The AV Drop Solution
One cost-effective alternative to pipe and drape is AV Drop by Drape Kings. This design-conscious, reusable system can be set up quickly by combining a small number of pieces and parts. Velcro fabric skins attach to a modular framework to create a flat surface.
AV Drop has long been used in Europe, and this stage backdrop system is finally being adopted in the United States at the corporate and association level because it:
- Offers a modular, compact design
- Simplifies setup, transportation, and storage
- Provides a clean, sleek appearance
- Saves money, materials, time, and space
Last year, CEAVCO Audio Visual made a major investment in AV Drop, which we’ve implemented at more than 20 shows. Here, we’ll share valuable ideas about how you can use AV Drop at your next show.
Modular, Modern Stage Solution
Traditional pipe and drape uses the pliability of fabric to be as tall or wide as you need it to be. AV Drop, on the other hand, extends the design elements beyond the video screen, giving you a much cleaner, non-drape option for finishing the room.
AV Drop’s modular framework can be customized to meet varying height and width requirements. As one example, Denver Gold Group hosts an annual conference attended by financial stakeholders in the gold commodities market. AV Drop with custom print surrounds the presentation screen, reaching heights not easily accommodated with conventional scenic options. Low-cost, stock gray panels complete the look, providing accent colors that tie together the screen surround, projected graphics, and printed pieces.
Signage and Step-and-Repeat Walls
AV Drop provides a cleaner, more structured way to display background banners, messaging, and graphics. For example, we’ve used AV Drop for large-scale Step and Repeat installations. The stretched, taut backdrop is printed with a repeating pattern so branding is visible in photographs of the people in front of it. Attendees love sharing these photos on social media, essentially promoting events for you.
We did a series of projects with AP Live, a production company that needed a step-and-repeat solution for client shows at multiple locations. We shipped the same equipment with new fabric skins to each location, and a crew was able to build out AV Drop easily from city to city.
Time-Saving Approach to Custom Scenic
Designing, drafting, measuring, laying out, cutting, assembling, and painting sets and backdrops can be a time-intensive process that begins early in the event planning stages. With AV Drop, you can forego those preliminary steps, completing the space design in CAD and building the set onsite.
For example, for Leprino Foods and Colorado DECA, we were able to visualize event layout and design details in advance and lock down design details close to the show date without lots of preliminary scrambling, allowing the entire team to move faster with shorter lead times.
The Takeaway
AV Drop offers a more cohesive, contemporary look and feel than traditional pipe and drape while also saving money, materials, time, and space. This compact, sustainably reusable solution offers value that traditional sets and backdrops simply can’t provide. Best of all, because it’s cost-effective and easy to implement, planners can start using AV Drop right away.