Sound and lighting hire in Marseille: how much does it cost?

How much does sound and lighting equipment hire cost?

Here is our daily hire price list, with equipment installed and set up. It also gives you a useful benchmark for reading quotes from other hire companies, or a venue’s technical package.

What equipment do you really need?

The right set-up depends less on the number of guests than on the type of moment. A plenary for 200 people mainly needs speech everyone can understand. A dance party for 80 people needs bass and lighting. A few typical set-ups:

A meeting or seminar for 30 to 80 people

Two speakers, one or two wireless microphones, a video projector and a screen. Many seminar venues in Marseille already have this equipment: ask for the technical specification before hiring anything. If the room is well equipped, a technician for the initial set-up is enough.

A conference or plenary for 150 people or more

Speakers spread around the room so that the back row hears as well as the front, several wireless microphones, a large screen visible from every seat and a technician at the control desk for the whole session. This is not the place to cut costs: an inaudible speaker loses the room within minutes. Our article on sound for a conference covers the points to watch.

A dance party

Speakers and a subwoofer, a dance floor lighting pack and a haze machine so the beams can be seen. If you have booked a DJ, check what they bring: our DJ Ambiance at €399 includes two speakers for 150 people, and DJ Prestige at €599 includes sound and lighting.

An outdoor reception

A Provençal bastide garden, a terrace facing the sea or an estate in Provence calls for suitable equipment: battery-powered lights to illuminate trees or a façade without running cables, a gazebo to shelter the control desk, and close attention to evening humidity.

Dry hire or with a technician: what is the price difference?

Dry hire, where you collect the equipment and set it up yourself, looks cheaper on paper. But it assumes someone on your team knows how to connect everything, set the levels, avoid feedback and react if a microphone fails during the CEO’s speech. For a corporate event, it rarely adds up.

For a typical evening, the technician sets up in the afternoon, runs the sound check, stays for the speeches and can then hand over to the DJ. For a plenary, they stay at the control desk from start to finish.

Which constraints should you check with the venue?

• The sound limiter: many city venues have a limiter that cuts the power above a certain volume. You need to know this before choosing the power of the system.
• The electrical supply: a full lighting pack and a party sound system cannot run from a single wall socket.
• Access times: setting up takes time, sometimes several hours. Check when the venue opens for set-up and the deadline for take-down.
• Stage effects: smoke and cold sparks can trigger fire detection. The venue must give its approval.
• The neighbours: by the sea or in the city centre, amplified music outdoors often has to stop earlier than indoors.

What extra costs come on top of the hire price?

On a technical hire quote, look beyond the equipment list: transport, set-up and take-down, technician time, and any booking fee. With us, travel is included within Marseille, then charged at €1 per kilometre for the round trip, and the booking fee is €50 per event to cover insurance and permits. Also ask what happens if something breaks down: a reliable supplier brings a spare microphone and cable.

Should you hire your own equipment or use the venue’s package?

Many Marseille venues offer an in-house technical package, sometimes compulsory. It has one advantage: the equipment is already installed and the staff know it. But it is often designed for the most common set-up, a meeting or a dinner, not for a dance party or a demanding plenary. Ask for the exact list of equipment included and check whether an outside supplier can add to the installation. A DJ or technician arriving with their own equipment must be able to plug into the venue’s sound system or replace it.