The chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re already aware that you need to hire some equipment for your event. So what now?
Well, you need to decide between ‘dry hire’ and ‘wet hire’. You will need a solution that best meets your budget and resource needs. This article discusses the difference between wet and dry hire and guides you through which one suits your next corporate event, awards show, festival, or exhibition.
What is dry hire?
Dry hire refers to renting equipment by itself. No further services are provided. Set-up, operation, break down, and return are all your responsibility to organise, undertake, and oversee.
When a product is sent out for dry hire, our warehouse technicians prepare it to our usual high standard. It is ready for you to collect from our warehouse at a time and date that suits you.
Our friendly team will do their best to troubleshoot remotely if you need assistance. However, with dry hire we don’t attend to support in person. You can also find some guidance in our other blog articles, such as How to set up a stage sound system.
An example of dry hire would be a venue, band or church hiring a PA system for their own event. The company handles everything from transportation to teardown. They most likely have technical expertise in-house or an established relationship with freelance technicians.
Advantages of dry hire
There are plenty of good reasons why dry hire is a common choice, especially for small events with simple set-ups.
The top four reasons we find for choosing dry hire over wet hire are:
- Reduced cost – no staffing is required, so we charge for the equipment only
- Autonomy – you as the event organiser are in full control
- Support already secured – if your venue hire comes with technical expertise, or you have capacity in-house, wet hire is unnecessary
- Lead time – it may be quicker or easier to rent equipment without set-up expertise because there is no need to coordinate availability
When to choose dry hire of AV equipment
If you have the expertise, time, and capacity to undertake the following tasks, dry hire is the right choice for you:
- Collection and transport to and from our warehouse
- Equipment set up and testing
- Operating devices throughout the function
- Troubleshooting if something isn’t configured correctly
- Securing the hardware to keep it safe if left overnight or unattended
- Break down of the equipment following the event
Ultimately, choose dry hire if you have technical know-how and a lower budget. There is the option of choosing dry hire with delivery from Stage Connections if you do not have your own transport. If any of the above might provide a challenge to your event team, consider wet hire.
What is wet hire for event equipment?
Wet hire refers to renting equipment along with everything needed for it to work. In our case, this includes one or more of our technicians. They handle everything from preparing and transporting the hardware, to setting it up and operating it throughout the event, followed by breaking down the kit afterwards and taking it back to the warehouse. If you don’t need us to stick around to operate the equipment, we can provide advice via phone.
An example of wet hire would be a start-up hiring a variety of devices for a launch event that is going to be streamed and attended live. They rent the kit along with all the help they need to ensure the launch goes as smoothly as possible.
And don’t worry – we promise not to turn up with kit that’s actually wet! There are a few theories as to where the phrase ‘wet hire’ came from. We reckon its origins lie in vehicle and construction equipment hire. Ready-to-use large machinery usually requires wet fuel like diesel.
Advantages of wet hire
There are some obvious advantages to renting equipment ‘wet’, and some less obvious:
- Less stress – no one is left to figure out which cables go where
- Reduced workload – events can be intense; having experienced personnel on hand means your team can focus on their tasks
- Troubleshooting – our technicians are a dab hand at spotting and fixing any issues before they cause a problem
- Professional quality – we know how to get the most out of the kit, whether it’s high-end recording cameras or lighting
Why wet hire might be a good choice for your live event
If any of the below rings a bell, then wet hire is probably the right choice for your next event:
- The equipment setup is complex so requires configuring and testing
- You don’t have a technical team
- An extra pair of hands to transport, set up, operate, and dismantle would be useful
- There isn’t much time between site arrival and the event beginning, so efficiency is key
- The event is of a large scale (e.g. a festival) or requires compliance with safety policies
If you are planning a particularly exceptional or sophisticated event, Stage Connections goes a step further than wet hire. We provide support and production services including venue visits, branding help, project management, and even CAD to bring a concept to life with set design, table layouts, and staging.
What else to consider when hiring audiovisual equipment for your next event
A few final tips from us about equipment rental, whether you choose dry hire or wet hire.
Firstly, don’t forget all the extras you might need. The smaller items such as cabling often get forgotten in the excitement of hiring the big technical kit! However, they’re just as important.
Secondly, consider the schedule of the event. The further ahead you think, the less stressful the event and its lead-up will be. If you have multiple people involved it might be worth creating each of them a timetable (especially if the function spreads across different days). This means everyone can stay fed, watered, rested, and focused on the task at hand.
Finally, never feel ashamed about asking for guidance. Whether your event is only a vague idea, or you’re a few days away and only just realised you desperately need an essential piece of kit, we are here to help. Get in contact for a friendly conversation.
