Event AV Glossary: The Terms Every Planner Should Know

Audiovisual production has its own vocabulary, and quotes and conversations move faster when you can speak it. This glossary defines the terms you’re most likely to hear when planning an event in plain language, grouped by category. You don’t need to memorize any of it — but knowing what a line array, IMAG, or run of show actually is makes it much easier to compare proposals and ask the right questions.

Audio

Line array — A column of speakers hung together so sound carries evenly to every seat in a large room. It’s the system that keeps the back row as clear as the front.

Lavalier (lav) mic — A small clip-on microphone worn on the lapel, freeing the speaker’s hands. Common for presenters and panels.

Handheld mic — A microphone held in the hand or on a stand — the right tool for toasts, Q&A, and anyone who needs to pass the mic around.

Stage monitor (wedge) — A speaker aimed back at the performers or speakers so they can hear themselves. Essential for live bands and important for confident presenting.

Mixing console (soundboard) — The control surface where an audio engineer balances every microphone and music source live during the event.

Front of house (FOH) — The position, usually in the audience, where the audio engineer mixes the sound the room actually hears.

Feedback — The squeal that happens when a microphone picks up its own amplified sound. A sign the system isn’t properly tuned — and exactly what a good audio engineer prevents.

Soundcheck — A pre-event test of every microphone, speaker, and music source to confirm levels and catch problems before guests arrive.

Video

LED video wall — A large screen built from panels of tiny LEDs that emit their own light, so it stays bright and vivid even with the house lights up. The current standard for high-impact event displays.

Pixel pitch — The distance in millimeters between the LEDs on a video wall. A smaller pitch means a sharper image up close, at a higher cost; it’s matched to how near the audience sits.

Projection — An image cast onto a screen or surface by a projector. More affordable than LED and great in darker rooms, but it washes out as ambient light rises.

Lumens — The unit that measures a projector’s brightness. The more ambient light in the room, the more lumens you need to keep the image readable.

IMAG (image magnification) — Live camera feeds that put the speaker on large screens so the back of a big room can see clearly. It adds cameras, a switcher, and operators.

Projection mapping — A technique that shapes projected content to fit a non-flat or architectural surface — a curved wall, a stage set, a building facade — rather than a standard screen.

Switcher — The device that cuts between video sources — slides, cameras, video clips — so the right content is on screen at the right moment.

Aspect ratio — The width-to-height proportions of the screen and content (such as 16:9). Matching presenter slides to the screen’s ratio avoids black bars or stretched images.

Confidence monitor — A screen facing the stage that shows presenters their slides or notes, so they never have to turn their back to the audience to see the screen.

Lighting

Uplighting — Small LED fixtures placed around the room that wash the walls in color or warm light. One of the most affordable ways to transform a plain space.

Wash light — A fixture that spreads soft, even light over a broad area — a stage, a wall, a dance floor — as opposed to a tight beam.

Moving light (moving head) — A motorized fixture that can pan, tilt, change color, and shape its beam on cue — the workhorse of dynamic stage and dance-floor looks.

Gobo — A stencil placed in a light to project a shape or pattern — a monogram, a logo, a texture — onto a wall, floor, or stage.

Pin spot — A narrow, focused beam used to highlight a specific object, such as a centerpiece or a wedding cake, making it glow against a dim room.

Dimmer — The control that raises and lowers light levels, letting the room shift smoothly from bright for dinner to moody for dancing.

Staging & rigging

Staging (stage deck) — The raised platform that lifts the head table, speakers, or performers so the audience can see them.

Truss (trussing) — The lightweight metal framework, usually aluminum, that holds lighting, speakers, and screens overhead. It’s the skeleton most of the production hangs from.

Rigging — The hardware and process of safely hanging equipment overhead from a venue’s ceiling points or from ground-supported truss.

Pipe and drape — Adjustable poles and fabric panels used to create backdrops, hide back-of-house areas, or divide a room.

Load-in / load-out — Load-in is bringing the gear in and setting it up before the event; load-out (or strike) is breaking it down and removing it afterward. Both take real time and crew.

Production & roles

Pre-production — All the planning that happens before load-in — design, scheduling, content prep, equipment testing, and contingency planning. Where a smooth event is actually won.

Run of show — The minute-by-minute timeline of an event — who speaks when, when each video plays, when the lights change — that the production team runs to.

Cue-to-cue — A rehearsal that steps through the show’s key moments to confirm timing and catch problems before the audience arrives.

Show caller (producer) — The person who runs the live event, cueing speakers, video, and lighting so everything happens on time. The single point of accountability in the room.

A1 / L1 / V1 — Shorthand for the lead audio (A1), lighting (L1), and video (V1) technicians — the senior operators responsible for each discipline during the event.

Strike — Tearing down and packing out all the equipment after the event ends. A planned strike keeps the venue handover on schedule.

COI (certificate of insurance) — Proof of a vendor’s liability coverage, which many venues require before allowing a company to work on site. A sign you’re dealing with a professional operation.

Still have a term you’re unsure about?

This covers the vocabulary that comes up most, but every event is different. If a proposal uses a term that isn’t here, that’s a fair question to ask — a good AV partner should be able to explain exactly what you’re paying for in plain language.

Planning an event and want it explained without the jargon?

Talk to 360 AV Design — we’ll walk you through your options in language that makes sense.