Events from Hell - Technologically Challenged! "After a brilliant opening dinner (and, truth be told, perhaps a few too many glasses of Merlot!) I arrived for the first session. Registration wasn’t too bad, not too many queues, but beyond that point, I found myself getting more and more irritated – after all, I'd paid good money to go to that event!" "The meeting room was stifling hot, and no amount of asking seemed to ever get that room to the right temperature . . . you can imagine, quite a few of us were trying hard not to doze off. And, the venue hadn't put enough mineral water out, so I was gasping by coffee break". "Just before lunch (which I have to say was rather good!) there was a right mix-up with the last presentation . . . someone seemed to have got things muddled up, and the poor presenter was left standing there for what seemed like ages before they finally found the right presentation AND his video couldn't be shown – most disappointing!" "There was a fair bit of technical detail in the slides that didn’t seem to show on my handouts . . . if someone had checked, it would have saved me a lot of scribble . . . I couldn't really concentrate fully on the speaker at certain points. That guy from Birmingham was also very softly spoken, I could barely hear him for most of this presentation, what a shame - he was particularly interesting . . . that was the real low point of the day for me ….I didn't like to speak up just in case it was only me that couldn't hear!" "It was obvious that the MC wasn't too sure about the order of things . . . and when the fire alarm went off mid-morning, nobody seemed quite sure what to do!" There are dozens of considerations when it comes down to a good well-run meeting session, here are just a few . . . 1. Check with your presenters exactly what equipment they need, and what their presentations will include (integral video clips within PowerPoint for example!) 2. What people hear and what they see are the foremost reasons they are there – ensure that you have back up microphones in place, for example tie-clip and fixed lectern mics – for those speakers who like to wander, for example! 3. Check the temperature of the room well in advance, speak to your venue to get advice about how temperature is controlled, and how much time might be needed for their systems to effect any change you need! 4. Agree in advance who is going to "host" your event, ensure that they know what's expected of them, and that you have given them all the information they might need about the venue such as emergency procedures, how the fire alarms work, when and how to evacuate, and also make sure that any relevant announcements to delegates are prepared ahead and clearly written down. 5. Even for the simplest of meetings, arrange a time with your audio visual provider to hand over presentations, do a talk-through with them on the presentation order, ensuring that they have understood the order of play, and that title/break slides are preset for a seamless transition from one presenter to the next. 6. Press for a slide review or presentation rehearsal – even if time is limited; at the very least, give each speaker an opportunity to familiarise with the set up, and ensure there is water and clean glasses available to each speaker – we like to pour a glass at the start, so that if nervous, they won’t need to anxiously open and pour one themselves! 7. If you are issuing handouts, check that your presentations appear on the screen as they do on paper….adjust formatting if required 8. Make sure you have either a) organised equipment back up or b) understand the implications if you don’t, such as how far away are the nearest supplies should the projector fail; nominate someone to be available to monitor how the session is going and to “trouble shoot” if there are difficulties. If these tips have been of help and you would like to discuss things further please call Fraser on 0131 624 6040 or email enquiries@integrity-events.com