So You Want To Organise Your Own Conference?

There are several types of conferences; the dictionary definition of conference says “A meeting for the exchange of views”.

My interpretation of conference, being a conference producer, is a place where people meet to confer and share knowledge. In the sharing theme I have decided to detail the elements required to ensure your conference goes smoothly. Whether you are getting a conference production company like mine to do it for you, or if you are going to manage it yourself, follow this outline and you can be assured that if you have made ample allowances for each of the items then your attendees (usually called delegates) will have a positive experience. The better the feedback from the delegates the better the conference will have been received by the end client, either your MD or client depending on whether you are doing it yourself, or are an event organiser.

There are many different types of conferences, one of the most popular types are seminars which are normally an academic style forum where people go to learn about a certain subject.

I mention Forum above because this is probably (at least to my knowledge) the oldest type of meeting or conference that I am aware of. My partner Sam will cringe at this, as when I discuss my work, I always have to get the Romans in the story somehow A lot of the passion in my work comes from Roman history.

A Short History of Conferences

The forum as many people are aware was the centre of power in Rome for many hundreds of years, a Roman general would return from a successful campaign and he would have been received at the forum and made a speech from the rostrum to the people of Rome.

So for thousands of years people have been having conferences around the world, the tools for doing the job have changed, but I can imagine and have indeed read about, the effort and organisation that went into preparing for one was the major component of its success.

Things haven’t changed much no matter how large or small a conference is, there are some rules that we must all follow, if it is to be a successful event.

The Right Venue

Once you have a reason to hold a conference and an audience to attend the next step is venue selection, this is crucial as you will need a room large enough for the numbers attending, without being too large. If you are going to have a conference set with rear projection then the throw distance has to be taken into account when you are looking at the room, (I will come onto throw distance later when thing get more technical) as this uses space too.

Once you have a main meeting room suitable for your delegate numbers, you then have to consider where they will have tea and coffee breaks for networking and if there is potential for setting up display stands for other products. Quite often a conference you will have a large group of industry leaders and corporate decision makers, why not create a form of exhibition area to promote ancillary products or services?

Quite often the majority of your conference attendees will be international visitors so a good conference production tip is to choose a venue location that offers easy access to the nearest airport.

Remember if you are going to do the job right you are also responsible for the delegate experience prior to arriving at the venue, you want them to have a pleasant journey and feel as relaxed as possible on arrival so venue location is very important, as is the type of venue.

Conference Production

Once a venue has been selected and it fits with all the criteria above, then it’s time to give your production company a call, they will normally recommend a site visit, so the room can be measured to check all of the conference production elements fit within the room available. There is nothing worse than turning up on the day to find something wont fit!

There are various different styles of the seating and this is an important consideration. There is theatre style seating where the delegates sit in rows next to each other. Then you have classroom style seating where delegates sit next to each other with a slim table in front similar to when you might take an exam. Then there is cabaret style seating which is where delegates are seated on round tables which are usually six feet across, with this style it is important that the delegates aren’t seated all the way around the table to ensure nobody has their back to the presenters or stage.

After your production company has completed the site visit they will propose the elements of staging you require to achieve your purpose. This will include stage and set, video projection, sound, lighting, crew levels to operate the show, and any pre-production requirements.

Pre-production

Not all conferences require pre-production, for example if your conference has PowerPoint slides you may want your production company to create them for you, a lot of companies now have the expertise to do this in-house, but if that is the case they need to be of a professional standard.

You may want a video to be created, there are different types of messages you could utilise a video for, for example, a short opening sting, like an advert, to give a high impact start to your show. Some of the best events start this way and it also helps to ensure you have got everyone’s attention!

Sometimes there may be presenters that can’t attend so you could have them videoed prior to the event and then played back during the conference at the allotted segment.

Not all presenters are comfortable with presenting, so a speaker coach may be a good idea, the coach will do as much or as little as is required. Usually they will come into your offices and asses the presenters, presentation techniques and will advise accordingly.Speaker coaches can be invaluable to the success of your event if your presenters are new to their role and do not have any public speaking experience.

