When putting together a conference with a lot of speakers, often times meeting planners put their faith in other staff members to select and prepare the presenters. Or worse, they let them wing it. Either way, meeting planners that get caught up in the aura of a name or are intimidated by the title behind the speaker are setting themselves up for potential failure.
Below are some common myths that speakers and event organizers alike, need to be aware of and be prepared to shatter at their next conference.
Myth #1: Speakers don’t need to tailor their presentation to your attendees, especially if their presentation is very short.
Myth #2: Presenters should dress like audience members.
Even if your conference attendees are dressed in khakis and t-shirts, the speakers should be, at a minimum, a notch above the audience’s dress code. They need to set themselves a part and nothing like a beautiful dress or tailored suit will provide a good first impression. If you have any concerns about how they will dress, spell it out in their contract.
Myth #3: The speaker will bring their own AV equipment and/or the venue will provide it.
Don’t leave anything to chance. Have the speaker specify exactly what presentation services audio visual equipment they need. When renting audio visual equipment, make certain your supplier is going to provide onsite technical assistance and have back up equipment, batteries, and supplies available in case of equipment malfunctions. Renting from an outside supplier also ensures equipment compatibility, setup, and proper testing well before the speaker goes on.
Myth #4: A commanding speaker uses a lectern.
Better interaction and rapport is built with audience members when there is nothing between them and the attendees. Using a wireless lavaliere microphone and slide advancer, allows great speakers to move about the room and interact with audience members.
Myth #5: Everyone wants to hear what the presenter says because they are an expert.
Today’s audience members have a lot of tools to keep them distracted from the speaker’s message including their smartphone, tablets, and laptops. They can be on their email, social media accounts, or surfing the Net. It is very important that presenters keep the audience engaged and interactive. Even if a person is a subject matter expert, it doesn’t matter if they are boring and don’t meet attendee’s needs.
Are you event planning in California? AV Event Solutions is a premier audio visual firm that can work with you and your speakers to make certain every need is met. Their project managers can be onsite to provide overall coordination of the event and accommodate last minute changes. Give them a call today!