This is one of the first questions every event planner asks, and most websites dodge it. We won't. Below is a straightforward look at what event AV rental costs in the Chicagoland area in 2026 — sound, video screens, projection, and the labor that goes with it — plus the factors that move the price up or down.
NoorTech AV is a small, local Chicagoland team. We come to your venue, set up your sound and video, stay to run it, and pack out when the event ends. Every quote we send is fixed-price. No surprise add-ons after the fact.
A quick answer
Rough 2026 numbers, turnkey (gear + delivery + setup + on-site help + pack-out):
- Small event sound (under 75 guests): $300 – $700
- Standard wedding / mid-size event (100–250 guests, sound + mics + maybe a projector): $1,200 – $3,000
- Larger event (300+ guests, sound + video screens or projection, longer event day): $3,500 – $8,000
- Multi-room or multi-day setups: depends entirely on scope — we quote these case by case
What actually drives the price
Guest count and room size
A 50-person ceremony in a chapel and a 250-person reception in a ballroom need different sound systems. More guests means more speakers, more coverage, and more careful placement so everyone can hear without the front rows getting blasted. Room size matters even more than guest count — a smaller crowd in a giant room needs more gear than the headcount alone would suggest.
How long we're on site
A four-hour event and a twelve-hour event have very different labor numbers. Most weddings end up being a 10-hour day for us (load-in around noon, ceremony around 4-5pm, reception ending by midnight, pack-out done by 1am). Corporate events vary — a half-day meeting is a lot lighter than a multi-day conference.
What you actually need
Sound only, or sound plus a projector, or sound plus a video screen, or some combination? The more equipment, the more setup and breakdown time, and the more cabling and power to manage. We always recommend the smallest setup that does the job — bigger isn't better.
The venue
Some venues are easy: loading dock right next to the ballroom, clear power circuits, helpful in-house staff. Others are harder: third-floor walkups, no freight elevator, parking restrictions, union labor requirements. We factor that in when we quote.
Delivery distance
We're based in Chicagoland's western suburbs. Events in Naperville, Wheaton, Oak Brook, Lisle, or Glen Ellyn don't add much. Events in downtown Chicago or on the far north shore typically add a modest delivery line. We tell you upfront.
What's included in our quote
Every NoorTech AV quote covers, in one number:
- The gear (speakers, mics, mixer, screens, projector — whatever your event needs)
- Delivery to the venue
- Setup before the event starts
- Sound check / signal check before guests arrive
- Someone from NoorTech on-site for the duration to manage the system
- Pack-out and load-out at the end of the night
No separate setup fees, no cable rentals, no "labor overage" lines. If the event runs longer than planned, we don't pull out the meter — we just stay until the job is done.
The hidden costs to watch for (with other vendors)
Things we see on other vendors' quotes that catch clients off guard:
- "Drop-and-go" pricing that doesn't include anyone on-site to run the gear. Looks cheap until your wireless mic dies during the toast.
- Hourly labor fees on top of equipment rental, often metered per-tech. A 10-hour event with two techs can add $1,000+ in labor charges that weren't obvious at quote time.
- Cable, stand, and adapter rentals listed separately. Real AV companies include cables in the rental.
- Hotel in-house AV markups. Many Chicago hotels and conference centers contract with national in-house vendors who charge significantly more than independent local AV teams. Outside AV is usually allowed if you carry the right insurance — which we do.
- Setup / strike fees on top of the rental rate. Especially common with rental-only shops who don't run events themselves.
How to get an accurate quote
The more we know, the better the quote. When you reach out, share:
- Event date
- Venue (name and city)
- Approximate guest count
- What you think you need — sound, screen, projection, or "not sure, help us figure it out"
- Run-of-show, even a rough one (start time, key moments, end time)
- Anything unusual — outdoor portions, multiple rooms, presenters who need mics, slideshows, ceremonies in a different space than the reception
You don't need to have all the answers. If you're still planning, we can help you figure out what you need — it's part of the conversation.
Why book with NoorTech
We're small, which means you talk to the same person from the first email through the load-out. We carry the insurance Chicagoland venues require. We bring backups for the things that fail most often (wireless mics, batteries, cables). And we stay through the event — we don't drop the gear off and disappear.
If you've got a date, a venue, and a rough idea of what you need, we can usually get a fixed-price quote back to you within one business day.