Scheduling event managements can be very time consuming and stressful, particularly if you have not done it before, so for larger conferences it is recommended that you engage a professional organisation to ensure the day is a success until you gained experience organising some smaller events.

However, if you decide to do it yourself, then below are some useful hints and tips to creating your own successful conference production.These tips are the culmination of over 25 years working as a conference producer.

Set and Staging

A conference set is usually a timber framed construction covered in a material of a colour that fits the client’s corporate colours, normally this would have an aperture in it for rear projection with a screen, the screen should be large enough for all of the audience to see the content on the screen without straining their eyes.There is nothing worse than being on the back row and not being able to see the screen, especially if it forms a major part of the presentation.

The base of the screen, known as the under panel, needs to be at least 1.2m (5ft) to ensure the audience has a clear view over the heads of the people sat in front of them.
This is where the ceiling height comes into play. For example if you had a screen height of 2.5m, a screen base of 1.2m and a screen header, above the screen, of 300mm the minimum ceiling height required is 4m, be sure to take into account any staging or steps in your measurements.

There are many different styles of set you can use, many companies have a stock set option which is pre-built, when it is used it is recovered to suit the client’s corporate branding. Other styles of set include a bespoke set where you consult a designer who will take a brief from you regarding the theme of the event and come up with a purpose built set with various options. This is of course more expensive compared to the standard stock set options.

Whether you decide on a stock or bespoke set it is advisable to have some scale floor plans created to ensure all the elements fit into the available space and most production companies will do this in-house. if you went for the bespoke option you would receive some 3D drawings so you can visualise what the set will look like in the space where it is going to be located.

Once the set has been decided upon then the stage will also need to be included in the plans. The most cost effective stage option for corporate events is a standard stage the width of the set, which is normally about 2.5m deep and 450mm high.

The size also depends on what you want to have on stage during the conference, for example if you are going to have just one lectern or two, or if there is a requirement for a top table or some comfortable chairs and a coffee table.

Video Projection

Video projection is required if you want to put an image on the screen behind the speaker. The image can be data or video playback or indeed both. At small conferences this may just be a data projector and a laptop, controlled from the lectern, either with the client pushing buttons or with the help of a remote mouse so a presenter can move around the stage area freely.

You can also use a stage monitor screen so the presenter can see the slide changes without having to turn and look at the screen, the presenter should never have their back to the audience. To enable this you will require what we call a VCA DA this piece of equipment splits the signal from the laptop to both the projector and the stage monitor screen.

If the presenter is more akin to speaking than using a computer and doesn’t want to control their own slides then a cue light system can be used. This is a hand held controller that when pressed sends a signal to a light backstage and a technician then forwards the slides for the speaker.

If you want to play DVD’s you will require a DVD player with a preview monitor and a switcher. There are many different switchers you can use but it is recommended that if you’re going to play a lot of videos during your event then a good quality data switcher should be used. By using multiple DVD players each video can be queued up whilst another is playing and then the switcher changes the signal from one player to the other, this avoids the audience having to wait while the DVD’s are changed and makes for a very professional presentation.

So you’ve got your data projector, your cue light system, your stage monitor and your DVD playback.

How else might you improve upon the video projection element of your corporate events and further enhance the conference?

Recently I did an event which had a live camera feed. Much the same as you are used to seeing a music concerts, where there is a large screen showing the view from a live camera.

The client wanted this for two different reasons firstly there was a presenter that didn’t have any PowerPoint slides except a name slide, so when he was presenting we had a live camera feed on the screen so the audience had a more up close and personal experience with the presentation. Then we utilised the live camera feed during the question and answer session for the same effect. By using two cameras we were able to switch between the person asking the question and the speaker responding to the question so everyone could properly see and hear both the question and the answer.

The second reason was that the client wanted to use some footage for the internet like a webcast, to be run after the live event. Certain elements of the conference were edited out and compressed for the internet so that delegates who were unable to attend could get a feeling of the content of the conference|, simply by watching it on their PC’s}.

