FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers about how we work, what production includes, how pricing is set and how to start.
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Production partnership
What does First Impact do?
First Impact is a Mexico-based production partner that plans and runs the technical side of events, live broadcasts and hybrid productions. We work for agencies, producers, event planners and corporate teams, and we integrate into their way of working rather than replacing it.
In practice that means audio, video and LED, lighting, cameras, switching, streaming, recording and the crew to operate them, plus the local coordination with venues and suppliers that makes those systems work on the day.
Who do you work with?
We work with agencies that already have a creative concept, independent producers and production companies, event planners, and corporate teams in communications, internal communications, marketing and HR.
Clients are both Mexican and international. Some brief us directly; others bring us in as the local technical team for their own client.
Do you implement an existing creative concept?
Yes. Implementing an approved concept is a core part of what we do. We translate your brief into a technical scope, propose how to achieve it in the venue, and flag practical constraints early.
We plan technical systems and production workflows. We do not take ownership of the creative concept, the content or the show design unless that is explicitly agreed.
Local Production Support for Agencies and International Producers
Can you work under our producer’s direction?
Yes. Your producer or show director calls the show; our crew operates the agreed systems and takes cues from them.
Before the event we agree communication lines, such as intercom positions and who relays calls to the local crew, so instructions reach the right operator without delay.
Can you integrate with our existing production workflow?
Yes. We start from your workflow, including your signal flow, platforms, file formats and schedule, and build the local side to match it.
When a workflow is new to the venue or the team, we test it before show day. For ICON’s global hybrid event we built a two-room simulation in a warehouse to test the producer’s proposed workflow before installing it in the client’s building.
Case study: ICON global hybrid event: the Mexico City hub · Local Production Support for Agencies and International Producers
Is white-label delivery available?
White-label delivery can be agreed per project. That covers how our crew identifies itself on site, what appears on clothing and documents, and how we refer to the project afterwards.
We set this out in writing before the project starts. Some venues and clients require supplier identification for access or safety, which we take into account.
Local Production Support for Agencies and International Producers
How are client contact and branding handled?
When you bring us in for your client, we communicate through you by default and agree in advance whether and when we may speak to the end client directly.
Branding follows the same logic: we agree whether our team appears as First Impact, under your brand or with a neutral identity. These are working agreements per project, recorded in the proposal or contract.
How do you handle confidentiality and portfolio permissions?
We treat project information as confidential and sign a separate confidentiality agreement when you require one.
We only publish a project, photos or a case study with permission. Where a case study names an agency, a producer or an end client, their roles are described as agreed, and our role is stated accurately.
Event AV
What can technical event production include?
Technical event production can include audio, video and LED, lighting, cameras, presentation and video switching, recording, streaming, and the crew to plan, install and operate it all.
A proposal includes only what your event needs. We define the scope from your brief, the venue and your run of show, and we list separately anything that depends on the venue or other suppliers, such as rigging, extra power or staging.
What is the difference between equipment rental and full technical production?
Equipment rental supplies the equipment; full technical production supplies the planning, coordination, crew and live operation that make it work.
Between the two sits equipment with technical operation, where we provide the systems and the technicians to run them while your producer directs. Coordinated technical production adds the site visit, venue advance, signal flow, crew plan and rehearsals under one technical lead. Tell us which you need so proposals can be compared fairly.
Can you coordinate with the venue’s AV team?
Yes. Many hotels and convention centres have an in-house AV provider, and we coordinate with them on access, power, house systems and responsibilities.
Some venues apply their own policies or charges when an external production company works on site. Those terms are set by the venue, so we check them early and include them in the planning rather than discovering them on load-in day.
Can you use equipment supplied by another vendor?
Yes, provided we agree the handover points and confirm compatibility in advance. Typical examples are an LED wall from another supplier, the venue’s house sound, or a client’s own streaming kit.
We document who owns each system, the connection formats between them and who operates what, so there are no gaps or duplicated equipment on the day.
Can you support multiple rooms?
Yes. We plan multi-room events as one technical plan, with independent audio, video and staff for each space and, where needed, a shared program between rooms.
For the Milken Institute Global Investors Symposium the scope covered a plenary hall, two breakout rooms, the foyer and a speaker ready room under one technical direction.
Case study: Milken Institute Global Investors Symposium · Hybrid Events & Multi-Site Production
Can LED, projection, confidence monitors, audio and lighting be included?
Yes, any of these can be part of the scope. We choose between LED and projection based on ambient light, viewing distance, content, space and budget; neither is best for every room.
Confidence monitors are planned around what presenters need to see, such as slides, notes, a timer or the program, because each view may need its own output and should be tested in rehearsal.
Broadcast and hybrid
What is a hybrid event?
A hybrid event combines an in-person audience with remote participants in one program: remote speakers, remote viewers, other locations, or all three.
The technical challenge is making both sides work at once. People in the room must see and hear remote contributors clearly, and remote viewers must receive a clean, directed program rather than a view of the room.
