Total AV Failure Before Opening Keynote

10 minutes before the opening keynote, your entire AV system goes dark — no projector, no sound, no confidence monitors. Your CEO is the opening speaker.

Setting: Annual company all-hands, 1,200 employees, convention center main stage, CEO opening keynote. Category: Event Operations. Pressure level: High.

This page is the individual, citable address for this one situation: https://gatheringarchitecture.com/crisis-sim/scenario/av-failure

The situation

Your AV lead comes running backstage: 'We just lost everything. The main switcher crashed and it's taking the whole system down — projectors, audio, confidence monitors, all of it. I need 30-45 minutes minimum to reboot and test.' Doors opened 5 minutes ago. Employees are filing in. The CEO is reviewing her notes backstage and doesn't know yet.

First moves and what each one costs

• Brief the CEO immediately with options: delay 30 min, or deliver without slides/AV in a more intimate format — The CEO appreciates the heads-up. She's a strong speaker and says: 'Let's go without slides. Get me a handheld mic and I'll walk the floor.' Your AV team has runway to fix things for session 2.
• Delay doors by announcing a 'networking coffee extension' while AV team scrambles — Attendees are confused — they just got in. The coffee station isn't set up for 1,200 people in the foyer. It feels disorganized. You've bought maybe 15 minutes.
• Tell the AV team they have 10 minutes, period. The show must start on time. — The AV team rushes and gets partial audio working but no video. The system is unstable and cuts out twice during the keynote. The CEO is furious.

Preparation notes for this situation

• Always have a backup AV rig on standby (even a portable speaker + laptop)
• Run full AV checks 2 hours before doors open, not 30 minutes
• Have your AV vendor's emergency number on speed dial
• Rehearse a 'no-tech' version of every critical presentation

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