build and set up with the necessary technical rigging.

For allocating time allowances for stage set up, we say plan for the worst, hope for the best. That way you’ve got plenty of slack in your schedule should the weather, or any other unforeseen issues, cause any snags.

On a similar note, don’t wait to book in your stage hire once you know what you need. Most stage hire companies need advanced notice to build you into their schedules. While we don’t need as much as half a year, we do ask for at least three months to give us enough time to make the necessary adjustments to our inventory and works schedule. We can work off less in emergencies, but we can’t promise anything.

Stage Hire is Just the Beginning

For the less experienced among you, it’s important to point out the stage hire itself is only just the beginning. The structure is not going to achieve much for you without the help of professional lighting, sound equipment, and all other aspects of event production.

We believe it’s crucial to source these items from the same company that’s building the stage. It’s a better arrangement for several reasons. For a start, it’s fewer contractors to deal with on-site, all of which would turn up with lorries and several staff members. But it also eliminates any confusion between contractors.

By instructing one company to look after the stage, lighting, sound, and event production, every single team member is singing from the same hymn sheet. The stage builders erect the trusses the way the lighting team are used to working with, and the sound production team are using PA speaker systems and mixing desks they know like the back of their hand.

Given that you could have dozens of suppliers to work with on a musical festival, including caterers, performer booking agents, ticketing websites, wristband suppliers, and merchandisers to name but a few, it makes sense to hire just one company to handle all aspects of event production. We can handle all elements including staging, lighting, sound equipment as well as extras such as LED screens and special effects.

Why Choose Outdoor Stages for Your UK Music Festival?

The Outdoor Stages arm of the Sound and Light Hire Company has been providing stage hire and associated event production services festivals right across London, Surrey and Hampshire for over a decade.

We’ve taken a fresh approach to the festival stage hire industry by combining all required aspects of live musical performance and providing them bundled together as part of all in one stage hire packages. We genuinely offer an end-to-end solution for event organisers.

Take our biggest stage hire package as an example. Not only does it include an arc roof stage of 12m x 9m with a maximum roof height of 6.5m and a payload of 3500kg, but it also comes complete with a full-touring-spec sound and lighting system. We’re talking about the best in the sound business with the d&b audiotechnik PA systems used by the likes of Coldplay and Rhianna paired with over 70 lighting fixtures from 17R beams, moving heads washes, pixel battens and stage blinders!

When you also add in our highly-skilled and experienced crews and technicians who love what they do, you’ll receive an all-in-one event production package capable of amazing up to 10,000 music fans! Not bad for one easy-to-understand price, right?

We’re also on hand to help you through every step of the process should you need our consultation. We can assess venues, make recommendations, and provide bespoke quotes that match the specific challenges of either your site or the nature of the event in question.

In short, we are your one-stop shop when it comes to event production for your music festival or event. We have expert technicians, engineers and crew members, we offer top-of-the-range event equipment hire, and our stage hire options can cater for over and above 10,000 attendees giving us one of the largest capacities in the South East.

So if you’re putting together a music festival in the Spring or Summer of 2021, don’t hesitate to get in contact with a member of the Outdoor Stages team to arrange an initial consultation.

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The Sound & Light Hire Company Talk Live Sound Hire Equipment for Bands

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The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Every week across London, Surrey and Hampshire, there are events graced with the presence of a live band to get party guests, wedding attendees, or festival-goers on their feet and dancing. While undoubtedly a lot rests upon the talent of the musicians, no live band can successfully perform without suitable sound equipment.

High-performance sound equipment that accentuates every thump of the bass and delivers crystal clear vocals is crucial to your wowing your audience. However, your equipment requirements will likely span far beyond merely those related to sound. Stage hire, lighting hire, and even a dancefloor might be required to provide the immersive experience you’re looking for.

Whether you’re an event organiser investigating hiring a live band, or you perform as part of a live band yourself, let’s take a look at what you might look to hire to deliver your best possible performance.

Live Sound Equipment Hire

Those of you involved in the performance and events industry will already be aware of this fact, but live sound hire is a different beast to your traditional sound system hire. Live bands have all kinds of additional sound equipment requirements. For instance, in addition to PA

speaker hire, you’re likely to need backline equipment hire to supplement the speaker setup.

