Here’s a few more tips when planning the AV for your next conference, seminar or event.

Screen Size vs Room Dimensions

What size screen should you use?  Often people will think that ‘biggest is best’, but this isn’t always the case.  I have seen many venue’s that have installed the biggest screen they could fit, without considering that the bottom of the screen is at knee-height to the presenter!  Not only does this mean that they are talking and walking through the projected image, it also means that the front row of people will block the rest of the audience from seeing the bottom of the image!  And what happens if you want to put a stage in front of it?

Consider the dimensions of the room, including the height, before insisting on the the biggest screen.  Sometimes a smaller screen and some support monitors towards the back third of the room will give your audience a better result.

Allow Time for Rehearsal

Even if you have given the same presentation a thousand times, its worth taking the time to check the room and familiarise yourself with the setup.  Every room is going to be a little different, and the lectern, computer and even the remote presentation clicker will probably be different.  A few minutes reviewing the setup with your AV technician will help set your mind at ease and give you the chance to focus on your content, not the technology.

Setup and Pack Down Time

Sometimes a venue will take your booking without explaining the ‘fine print’.  If your event starts at 9am they may only allow access from 8.30!  You should check if the venue has a booking the night before or something starting immediately after your event.  Even if you do you check the availability before and after your event when you book, remember that venues will take any booking they can without letting you know – right up to the last minute.  Consider this – getting your AV team in from midnight to dawn the morning of your event could potentially outweigh the cost of booking the room for a few hours the evening before.  Talk to your AV provider, and let them help you negotiate with the venue to help keep your costs down and ensure a smoothly run event.

Having a Technician Onsite

Even small events can involve complicated technology, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!  Having a skilled technician there with you, regardless of the size of the event, ensures there is someone to help manage the technology, handle the presenters and their content and set your mind at ease, letting you focus on your delegates, your clients and the rest of the show.

Managing Presentation Content

Microsoft Powerpoint has come a long way in the last few years, but it still needs a skilled operator to help ‘tweak’ the slide deck.  A good operator will test and configure embedded video’s and sound effects to ensure simple, easy operation of your presentation when you are standing at the lectern.  And now there are a lot of other presentation tools out there like Prezi and Apple Keynote that require additional skills to seamlessly and smoothly integrate into the overall event.

For larger events you should have a “Speaker Preparation Area” with a devoted technician to discuss the content with each presenter and to tweak and manage the content.

Its still important to review content for smaller events, so you should try and meet the AV technician at least 30 minutes prior to the START of your session (not just your personal presentation!) so they can help you to load and test your content.

To see how we can help ensure the smooth running of your next event or conference, feel free to contact us here or call any of our team on 1300 852 552