How is professional streaming different from a standard video meeting?
A video meeting transmits a webcam and a microphone; a professional stream transmits a directed program. Production adds cameras, broadcast audio, graphics, presentation control, live switching, monitoring and local recording.
Teams and Zoom are still useful as platforms or as a way to bring in remote speakers. The difference is what you feed into them and who is watching the output.
Live Streaming & Broadcast Production · Microsoft Teams vs Professional Event Broadcasting
Can remote speakers participate?
Yes. We bring remote speakers into the room and the program through Zoom, Teams or a similar platform, with return audio so they can hear the room and follow cues.
Results depend on the speaker’s connection, camera, microphone and lighting, so we recommend a technical check with each remote speaker before the event and keep a fallback for their content, such as a pre-recorded version, when the moment is critical.
Hybrid Events & Multi-Site Production · How to Include Remote Speakers in a Live Conference
Can you connect multiple locations?
Yes. We connect rooms, floors, offices or cities into one program, either by producing each location or by building the local hub inside a wider workflow.
Multi-site work depends on clear rules: which location sends what, who directs, how timing is handled and how teams talk to each other during the show.
Hybrid Events & Multi-Site Production · How to Plan a Multi-Location Corporate Broadcast
Can you integrate with an international broadcast team?
Yes. We act as the local production team inside another producer’s broadcast: they design the architecture and direct the program; we build and run the local hub around their workflow.
For ICON’s global hybrid event, the Irish broadcast producer DV4 designed the global system and directed through its Zoom studio. Castelein AV, the team behind First Impact, built and operated the Mexico City hub and connected it into DV4’s setup.
What determines platform compatibility?
Compatibility depends on what inputs the platform accepts, how the account is configured and who controls it. Some platforms take a standard streaming input (such as RTMP or SRT); meeting platforms like Teams or Zoom work differently and depend on meeting settings and permissions.
Send us the platform name, the account owner and any delivery specifications early. We confirm the connection method, video and audio formats and a test slot before agreeing the final workflow.
What internet connection does a livestream require?
A livestream needs a stable, preferably dedicated, wired upload connection with headroom above the stream’s bitrate. Stability matters more than the headline speed in the venue’s brochure.
The right figure depends on the number of streams, their quality and any remote speakers sharing the line. We test the actual connection at the venue and, when the risk justifies it, plan a second connection.
How Much Internet Bandwidth Does Professional Livestreaming Need?
What happens if connectivity fails?
What happens depends on the protections agreed for your event. With a backup connection or a bonded/cellular link, the stream can switch over; without one, the stream may drop while the local program and recording continue.
We agree the protections and the response plan in advance, including who informs the audience and what the room sees, so the team knows what to do if it happens. No connection can be guaranteed, and the proposal states what is and is not covered.
What is the difference between recording backup and live failover?
A recording backup protects the content; live failover protects the live audience’s viewing. They are different measures.
Recording the program locally (often on two recorders) means the content exists even if the stream drops, so it can be published afterwards. Live failover means the stream itself keeps running, for example through a second connection, a backup encoder or a secondary destination. A proposal should say which of these is included.
Can recordings and replay delivery be included?
Yes. We can record the program and individual cameras and deliver the files after the event in an agreed format and timeframe.
Editing, highlight versions, subtitles and hosting a replay page are separate items that we quote when you need them.
Planning and commercial scope
What information should we include in a brief?
Include the event date (or a range), city and venue, format, audience size in the room and online, the run of show if you have it, and what the production must achieve.
Helpful extras are floor plans, a technical rider, platform details, remote speakers, what is already covered by other suppliers and a budget range. If something is undecided, say so; the proposal will state its assumptions.
How early should we contact you?
Contact us as soon as you have a date and a venue, even if the scope is still open. Early contact gives time for a site visit, equipment availability, venue requirements and testing.
Multi-room, hybrid and multi-site productions need more lead time than a single-room event because they involve more tests and coordination. We can sometimes support shorter timelines; that depends on availability, which we confirm when we receive your brief.
What determines production pricing?
Pricing depends on the systems, crew and time your event needs, not on a fixed package. The main drivers are the number of rooms and locations, screens and cameras, microphones, streaming and remote speakers, crew positions and hours, and logistics.
Connectivity, backup levels, rehearsals and post-event deliverables also affect the budget. Each service page lists its own pricing factors. If you share a budget range, we can propose a scope that fits it and explain the trade-offs.
How are additional requests and scope changes handled?
Scope changes are reviewed and confirmed in writing before they are carried out, together with any effect on cost, crew, schedule or availability.
Events change, and a proposal can be revised as the agenda, venue or content evolves. For SiGMA North America 2026, the technical and commercial proposal was reworked during planning so the essential production stayed within the approved budget.
Are site visits and rehearsals included?
Site visits and rehearsals are included when they are part of the agreed scope, and the proposal states how many and when.
