5 Event Design Secrets to Consider
The devil’s in the details: This saying holds a lot of truth when it comes to the event design details of your big budget corporate or university presentation.
With so many moving parts happening at once – from your initial vision to the closing curtain – it’s incredibly easy to forget about small, but important, event design details that ensure your presentation runs on time and is delivered effortlessly.
One way to establish flow is to focus on incorporating small enhancements for your presenters. The following are five event design secrets to always consider:
1. Confidence Monitor
A confidence monitor is a flat-screen monitor strategically set on the floor at the front of the stage. It is angled toward the presenter so they can see the slides without turning to look at the projector screen.
Having a confidence monitor gives your presenters peace of mind that what they are speaking about is being shown on the screens behind them. It also allows them to see their notes, avoiding the embarrassment of forgetting their talking points. This allows them to present smoothly and yes, confidently, in a discreet manner.
2. Speaker Timer With Large LED Clock
Putting on a successful event involves keeping every part of the presentation on track. A speaker timer is often a detail that event designers don’t think about. However, having control over the time management of your event with a speaker timer ensures there’s no question when a speech starts and stops.
With a large LED clock, there’s a green light for “go,” a yellow light as a warning that the speaker’s allotted time limit is approaching and a red light telling them to wrap it up.
This extra detail provides your presenters with the confidence and comfort in knowing they won’t run out of time or miss any talking points. Once the yellow light goes on, they are able to make the necessary adjustments in their presentations. A speaker timer also keeps your event on track and running smoothly.
3. Q&A Microphones
A key component to your event is the question-and-answer session that allows the audience to openly ask questions and receive immediate answers. This is a powerful means of providing a voice for the masses, so long as it’s not an afterthought to your event design.
Without the appropriate microphone setup, presenters and audience members struggle to hear questions, which leads to awkward repetition and disruption to the flow of the presentation.
Audio engineers recommend a basic microphone setup that includes three microphones placed in the main aisle of audience seating. Logistically speaking, wireless microphones are more effective and efficient. Otherwise, you’d be required to weave hundreds of feet of microphone cable through the audience seating… a very time-consuming task, indeed.
4. Audio Stage Monitor
Although your presentation audio engineer is probably concerned with hooking up a speaker system to enhance the audience’s experience, an audio stage monitor (sometimes referred to as fold-back speakers) allows your presenters to hear the same audio as the audience. This is often an overlooked aspect of the event design process.
Audio stage monitors are necessary during Q&A sessions so that presenters are able to clearly hear questions posed by the audience. It’s very likely that your corporate or university presentation will call for audio stage monitors in some form; therefore, it’s crucial that you add them in before the last minute, so they are fully integrated into the event design.
Instead of having a monitor system scattered across the stage, ruining the visual display of your event, planning ahead allows you to make adjustments to the system behind scenic elements.
5. Cue Light Remote
The timing and accuracy of your big-budget production is critical for delivering an impactful and successful show. A cue light remote is another detail that helps to ensure seamless presentations from your speakers.
A cue light remote is a signaling system that allows your event technicians to know when to advance slides or when to go back. The remote reaches across even the largest venues and noisiest environments.
The five event design secrets above are elements to consider incorporating into your next event to ensure a smoother, more comfortable experience for all involved.