My church is a member of a national organization comprised of around 60 congregations. Every year, the organization holds a convention with business meetings and worship services. Each year the convention, attended by around 2,000 people, is hosted by different congregations in different locations across the country.
Sound, lighting, and multimedia systems are needed for worship services, business meetings, and youth gatherings.
Some congregations have people with good technical ability, others not so much. The conventions are usually hosted at a school or college. Sometimes, the facility's equipment is used, other times equipment is rented. In all cases, it seems like the hosting congregation has to "reinvent the wheel" -- that is, they make guesses about what they need for sound, lighting, and multimedia.
My local congregation hosted the convention last year. In order to help future congregations plan for audio-visual needs, I wrote up an after-action report detailing what was done, what staffing levels were needed, and the challenges we faced. I did not include any specifications for equipment required, since there are variable factors in the size and acoustics of the venue, and local availability of equipment. I wrote this with the intent of helping others understand the needs; it is up to them to specify the equipment that will meet those needs.
I thought you might find it useful for planning your own event or writing an A/V manual. You're welcome to read it, I've linked it below. Keep in mind that our worship services are very traditional, comprised mainly of the spoken word and with congregational hymns accompanied by organ and vocalists (songleaders).
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Convention Technology Report (PDF)