For most productions we recommend at least one technical rehearsal with the actual presentations and speakers. Complex hybrid workflows may justify additional tests or a simulation before show day.
Can international companies contract your services?
Yes. International agencies, producers and companies contract us for productions in Mexico.
The contracting and invoicing arrangements, including which entity invoices, currency, taxes and payment terms, are confirmed in each proposal, because they depend on the client’s location and the project structure.
How are invoicing, currency, taxes, deposits and payment terms confirmed?
They are set out in writing in each proposal or contract before the project is confirmed.
Terms vary with the client’s country, the size and timing of the project and the equipment involved, so we do not publish a single standard here. Tell us your invoicing requirements, such as purchase orders, supplier registration or the currency you need, in your brief.
Who coordinates the agreed production scope?
A named First Impact technical lead coordinates the agreed scope and is your main contact for it before and during the event.
On site, that person connects your producer with our crew, the venue and other local suppliers. Decisions about creative direction and the run of show stay with your producer.
Coverage and communication
Where in Mexico do you work?
We work throughout Mexico. Most productions take place in Mexico City and Central Mexico, including Querétaro, and we also travel for productions elsewhere in the country.
For projects outside the Mexico City area, logistics, travel and crew accommodation are planned and quoted for the specific location.
Do you support events outside Mexico City?
Yes. ITP Aero’s All Hands at its plant in Querétaro is an example: the production ran under the plant’s aeronautical safety protocols.
Availability, travel time and transport of equipment are confirmed for each location when we review your brief.
Can planning take place in English and Spanish?
Yes. Planning, documents and calls can be in English or Spanish, and on site our crew works in Spanish while reporting to your team in English when needed.
Mixed-language programs, such as a Spanish-speaking audience with English-speaking presenters, can include simultaneous interpretation when it is part of the scope.
Which other languages are available?
English and Spanish are our working languages for every project.
Some members of the team speak other languages; if your team would prefer to plan in another language, mention it in your brief and we will tell you whether it is possible for your project.
Can you coordinate with teams in other time zones?
Yes. We regularly plan with teams in Europe and North America. We agree call times, a shared schedule and response expectations at the start of the project.
For live productions directed from another country, rehearsals and show calls are scheduled in both time zones so everyone works from the same timetable.
Local Production Support for Agencies and International Producers
Which locations are offices, and which are service coverage areas?
First Impact is based in Mexico, and the Castelein AV team and infrastructure behind it operate from Mexico City and Querétaro.
Other cities where we produce events are service areas, not offices. We travel there with our crew and equipment for the project.
Digital services
Can you create an event website or landing page?
Yes. We build event websites and landing pages as a supporting service: event information, agenda, speakers, a livestream viewing page and a replay page.
Pages are built with your branding and approved content, and scoped together with the production so links and times match the live event.
Can the website integrate an existing registration platform?
Yes. We link to or embed the registration platform you already use, subject to what that platform allows.
The registration, ticketing, payment and attendee data stay with that third-party platform. Building the website is a separate service from providing those systems.
Can it host or embed a livestream?
The site embeds the livestream from your streaming platform; the platform does the actual video hosting and delivery to viewers.
We test the embed before the event and can add a holding message for viewers if the stream is interrupted. Private or restricted streams depend on the platform’s access options.
Event Websites & Landing Pages · Live Streaming & Broadcast Production
Can attendees access recordings afterward?
Yes, if recordings are part of the scope. We can add them to a replay page on the event website, publicly or with the access controls your video platform offers.
Who may see the recordings, and for how long, is your decision; tell us so the page and platform settings match.
What digital support is available after the event?
After the event we can deliver recordings, add a replay page to the event website and keep the site online for an agreed period.
Further work to extend the value of event content, such as edited versions or campaign pages, is scoped and quoted separately on request.
Company
What is the relationship between First Impact and Castelein AV?
First Impact is the production partner brand created by the team behind Castelein AV, and it is backed by Castelein AV’s technical team, experience and production infrastructure.
Castelein AV continues as an audiovisual production company in Mexico. Some case studies on this site were delivered under the Castelein AV name, and we say so on each of them.
What experience does the team bring?
The team brings more than two decades of audiovisual and live-event production in Mexico through Castelein AV, founded by Aymeric Castelein, combined with Eric Zwanenburg’s background in live production, broadcasting and business development.
That experience covers conferences, corporate events, broadcasts and hybrid productions for Mexican and international clients. Our case studies show the detail of specific projects.
How do we start working together?
Send us your brief through the form on this site with what you know so far; unknowns are fine.
We review it, come back with questions or a call if needed, and then prepare a written scope and proposal. Nothing is booked until the scope and terms are confirmed in writing.
Send us your brief
Tell us what you’re planning.
Share what you know so far: dates, city, venue, audience and what the production has to do. Unknowns are fine. We reply with questions or a scope-based proposal.