Price and booking
When to book sound hire in Seville
Seville's calendar isn't spread out: it is concentrated into a few weeks a year. On those dates the problem isn't the price, it is whether any equipment is still available.
The reason
A warehouse isn't a shop: stock is limited and demand overlaps
When you buy something, if there is demand more gets made. When you rent, it doesn't: the same speaker can't be at two weddings on the same Saturday. That is why technical rental works on availability rather than on a catalogue, and why in high season the question isn't "how much does it cost?" but "is there any left?".
In Seville this is made worse because the calendar is so concentrated. There are weeks of the year with more celebrations than two whole winter months, and in those weeks the entire local industry is setting up at once: sound, lighting, stages, marquees and catering.
The calendar
How the year breaks down here
| Period | Demand | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| January and February | Low | The best time to book anything without rushing. Also for corporate events and product launches. |
| March and April | High and very concentrated | Holy Week (Semana Santa) and the Seville April Fair (Feria de Abril) keep half the city busy. The Feria in particular ties up equipment for the whole week plus the set-up days beforehand. |
| May | The busiest month | May Crosses (Cruces de Mayo), romerías (pilgrimage festivals), First Communion parties and the first big wave of weddings, all at once and almost always at weekends. |
| June | High | Graduations, end-of-year school events, weddings and the first street parties (verbenas) and patron saint festivals in the province. |
| July and August | Medium, with peaks | Fewer weddings because of the heat, but a great many patron saint festivals and evening celebrations in the towns and villages, nearly all at weekends. |
| September and October | Second wedding peak | Autumn in Seville has as many weddings as spring, with the advantage of more manageable temperatures. |
| November | Medium to low | Conferences, corporate events and product launches. A good time for large-scale equipment. |
| December | High and compressed | Christmas office parties, zambombas (Andalusian Christmas parties), Christmas and New Year's Eve, all packed into three weeks. |
Response times
How much notice to give depending on the event
There is no single rule, but there is a principle: the more specific what you need and the more popular the date, the earlier you need to book it. A couple of speakers on a Tuesday in February can be sorted in two days. A stage with a line array on a Saturday in May cannot.
Weddings
As soon as you have a date and a venue. Weddings book everything else well in advance (venue, catering, photographer) and the sound tends to be left until last, which is exactly when there are no slots left in spring and autumn.
Feria and casetas
This is the extreme case. Equipment for Feria casetas (fair marquees) is committed well in advance because the whole week is blocked out in one go, and set-up takes place on a few very specific days before the alumbrao (the Feria's opening lights). Leaving it until the month before is risky.
Patron saint festivals and street parties
Town councils and festival committees tend to work well ahead because of their own paperwork, and that helps. The problem arises when several towns coincide on the same weekend, which happens constantly in summer. We cover it in street parties (verbenas) and patron saint festivals.
Corporate events and conferences
Conferences and corporate events have more flexibility over dates, but they usually need specific equipment (interpretation, streaming, a large screen) that we don't have duplicates of. There, the lead time is set by the equipment, not the calendar.
Last minute
Yes, we handle urgent bookings, and fairly often. But it is worth knowing what that means: we work with whatever is available, not with the ideal set-up. If your date is three days away, phone us rather than sending an email.
How to book properly
What helps make sure your booking doesn't fall through
Fix the date and venue first
Without those two details there can be no booking. The venue shapes the equipment as much as the number of guests.
Request a quote with the running order of the day
Ceremony, speeches, meal, dancing and timings. With that, the quote comes out right first time and doesn't need redoing three times.
Confirm in writing
A booking is a mutual commitment. It should state the equipment, the set-up time, the duration and the cancellation terms.
Let us know about changes as soon as possible
Changing the venue or the number of guests two weeks beforehand can be sorted. Doing it the day before is much harder, and in high season it may be impossible.
Plan for rain if it is outdoors
Deciding in advance what to do if it rains avoids improvising as the guests arrive, and lets you book any additional equipment needed.
Book together what goes together
Getting sound, lighting, stage and screen from the same supplier stops one piece falling through and upsetting the whole plan. They are all in the catalogue and in the packages.
Keep reading
Related links
Frequently asked questions
Questions about booking times
What is the hardest date of the year in Seville?
The Feria and the weekends in May. On those dates equipment is committed well in advance and availability is the limiting factor.
Can I book without knowing the exact number of guests?
Yes, with a range. The final number can be fine-tuned later; what needs to be secured as soon as possible is the date and the type of set-up.
Can I cancel?
It depends on the terms signed and how much notice is given. It is one of the points worth making clear when you book, especially for outdoor events.
Do you take on events at a day's notice?
Sometimes, depending on what is still available. For urgent bookings, the phone works much better than the form.
Is it cheaper to book well in advance?
The price doesn't change by booking earlier, but availability does. Booking early won't save you money: it guarantees the equipment you actually need rather than whatever is left.
Already have a date?
Tell us the date and the venue and we'll confirm availability before someone else books it.