For those of you unfamiliar, backline equipment refers to items such as guitar amps, and in some instances, musical instruments such as drum kits. Then you’ve got to add in auxiliary equipment such as stage monitors, subwoofers, and microphones. All of this equipment then needs to be mixed and balanced (via a mixing desk) to ensure there’s a coherent and cohesive sound coming from the stage when the band is performing.

If you’re a live band, this can all seem like a cumbersome distraction, when all you really want to do is turn up and play. For those of you booking live bands for your event, hopefully, you can now appreciate that it’s a little more complicated than simply hiring a few speakers and hoping the group in question take care of the rest.

In fact, in our ten-plus years of supplying hire packages to live bands and event organisers, we’ve found a strong correlation between the price of the group and the ability to provide equipment themselves. The more expensive the band, the less likely they are to include sound equipment and other associated production aspects as part of their service.

Even if they do, it’s usually provided by a third-party anyway, so you may as well have all of the sound equipment hire and event production services with one supplier to maximise efficiency. This is especially the case if you’re handling a multi-supplier occasion such as a wedding or a festival.

But the sound equipment is only half the story when it comes to sound. You need sound engineers capable of bringing it all together.

Sound Engineer Services Surrey, London, and Hampshire

Even you’re an experienced musician, mixing a band isn’t easy. Many live bands try and fail to mix themselves, with sometimes disastrous results. In other scenarios, live bands delegate the sound mixing and production to a friend who might not have the knowledge required to hit the standards expected of today’s performances.

There are no two ways about it. Unless you’ve recruited someone with your complete trust, you need to hire a sound engineer to strike the right balance of acoustics, instrumental volumes, and sound equipment capabilities. This is particularly the case for event organisers who have multiple live bands lined up throughout the day, all of which will probably have different sound mixing and production requirements.

Having production staff to oversee your performance increases in importance when you consider many of the additional elements you might need to hire for the occasion such as staging, lighting equipment, and even dancefloors. So let’s explore those in a little more detail.

Live Band Stage Hire Surrey, London, and Hampshire 

Whether it’s a festival or a wedding, most live band performances require a stage to elevate the band, provide a focal point, and accommodate the various pieces of sound equipment. For most small to medium-sized groups, a 6m x 4m stage will offer plenty of room to fit all of the instruments, speakers and performers.

Of course, something you need to factor into your live band stage hire costs is the setup of the stage itself. Unless you’re well-versed in stage-building, you’ll need the help of specialists to get everything constructed correctly in a safe manner. You’ll also need to consider your weight requirements. Our 6m x 4m stage is capable of withstanding weight loads of 500km per square metre, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to be fine unless you’re planning on driving a tank over it!

Next, you need to think, as organisers or performers, about the venue. Is it indoors or outdoors? Thanks to our partners over at Outdoor Stages, we can provide all manner of outdoor stage hire, complete with arc roofs to protect bands from the infamous British weather! From outdoor performances of a few hundred attendees to outdoor festivals with 5,000+ music-lovers, we have the capacity to provide a stage suitable for the occasion.

Live Band Lighting Hire Surrey, London and Hampshire

By default, the vast majority of live band performances take place in the evening, which necessitates you hire lighting to illuminate the stage and performers. But it’s not a case of any old lighting will do. By incorporating lasers, disco lights, and spotlights, you can turn a live band’s performance into much more of an immersive experience.

As you might have guessed from the name, we provide all manner of lighting hire for live bands too! Whether you want to offer the wow factor to your clients, or you’re organising a small festival taking place during night-time hours, we can provide the lighting to elevate performances to the next level. We can also assemble the associated rigging and truss requirements, should they be necessary.

Why Choose Us for Your Live Band Equipment Hire

While there are few options when it comes to hiring equipment for your live performances in Surrey, London, and the wider Hampshire area, we are rated number one for a reason. For a start, we can provide literally every conceivable aspect of equipment required for your live show. From sound system hire to providing LED dancefloors, we’ve got it all. Crucially, we also own and operate all of our inventory, including the stages as we are part of the same overarching event production company.

We also only invest in premium and reliable sound and lighting brands such as d&b audiotechnik. Our d&b series loudspeakers offer enormous flexibility as well as a perfect design and up-to-date acoustic characteristics. These loudspeakers assimilate to their environment – always offering a brilliant sonic result and are suitable for use with a multitude of applications, from wedding productions to large scale live music festivals. They’re the brand of choice for Coldplay, Eminem and Rhianna’s live performances, so you know you’re in half-decent company!

