Protocol and institutions
Sound for official events and pregones
Pregones (formal festival proclamation speeches), inaugurations, tributes and protocol events. Clear speech, a discreet set-up and timings kept to the minute, which is exactly what an official event expects.
- Events
- Pregones, inaugurations, tributes and award ceremonies
- Key
- Speech intelligibility and a discreet set-up
- Paperwork
- Quotes and invoices for public bodies and organisations
- Area
- Seville city and province
What an official event demands
You can tell it's well set up because you don't notice it
At an official event, the sound should never draw attention to itself. Nobody should see a cable, nobody should hear feedback, and everyone should understand what is being said from the very first minute.
The lectern rules
Almost everything happens at the lectern: the host, the dignitaries who speak and whoever delivers the pregón. A well-chosen lectern microphone rejects side noise and copes with each speaker standing at a different distance. We set it up beforehand with whoever is going to speak and leave it fixed; during an event there's no time to correct things mid-speech. A spare handheld channel is always ready.
Protocol, distances and running order
The position of the control desk, the route the dignitaries take and where the speakers go are all agreed with whoever is running protocol. Nothing may block the top table or get in the way of the official photo. Cables are taped down and covered, and the tripods go as far back as possible without losing coverage.
Anthems, minutes of silence and music
Many events include an anthem, an entrance piece or a moment of reflection. It is triggered from the control desk, at a measured level and with the silence cleanly cut. If there is a live band or choir, they are miked separately and mixed with the lectern voice.
Inaugurations and outdoor events
Inaugurations happen standing up, in a warehouse, a square or a building site. There are no chairs, people move around and background noise is high. What works there is a distributed system close to the audience, with the PA system aimed at where people gather, rather than one big rig at the back. If the event is outdoors with no power supply, we use battery-powered stand-alone equipment.
How we set it up
Setting up an official event, step by step
Script and protocol
We ask for the running order: who speaks, in what order, how long each speech lasts and what music comes in. The set-up is planned from that.
Site visit or floor plan
Where the audience sits, where the top table goes, where the press stand and how the dignitaries come in.
Set-up well in advance
Everything is set up and tested before the first guest arrives. At official events we never run cables with people in the room.
Sound check with the speakers
With whoever is going to speak, where possible. Every voice needs its own adjustment, and a thirty-second check avoids the whole problem.
Event
A technician on the desk, with channels open only when needed and the spare microphone switched on and muted.
Discreet take-down
We don't start dismantling while dignitaries or press are still in the room. We wait and pack up afterwards.
Booking
Town halls, government delegations, brotherhoods (hermandades) and professional associations
We work with organisations that need a clear quote and a correct invoice. We can itemise the quote (sound, PA system, lectern, technician, transport) so it fits your procurement file, and we issue the invoice with all the organisation's tax details.
When the event takes place on a public street, some paperwork falls to the organiser: use of public space, road closures and permitted hours. We go through it in permits for events on public streets. If the event is broadcast or recorded, we provide a clean feed from the desk for the media and for streaming.
Equipment that usually goes into this kind of set-up:
Typical equipment for official events
Related events
If the event is part of something bigger
A festival pregón is usually followed by a verbena (street party). A company awards ceremony is closer to a corporate event, and a day with several panels is more like a conference.
Send us the event running order
With the order of speakers, the venue and the time, we'll plan the set-up and send you an itemised quote.
Frequently asked questions
Questions from organisations and press offices
Can you set up in a square or on the street with no power?
Yes. For a one-hour event with speech and some music, a battery-powered stand-alone system does the job with no generator noise, which is exactly what you don't want at an official event. For bigger set-ups, we bring a silent generator.
Do you supply a lectern?
We can fit the microphone system to the organisation's own lectern or, if there isn't one, suggest a solution. What matters is testing the microphone on the actual lectern, because every surface reflects sound differently.
Do you provide an audio feed for the media?
Yes. We install a press distribution box with independent outputs so radio and TV can take audio directly from the system, without piling microphones in front of the speaker.
How much notice do you need?
The sooner the better, especially if the event falls on high-demand dates. For a simple set-up a few days is enough; if there's a stage, screen or broadcast, it's best to confirm weeks ahead.
Can the set-up be kept out of the photos?
It can be kept to a minimum: speakers set back and lined up, cables covered, the desk out of shot and tripods at the lowest height needed. Completely invisible doesn't exist, but discreet certainly does.
Do you invoice town halls and brotherhoods?
Yes, with the organisation's tax details and whatever breakdown the procurement file requires.
Quote
Get a quote for your event
Type of event, venue, date and time, number of speakers and expected attendance.
How it looks
Set-ups for this type of event
Examples of the equipment and set-up an event like yours usually needs.