Sound System (Public Address PA)

The sound system can range from a couple of speakers and one microphone in a small conference for say 50 delegates, or multiple speakers and microphones for up to thousands of delegates.

The basic sound system requirements are speakers, amplifiers, microphones and a mixing desk, to enable each microphone or set of speakers to be turned up and down as required.

The speakers are generally on stands, however if you are organising a large conference they may be able to be flown from truss above to give an even coverage in the centre of the room.

In the event that you do have a very large audience than a delay line is required, this ensures that the signal reaches all of the speakers in the various locations around the room, or venue, at the exact same time removing any echo there might be.

There are various different types of microphones, the most commonly used these days are the tie clip radio microphones which enables the presenter the freedom to walk around the stage cable free.

If the presenters are going to stay at the lectern then lectern microphones which are wired are more suitable.

With regards the amplifier, most professional amps will run four speakers so if you need eight speakers for good coverage then two amplifiers will be needed. When the amount of speakers and amplifiers is specified, the next piece of equipment required is a mixing desk, generally people who are doing their own event don’t plan for this, but it can be the one piece of crucial equipment that makes the difference between an amateur and a professional event.

The mixing desk takes in all the signals that need to be heard through the speakers, such as the microphones, CD players and video playback. Once the equipment is plugged into the Mixing console, a feed is taken out of the desk and into the amplifiers, then from the amplifier to the speakers.

After this has been done the sound engineer then equalises the system which in layman’s terms means making it sound good in areas of the room. A well equalised sound system will have the feeling for the delegate, that the presenter is seated next to them not shouting from the front of the room.

All mixing consoles have a basic equaliser on the unit itself, however a professional conference producer will know it is advisable to get a separate graphic equaliser which has more options on it.

In a very large room it is recommend having what is called a multicore which as the name suggests is a cable with multiple cores inside it that carries the signals up and down the room from the control position from front of house to the control position backstage.A multicore cable is a much tidier option and means you only have to run your cables once.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important visual elements of the conference. If you don’t have the luxury of a bespoke conference set then lighting can make all the difference.

There are several different types of lighting available, there is up-lighting normally provided by Par 64 floor cans, which you will recognise from seeing any professionally staged event. These can have coloured gel in them to add a set wash. There are also Fresnells which is a type of lamp which can hang from a truss or floor stand and again these can have a coloured gel in them to provide a set wash or coloured lighting effects. Profile lights are used to highlight elements of the set such as logos, steps or other details.

The most modern type of lamps on the market are LED lights. They are the most expensive type of lighting but they are worth it if you have the budget, the beauty of this type of lighting is that it can change colour at the press of a button|, which saves having to use gels to set the colour, and of course is a much more flexible for of lighting. I am sure you have seen LED lights being used all over the place these days, in torches, in mirrors, in cars, there are even some new cats eyes in the road that use LED lights.

Once the Lighting type and style is specified then it’s a good idea to get a lighting designer involved.

The designer will specify the type of lamp, where it should go, and what it’s going to do, if possible it’s best to hang lighting on a truss in front of the set, as opposed to using floor mounted stands. After the lighting has been decided on then it will need power, this usually comes from the venue supply via a dimmer rack to the lamps. A mixing console then controls the different stage effects which the lighting designer programs in.

Crew

The crew is very important as they pull all the elements of the show together, professional conference production companies will know the value of a crew communication system which comprises of headphones and belt packs for each crew member allowing them to communicate with each other, and the production manager or producer.

On larger shows we have a production manager and if required a conference producer, either one of these will show call, which means they will tell the crew what they should be doing and when they should be doing it. For example, when a video is due to be played they will let the video engineer, the sound engineer and the lighting engineers know in advance so they are ready when the caller say run VT.

When this happens the video will run, the audio will go up and the lights will come down.