But as excellent as our equipment stock is for live bands, we know that our hire service heavily depends on the quality of our team. Thankfully, we’re blessed with some of the best in the business.

Live Sound Engineer Hire Surrey, London, and Hampshire 

As touched upon above, mixing a band isn’t easy these days, there are plenty of inputs, and they all have to be balanced with the acoustics of the performance environment.

That’s why we choose our sound engineers carefully. We only employ a handful of sound engineers who have all met our stringent standards, one of which is having at least five years’ experience within the live sound and event production industry. But our sound engineers aren’t just incredibly experienced and knowledgeable; they’re friendly and helpful too.

Whether you’re an event organiser that’s a little in the dark about the vagaries of live band production, or you’re a successful local band looking to hire a sound professional you can trust, our team have developed a stellar reputation right across the Greater London, Surrey and Hampshire region. Our sound engineers are always flexible too. Whether you need them to act as as a front of house sound technician, or as a monitor engineer, their technical abilities run the full gamut.

But it’s not just our team that is flexible; our all-in-one live band hire packages are too.

Flexible All-in-one Hire Packages for Live Bands

We understand that no two live performances are quite the same. You could need one set of equipment for an indoor venue one week, and a completely different set up for a local outdoor festival the next. In either scenario, we have the flexibility to provide whatever you need.

We also realise that not everything is an expert on the production side of live band performances. Even experienced musicians often rely on the help of others to get them sounding as emphatic as possible. Once again, our team is happy to operate in either environment. Whether we’re taking instruction from you as a group who know your sound identity like the back of your hand, or you need us to lead the production and mixing efforts for your wedding reception band, we’ve got the knowledge and experience to handle both.

Our live band hire packages can cover sound equipment only, or we can offer an extensive all-in-one package that includes sound, lighting, staging, LED screens, on-site personnel and even a starlit dancefloor! The choice is yours.

If you’re perhaps a touch inexperienced in the technicalities (for instance, if you’re organising live sound equipment hire for your wedding) we are more than happy to sit down with you and have a cup of tea to discuss your specific event. We can then use your information to construct a package based on what the live band are going to need as part of their set up.

Choose the Best in Business for Your Live Performances Across Surrey, London and Hampshire 

Here at the Sound and Light Hire Company, we’ve worked incredibly hard over the last decade to build our industry-leading reputation in the South East region. While we aren’t the cheapest, we do provide the best value for money based on what you receive from us in terms of the quality of the equipment and personnel.

For instance, we are the only company in the UK to offer top-of-the-range d&b audiotrechnik speakers, subwoofers, amps, stage monitors, a Midas M32 mixing desk, a complete set of Shure microphones, an experienced sound engineer to set up and produce your performance, and a digital recording of your band for as little as £649! We’re able to offer such competitive prices by using our vast inventory and economies of scale to deliver better equipment, for a better price.

Whether you’re a live band on the search for live sound equipment and production staff to support local tour dates across Hampshire, or you’re organising a London-based wedding or a festival, we can really do it all. Just reach out to us using the information below any day of the week to discuss your requirements.

We look forward to working with you!

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Event Sound, Lighting Plus Staging & LED Screens

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

Looking to Hire Sound or Lighting Equipment For Your Events? Here We Talk About Sound, Lighting, Staging & LED Screens

Here at the Sound and Lighting Hire Company, we provide all manner of event production services. From small pick up and play services such as iPod party package, to substantial international awards shows in London. We really do offer one of the most all-encompassing ranges of event sound and lighting services within the UK.

We also offer specific services such as sound hire or provide the full monty of event production services if you’re hosting a much larger event such as a conference or exhibition. So let’s dig into our hire packages and services into a little more detail, as you may be surprised by our enormous spectrum of capabilities.

Event Production Services in Surrey, London, Berkshire and Hampshire  

We’ve said this many times before, but there is no event too large or too small for us. We really do cover an enormous range of sizes. From a couple of dry-hired speakers for a children’s party, right up to a full custom-built stage, lighting and rigging, and sound equipment complete with experienced engineers and technicians to run your production.

