Is your association’s audiovisual expert out on vacation, or is your organization’s level of expertise limited to plugging in an HDMI cable and hoping for the best? Then you may need a refresher course in the fundamentals of technical production.

BizBash‘s Mitra Sorrells spoke with four AV experts to find out what every layperson should know about the field, and the insight comes just in time for event season.

At first, some advice—such as fitting content to equipment and not taking for granted that a venue includes power free of charge—seems simple. But when was the last time you thought about lavalieres to the degree that Brandt Krueger, director of video and production technology at MetroConnections, does?

“If there are six speakers in any given section of a program, rent six wireless lavalieres,” he says. “Don’t try and get away with two, planning on ‘swapping them out’ between speakers. With every swap, you increase the chances that a speaker will turn off the mic, or a cable will come unplugged.”

Check out all 12 expert tips here.

Chart of the Day

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This study of U.K. consumers, spotted by Business Insider‘s Henry Blodget, shows which media certain age groups would miss the most. The results are sobering for anyone still skeptical of the predominance of digital.

Other Good Reads

Start thinking like a software company: Content marketer Monica Bussolati makes the case for why nonprofits should rethink their reason for creating content. She also explains how to produce content that will appeal to the target audience.

You should take a nap: No, seriously. Inc. has a primer on midday snoozing and how it may be exactly what you need to ensure every workday is as productive as possible.

Stay clear of event-app rookies: As part of its continuing series on folks never to take event-app advice from, BusyEvent offers a warning about newbies who offer more promise than product.

The rise of “full-plate syndrome”: As CMSWire’s Kevin Conroy points out, with mobile employees and the bring-your-own-device culture becoming increasingly commonplace, organizations now have to walk a fine line between too much and too little communication with employees.

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