Power Point Animation

You know an event is going down hill when the MC starts with bad jokes while the microphone whines with feedback from the speakers. In the worst-case scenario, the Bedouin tent falls, lighting crashes onto the VIP table and someone gets knocked unconscious by a falling camera stand. When hosting an event there are some things you will have no control over. However, with good planning, proper precautions and thinking before hand, most technical issues can be avoided.

The first thing to look at is your presentation. If your event is going to have a speaker, a variety of speakers, or a projector presentation, you will need to run through it beforehand. Interview the speaker yourself to ensure that he or she fully understands the theme of the event. Provide an overview of the topics that you would like to be covered in the speech, specify if humour is appropriate or not. By doing this you can avoid the bad humour, the embarrassing moments and awkward silences.

With regards to the presentation, try to make sure it is as entertaining as possible. If you choose to use PowerPoint, avoid clichd animations and long explanations. Unless the event is a seminar or a discussion on Physics, the last thing guest's want is to listen to endless explanations and complicated theories. Go through the presentation with all the people involved. Bring in a third party to listen and give feedback on the entertainment factor.

Ensure that when you use projectors, microphones and other sound equipment, your technology is reliably installed. You need to employ the correct people for the job and brief them on what is required. Make sure they understand what is need for the event, whether it is rotating disco balls, sound systems or lights.

Installing sound equipment and placing speakers in the right places is a critical part of an event. Consideration needs to be made for both the people in the back, as well as in the front. By placing speakers at strategic positions all around the outline of the room ensures that everyone can hear.

Make sure you have enough crew on the site to manage all the equipment. Most of the technical equipment such as lights, cameras, and sound are heavy and bulky. The crew will be able to assist with the moving of the equipment while you ensure that everything works during your practise run.

It is recommended that all systems and presentations be checked either in the morning or the day before the event. This ensures that there will be no snags on the day. Having a crew on board that can handle the labour will be a valuable asset during checking as lights might need to be moved, or speakers placed. By running through the program, all technical issues such as timing, volume control and light settings can be smoothed over.

If you create a plan and run through it once or twice before the event, then the event should run smoothly. To avoid technical glitches, make sure you hire a team that knows what it is doing. Double check that everything is secure, safe and working. An event should be a positive, celebratory experience, not chaos.

Celeste writes for Pitman's People who specialise in porters for events.

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