Regarding the smaller event, we’ve provided equipment for numerous parties, celebrations, weddings, and even outdoor cinemas! At the other end of the spectrum, we’ve provided the equipment and team for productions as large as cage fighting matches and the O2. We are pretty much the only company in the South East of England that has this range of capabilities when it comes to event sound and light services.

So in case you have something in mind for your event, be it a glitzy award show or an intimate wedding reception, let’s delve a little deeper into our specific event hire packages and services to give you a better idea of how we can help you.

Event Sound Equipment Hire 

For many of you, sound equipment hire might be all you need to run your event smoothly. That’s fine, even though we provide audio equipment for (and produce) huge events such as festivals, we are just as competitive for the little guy! We have a range of dry hire packages for speaker systems.

Whether you just want to hook up a phone or a laptop to a speaker for some background noise at a barbeque, or you need a large speaker hire for a wedding or anniversary celebration, we’ve all got all manner of sound equipment hire packages to suit. The best part? Those speaker hire packages start at just £60. Can’t say fairer than that for a party of up to 70 guests, can you?

But what if you want to take things up a notch. For instance, what if you’ve hired a live band for your event? Fortunately for you, we’ve got specialised hire packages for that too! Whether you’ve got a solo performer, or you’ve splashed out on a local band, we can cater to your every need. You can even have one of our sound engineers as part of the hire package to set everything up and professionally produce the event for you.

But what if you’re organising something different? After all, not all events are birthdays or weddings. Yep, we can do that too. We offer complete AV hire for conferences, including wireless microphones and projector hire, for example. When it comes to sound more specifically, we often supply line array packages to significant public events such as festivals, award shows, and product launches. We really mean it when we say there’s nothing really beyond the scope of our capabilities.

But what if you need more than sound? What about lighting? Well, the clue is in our name, and as it happens, we’re not too shabby at that either.

Event Lighting Services Surrey, London, Berkshire and Hampshire  

A lot of the events we’ve just spoken about also require lighting. Live bands and DJs, for example, often depend on lighting to make their performances much more immersive and compelling. Similarly, can you imagine a wedding dancefloor with any disco lighting? It just wouldn’t work.

When setting up our company over a decade ago, we were acutely aware that you often can’t have event sound without lighting and vice versa. That’s why we put just as much effort into this side of our business as we do the other, often combining sound and light equipment hire packages.

In many ways, lighting can be split up into what we would call ‘performance’ lighting and ‘atmospheric’ lighting that helps to set a mood or an ambience. Referring to performance lighting, we’re talking about event lighting equipment that is pretty much necessary for the production in question.

For instance, most DJs require an array of lasers and disco lights, rather than just a small set of speakers and decks. Or, if your event is a gala dinner, award show, or fashion event, you’re going to need spotlights to illuminate and follow your presenters and models as they move across the stage or catwalk.

By contrast, atmospheric LED uplighters can completely transform the look and feel of a venue by ‘washing’ it in a specific colour. Likewise, if you’re having an outdoor wedding, you can create a truly magical atmosphere after the sun sets with thoughtful festoon lighting. Or perhaps you’re going for a spookier feeling and want to hire UV lighting to make both people and objects glow in the dark.

No matter the type of lighting hire you need for your event, we can accommodate your requirements. Better yet, we can set up any of those lights in the specific manner you need them. Trusses and rigging are no problem for us. In fact, we set them all the time. We’ll work with you to understand your requirements, balance them against the limitations of your specific venue, and then provide you with a lighting solution your 100% happy with.

But of course, several events need more than mere sound and lighting equipment. For instance, what about your stage?

Staging Services Surrey, London, Berkshire and Hampshire

What would a live band or DJ be without a stage? Or an awards show for that matter? Most event productions need a stage or a set. Whether you’re putting on a corporate event in London, or you’re having a marquee wedding in Hampshire, you need a stage to provide a focal point and a better viewing experience for your guests.

This is a cinch for us too. Since our company is part of one of the most prominent event production companies in the UK, we can build all manner of trusses and staging. We’ve already joined forces to design, develop and work on some of the biggest events in the country. But we can take that superior experience and bring it to your smaller-scale event. Whether you’re looking for outdoor stage hire for your small-scale festival, or you’re merely looking to hire a stage for a live band, we can handle all sizes of events.

While sound, lighting, and stage equipment are critical tenets of most event productions, we also offer much more specific event services and hire packages.

