What's involved in a meeting room AV site survey?

A meeting room AV site survey is a 1 to 2 hour site visit during which an experienced AV designer captures the physical, acoustic, electrical and network conditions of the room (or rooms) so a costed proposal can be built on facts rather than assumptions. It is the single most important pre-quote step, and a bidder who skips it is bidding blind.

A thorough survey covers room dimensions and shape, ceiling type and height, sightline analysis, light levels (including how much natural light enters from glazing and at what angle), and acoustic conditions such as reverberation time, hard surface ratio and external noise ingress. The surveyor also documents existing services: power, structured cabling, network capacity, BMS integration points, lighting control and motorised blinds. Structural constraints (columns, glazing lines, AC ducts, beams above the ceiling void) get noted, along with viable cable routing options between the rack location and each device. Existing AV that the client wants to retain or remove is captured at this stage so it can be priced into the scope.

The output is a written site survey report that drives the costed proposal, or, occasionally, a no-bid recommendation when the room genuinely cannot deliver what the brief asks for. The report typically includes photographs, a marked-up floor plan, a measured ceiling diagram noting penetrations, and a list of dependencies on other trades (M&E, ceiling contractor, IT). Without this documentation the install team turns up on day one and discovers conditions that change the scope, which is when projects overrun.

Strive AV's consultation and design service treats the site survey as the first deliverable, and it's typically free as part of a competitive procurement process for projects above a modest threshold. Coordinated project management then carries the survey output through to install without the brief drifting.

Quick reference: 1-2 hour site visit, captures dimensions, ceiling, services, acoustics and structural constraints, output is a written report driving a costed proposal, typically free during procurement.