If you are looking for walkie-talkies for concerts, live music, sports, conventions, weddings, festivals or other live events, here are five common things our Day Wireless Systems (DWS) rental experts recommend looking out for when pricing and planning.
As the 2023 live events season approaches, and seems to be trying to make up for lost time from the pandemic, event organizers will be needing two-way radio communications for essential events teams including security, hospitality, medical, stage, operations, and production. Setting up a venue for short or long term communications is critical, and you need your radios to work as expected and allow all teams to easily connect. Focusing on these key issues will help ensure your events run smoothly.
Will Your Radio System Cover Your Entire Venue and Area of Operations?
Many facilities have complex needs, such as large coverage areas, radio-blocking building materials, and uneven topography. Ideally, your communications provider can analyze a map of the venue and provide recommendations for equipment, including any necessary repeaters and their positioning, to ensure the entire operational area is covered without any dead spots. 
DWS engineers will pre-program a system customized for your building and terrain, and will provide step-by-step instructions for easy setup. Our service techs are on hand to troubleshoot and resolve any issues, or potentially visit the site, if needed.
Will the System Work Correctly?
Possibly the most aggravating experience is receiving communications equipment that is malfunctioning or broken. In addition to creating a customized system for your specific needs, DWS techs test all equipment before sending to your location to ensure it is working correctly, and pre-program the configuration for your needs, including team communications channels. They are also available to provide support throughout the setup and rental contract period.
Your DWS representative will also provide checklists to use throughout the rental period to help you stay on top of equipment inventory and functionality, helping reduce downtime at events.
“Talking” Accessories: Getting the Most Effective Peripherals
Events are noisy, and to ensure communications are heard—or kept private—you will need radio handset accessories. We provide:
- Radio Surveillance Kits (“Secret Service earpieces”)
- Remote speaker microphones (wrist, palm, shoulder, or lapel)
- Lightweight headsets (over-the-head headset)
- Heavy duty headsets (noise attenuation units that cover ears)
- Virtually any audio accessory needed to ensure communications are received by the right people at the right time for your event
During the planning or quote process, DWS will provide recommendations for audio accessories, and can consult for any questions or anticipated problems.
Can My Teams Connect?
Your events may include a variety of teams who need to communicate with each other, including event sound, hospitality, security, staging crew, emergency response, ticketing, and others. Some groups, like security or operations, will need an “All Call” channel to broadcast emergency messages to all radio users, such as “gates are open,” or “clear the venue.” Your system can be programmed so only a handful can initiate an All Call, but everyone can receive the messages.
Many radio operators will need to switch between teams to relay communications. For best results, DWS can ship radios with team channel names pre-programmed on a lighted display for easiest use. We can also provide lanyard alias lists for quick reference.
Finally, DWS can consult with any vendor or contractor who needs to communicate at your event to make sure their communication system is set up to send or receive messages to your events teams as needed. We can also provide them with rental equipment that is pre-programmed to work with your system.
Will I Get the Support I Need?
Truly, there are thousands of details and hassles in event planning, and your communications vendor should be able to take as many of them off your plate as possible. From planning to programming, sending out the right system for your needs, ongoing setup and technical support, and step by step project management, Day Wireless stands by our customer service and support. You will have one point of contact available throughout the entire process with years of experience who will ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
To help prevent surprises during and after the rental period, you will receive inventory checklists to keep on top of equipment location and functionality, with the opportunity to exchange broken gear in a timely fashion. Gear reports help identify potential billing issues and provide a reconciliation period to locate missing equipment.
We want you to have a super rental experience with us because our customers return to us again and again. As a Motorola Platinum Channel Partner with more than 30 service centers throughout the West, Events Rentals experts across the country, and the ability to ship and support equipment just about anywhere, we would love to make you a satisfied customer. Contact us to get things rolling.