Cadmium University

Upcoming Live Web Events

  • Behind the AV Invoice: What Association Leaders Should Know to Budget More Strategically
    Contains 2 Component(s) Includes a Live Web Event on 06/16/2026 at 3:00 PM (EDT)

    In this session, we'll break down the anatomy of an AV estimate and invoice, explore the key factors that influence pricing, and share practical strategies for reviewing proposals and final billing with confidence. Attendees will learn how to ask better questions, compare vendor proposals more effectively, and reduce budget surprises without sacrificing the attendee experience. Whether you're planning a small meeting or a large annual conference, you'll leave with a clearer understanding of AV costs and a framework for becoming a more informed buyer and steward of your event budget.

    AV estimates and invoices can be some of the most complex documents meeting planners review, often making it difficult to understand where costs originate, why proposals vary so significantly, and what drives changes between the estimate and final invoice.

    In this session, we'll break down the anatomy of an AV estimate and invoice, explore the key factors that influence pricing, and share practical strategies for reviewing proposals and final billing with confidence. Attendees will learn how to ask better questions, compare vendor proposals more effectively, and reduce budget surprises without sacrificing the attendee experience.

    Whether you're planning a small meeting or a large annual conference, you'll leave with a clearer understanding of AV costs and a framework for becoming a more informed buyer and steward of your event budget.

    Key Learning Objectives

    • Understand the major components of an AV estimate and invoice, including equipment, labor, venue-related costs, creative services, IT, and logistics.
    • Learn why AV proposals for the same event can vary significantly and how to make more accurate apples-to-apples comparisons.
    • Identify the most common causes of budget variances between pre-show estimates and final invoices.
    • Gain practical strategies for reviewing AV invoices, asking the right questions, and improving budget predictability.
    • Discover how clearer specifications, better planning, and stronger communication can reduce surprises and improve event outcomes.


    Joe Faulder

    Joe Faulder

    Director of Sales and Client Experience

    Projection

    Joe serves as Director of Sales and Client Experience at Projection, where he works closely with organizations to better understand their goals, challenges, and attendee experience priorities. His role focuses on building strong partnerships and helping clients create thoughtful, impactful event experiences that resonate long after the meeting ends.

    Joe is a husband, father, musician, technology buff, and audiovisual professional (among other things) whose passion lies in creating emotive experiences. He spent most of his twenties touring the country writing and singing songs to anyone who would listen. But after a two-year battle with a debilitating vocal disease, Joe changed lanes and found his second calling in the events world.

    He soon realized that a great event, like a great song, taps into an emotional aspect of the human experience. Both are powerful, generate community, and are not easily forgotten. Working throughout the industry in roles spanning audiovisual production, creative services, technology, and experience strategy, Joe now advises some of Projection’s largest clients on how to deliver meaningful and memorable experiences for their attendees.