LED Screen Hire Surrey, London, Berkshire and Hampshire

LED screens and LED video walls continue to increase in popularity, thanks in large part to their versatility. Our high-resolution LED video wall screens grab attention and can give your event that stand-out factor. Whether you want a solid wall built or to separate the panels across a truss structure for a more abstract effect, our cost-effective LED screen hire can set your event off perfectly.

Perhaps you need to show footage of your event if your attendees need help viewing what’s taking place on stage. Or maybe you think they would add a perfect visual display to your lighting show. Either way, LED screen hire can give your event that extra little bit of je ne sais quoi. You can hire these flexible pieces of equipment either on their own or as part of a more comprehensive event production hire package.

Bespoke and Ready-Made Event Production Services

It doesn’t matter whether you intend to dry hire equipment from us, or you want to have us exclusively design, build and execute all aspects of your event production, we are always flexible to the meet the specific needs of our clients. In many cases, we listen to your requirements and recommend one of our “off the shelf” ready-made event production packages, which will include all manner of event sound and lighting equipment, and in some instances, staging and personnel too.

In other scenarios, we have to work with our clients to shape and refine the vision for their event. Completely starting from the ground up, going through each of the design, assembly, and implementation phases together. The truth of the matter is we’re happy to do either. If you know what you want, and just want to get a cost from us, that’s fine. If you would like us to walk you through everything you need to have your event run precisely as you had intended, we’ll do that for you too.

Our event production services team have literally “done it all” in this industry, in many cases getting the T-shirt too! Whether you’re putting together a crucial corporate conference in London, or you’re planning the wedding celebration of a lifetime in Berkshire, we can do almost anything within the event space.

What Makes the Sound and Lighting Hire Company Different for Event Production Hire?

While we could tell you all about how our customer-centric approach and attention to detail stand us apart (which is true by the way), it’s perhaps best to focus on more tangible aspects such as our inventory.

It might be hard to believe, but we own everything you see available for hire on this site. All of our equipment is stored on-site, and we’re continually inspecting, maintaining and rotating our stock to ensure the equipment we provide you with never lets you down. Over ten years since launching our business that’s still the case, and we pride ourselves on our flawless track record.

But in many ways, state-of-the-art equipment is only half the story. You could have the best sound and lighting equipment in the world, but if you don’t have expert sound engineers and lighting technicians to operate them, then it might not mean much. Our staff are used to working in high-pressure situations where getting it wrong isn’t an option. From corporate events to personal celebrations, we understand that getting it right matters and we take that a “that will do” approach. It’s excellence or nothing.

Best of all, we consider ourselves friendly and approachable. Whether you need some on the spot training for your speaker hire, or you need a technician to run the sound and lighting for the live band at your wedding, we are always on hand to listen to your needs and provide our professional service with a smile.

Finally, despite what we feel is a premier event production service, we are incredibly competitive on price. In many instances, we can’t be beaten anywhere in the UK for what we offer in terms of equipment and price. So why not get in touch to discuss what you might need for your next event? We’re here for you, seven days a week.

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What Sound Equipment to Hire for Your Event

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Logo

The Sound & Light Hire Company Talks About Sound System Hire and What Sound Equipment to Hire for Your Event

Sound hire is a vital consideration for any event. No matter if you’re hosting a significant conference in London or a wedding in Surrey, without high-quality sound equipment, your occasion might turn out to be a little more than a damp squib.

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Surrey & London’s Number One Rated Sound, Lighting and Stage Hire Company

Here at the Sounds & Light Hire Company, we have decades of experience when it comes to providing first-class sound and lighting hire across Surrey, London and Hampshire. Whether you need a stage hire in London or sound hire in Guildford, our reliable team are always on hand to provide you with exemplary customer service and support. Read more

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Hire an Outdoor LED Screen or Projector & Screen for your Outdoor Cinema

Outdoor Cinema LED Screen Equipment Hire

There’s nothing quite like going to the cinema. Films transport us to another world and provide us all an escape from the mundane goings-on of day-to-day life. But when the warmer months roll around, it almost feels like a crime to shun the beautiful sunny outdoors to watch a film in a dark cavernous auditorium. What’s more, recent events have made sitting in close proximity to others indoors a severe health risk. Read more

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Getting Married At One Of Surrey’s Many Wedding Venues? Looking To Hire A White LED Dance Floor For The Wedding? We Can Help!

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