Transportation

Again transportation is a crucial aspect of any event, or else how is everything you have ordered going to get there at the right time on the right day? The size of the vehicle is dependent on the size of the show, it can be anything from a transit size van up to an arctic with a 40ft trailer. It is the responsibility of the conference production company to decide on the type and size of transportation, but remember if you are booking a venue and it’s a large show that requires an arctic then make sure the vehicle can get into the loading bay! Fortunately it is not from my own experience that I have learnt this but from watching a competitor learn the it the hard way many years ago at an event I was working at!

In Summary

Organising a conference requires a lot of forward planning, the more you put in to it before the event the smoother it will run on the day.

Remember to look after your crew because they are the ones who enable it to all happen, look after your presenters because they are the ones it is happening for, and most importantly look after your delegates if you want it to happen to them again in the future. If you follow these basic rules that then you will have a successful event, good luck!

A Look At EA Sports Active Wii Weight Loss Game

There are many factors that are great about exercise and getting into shape. One of the best facts about exercise is that there are many ways to do it. Thanks to the Wii, there’s a new kind of exercise around. The name of it is EA Sports Active. The Wii EA Sports Active, endorsed by Oprah’s own Bob Greene, offers cardio and weight lifting exercises to guide you towards your goals.

The ideal workout will target all areas of the body; fortunately, EA Sports Active for the Wii does this. If you’re looking for an alternative to health club memberships, the Wii EA Sports Active allows you to get a complete workout right in your own home. The only requirement is a television monitor.

While personal trainers cost a lot and aren’t easy to locate, Wii EA Sports Active serves the same function. It compels you to remain on target as well as showing you how to become more physically fit. The Wii EA Sports Active features more than 25 exercises and includes a leg strap and a resistance band. Resistance bands facilitate workouts for your arm muscles.

You can get a more intense workout when you are working with your biceps, your shoulders and your forearms with the resistance band. Wii is one of the best simulators on the market and you can participate in dancing, tennis, volleyball and more – right in your living room, your bedroom, your family room or wherever you have a TV. This is the convenient way to get that cardio workout that you need to stay in shape.

In addition to the personal trainer feature of Wii, it has a fitness journal that you can benefit from. This is the comprehensive path to get into a physically fit lifestyle. Does working out alone make you nervous? Are your workouts more productive when you do them with someone else? It is not a problem! Using the split player mode allows two or more to enjoy working out together with the Wii EA Sports Active.

EA Sports Active Wii fitness game encourages you to participate in a 30 day fitness challenge! Notice visible improvements in your physique in only 30 days with the Wii EA Sports Active.

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Callaway Big Bertha Drivers

Big Bertha drivers have been a gold standard, since 1991, for easy-to-hit, ultra-forgiving sticks that mid- and high-handicappers swear by. Big Bertha Diablo looks to spread the love to include highly skilled players, too. The three-piece, all titanium clubhead fuses a light, strong body to a lively clubface and a thin crown (Callaway’s thinnest ever at 0.027.

I recently started practicing with a Callaway Big Bertha driver. The performance was so outstanding that I was determined to test a full set of Callaway irons. However, I refused to pay the high price associated with an unused set. I decided to search all of my usual shopping sources to determine the best quality and type of Callaway clubs to get. I also needed to pay the best conceivable price! In my mission, I became educated on the fact that there are countless great sources for both new and used Callaway irons as well as golf accessories.

Callaway has a well standing reputation with its Callaway Big Bertha drivers, which have been used for many years by professionals and amateurs. Callaway’s introduction of the FT driver came in 2003 with the FT-3 driver, followed by the FT-5 and FT-i in recent years. The new 2009 FT-iQ driver has been praised by golf enthusiasts, including the Golf Digest Hot List award, due to its advancements in technology, testing results and player impact on the course. Concerning the FT-iQ, Taylor Made Golf states “it’s the longest, straightest driver we’ve ever created”.

The FusionTechnology (FT) currently being utilized by Callaway Golf has the potential to change the entire sport of golf, forever. This inertial design was created by Callaway Golf engineers in hopes of creating a design which balances all of the clubs’ best features, while optimizing club and player performance. The designers strived to stay away from directly concentrating on any one characteristic. Instead, they chose to explore all characteristics, to ensure the overall performance of the club was maintained in a balanced manner.

