[eropple]

This is a sentiment that reads well but isn’t really true. Listening to bad audio is very fatiguing for people and it asks much more of them than good audio does, if you desire their attention.

Video doesn’t matter as much. It’s very nice to have but you can get by with poor video. People can mentally fill in the blanks. But audio is not negotiable; audio quality is directly representative of your respect for your audience.

[realstacktrace]

Totally agree, audio quality is super important. I'm an audio engineer so of course I'm biased, but high quality microphones, amplifiers, speakers and engineers (operators) make such a big difference at any event. Proper lighting is also very important. There's no need for big bright lights. Dim all of the lights down, and add a touch of color with room uplights. Make sure it's not so dark that folks can't see the ground well (tripping hazards) but make sure it's dim enough so that it creates a relaxed atmosphere.