Your meeting venue is perfect and the event is sold-out. It is days before the conference goes live and you want everything to go absolutely perfect. To help in the final days of planning, follow the last minute checklist below to make certain it all goes well from the PowerPoint presentations to the Wi-Fi connectivity! And don’t forget to test the event rental equipment (your supplier should provide spare equipment).
Countdown to Event Success
7 Days Before
Obtain all Presenter Presentations
When received, you want to check for the following:
- Typos and grammatical errors
- Working hyperlinks
- Whether or not video or audio files are in the presentation and the Internet connection speed at the venue is fast enough to avoid buffering
- The number of slides – make sure it isn’t too many for the time allotted
- The event logo and speaker’s Twitter handle are on each slide
In addition, once everything is checked, you can send the presentations over to the audiovisual company to load the presentations onto the laptop rental in the order of each presentation, thus saving valuable onsite time.
1 Day Before
Set- up the Meeting Room the Way You Want it
Give the AV Company as much time as possible to complete the set-up, so everything is in place and ready to go the day of the conference. Make sure all loose cables and electrical cords are securely taped down.
In addition, confirm the seating and registration area is exactly the way you want it. Now is the time to make changes, when the venue staff has the resources and time to put everything into its proper place.
3 Hours Before
Bring up the busiest slide and make certain everyone can read it
Nothing can turn off attendees faster than a presentation they cannot read. If you can’t read it from the hinterland of the meeting room, hide the slide or ask the speaker to come to the room immediately and change the font type. Make sure the chairs are positioned so there are no obstacles in your attendees viewing area.
Confirm Wi-Fi connectivity and speed
Access the hyperlinks and run a video while your staff is on their social networks. Ensure the maximum bandwidth speed for both uploads and downloads. Ask if the venue staff will be monitoring the bandwidth and have the passcode visible in several locations so attendees can easily sign into the network.
2 Hours Before
Ask your presenters to arrive two hours early and go through the following information:
Check on lighting, sound and room temperature
Make sure the lighting is right at every level, from the speaker to last audience member. While on stage, you want lighting to accentuate the speaker, but not blind them. If there is a certain line you don’t want them to cross, indicate that during this prep time.
When going over the sound system, let the presenters test the lavaliere mic. If that microphone rental fails, be sure to have a wireless mic available. Let them know exactly where it is and how to turn it on in case they need it.
The room temperature is an important factor. Attendees will exit a room if it is too cold or too hot. Set it and check it often. Ask if you can have easy access to change it as needed.
30 Minutes Before
Make the presenter shine
Go backstage and remove any badges or other accessories that might make them look less professional. Check their hair, makeup and lipstick. Look for any problems front and back that might be distracting (lipstick on the teeth, untied shoes or lint on the suitcoat) and fix them.
Put water, tea or coffee inside the podium. Make sure their notes are in place, in case they need to reference them.
Hartford Technology Rental is Your Home for Audio Visual Equipment
Whatever you need, Hartford Technology Rental has the rental equipment to help pull off a very successful event! Call us today at 888.520.5667 to learn more about the state-of-the-art resources we have available for your organization!