The goal in using Fusion Technology is not only to better overall performance, but to also make the clubs give optimum performance when hit off-center (with irons and woods). Using this technology helps the ball have maximum flight and distance, even when it’s not hit directly in the middle of the clubface. This is mostly due to Callaway’s design feature offering minimal clubhead movement when impact occurs.

So there is certainly your Callaway Big Bertha driver in the Callaway family.

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Women’s Clothing Regulations For The Golf Club

Almost all sports require the participants to wear certain clothes and in this golf is no different. To be sure you do not fall foul of these restrictions you will need to get the best type of clothing from a specialist store. Each golf course may differ on it’s expectations from golfers so it is best to know what these are in advance. It is important to remember that some golf courses are very particular about the dress worn by the players and they would not permit any player unless he is adequately dressed. This can be highly frustrating and leave you quite upset at the end of the day if you are stopped from playing golf simply because of a misunderstanding on appropriate clothing.

Several aspects of male attire is not permitted on any golf course they try to play at. The two things that are not suitable in a golf course are shirts with no collar or no sleeve. Another area that is a no-no is the use of running pants and shoes that have metal studs. Clothes with displeasing logos or repulsive slogans on them are not allowed too. Moreover, sporting jeans or sandals are prohibited and this applies to women too.

The most proper men’s attire on the golf course happens to be collared shirts, the right pair of pants or shorts and golf or athletic shoes. Wear shoes which are fitted with soft pikes as metal spikes are prohibited in many golf courses because of the harm it does to the field. If you are wearing a turtle neck or normal sweater you should be OK and if a shirt is worn it can be either long or short sleeved. The socks that are worn must be at least ankle length and should be a solid color with only minimal and tasteful logos.

There are other things to take along when golfing like the golf hand towel. Your golf hand towels will help you wipe the sweat from your clubs. Find ton of great buys on hand towels here.

Women golfers should wear fitting shorts or skirts or even Capri’s. Generally, women are barred from wearing pants of any type including jeans shorts. For women, the length of the skirt or short is important and they ought to be cautious that these do not go up more than 5 inches above the knee. Although it not uncommon for a golf course to insist that the length of shorts and shirts is even longer. For shirts, women are also required to have collars, unless they are wearing an appropriately styled pull over in a v-neck style.

Women are also permitted to wear a sleeveless shirt as long as it has a collar, and short sleeve as well as long sleeve shirts are also permitted. Other things which are allowed on the golf course are socks which comp up till the ankles, and shoes which should be either golf or athletic. Socks must be a solid color, with minimal logos and tasteful designs. Another important to remember is that any accompanying person to the golf course should also follow the same dress rules. Since the dress code varies from one golf course to another, the wisest thing to do is to check their website or contact them to know what is allowed and what is barred.

Study Spanish At Home. The Best Spanish CDs Online

If you want to learn spanish online, the Best way is with FLUENZ Spanish It offers an online as well as offline version of their course. It is rated as one of the best programs on the Net to start learning to speak spanish.

It doesn’t matter why you want to learn spanish, the crux of the matter is that you need to learn Spanish enough to handle your basic needs.

When you travel in spanish speaking countries, you will probably find English speaking people somewhere on your journey to speak with. However, there will be times when you must depend upon Spanish speaking people to answer important questions.

You can find phrasebooks to help you find the words to ask for basic needs. They will tell you how to introduce yourself and say please and thank you. You will learn Spanish phrases for asking the time and weather.

More importantly, these study systems will tell you how to ask where the restroom is. You will learn

Spanish phrases like “Ayudame!” meaning “Help me!” Most of the books will also tell you how to ask where you can find a doctor or dentist.

Another very popular spanish course is Rocket Spanish that offer one of the most affordable and effective ways to start to learn spanish online.

Off course every one knows the Tell Me More Spanish software promoted on TV and in stores. Well, you can also buy this software online and it will teach you to talk Spanish in no time.

The books will tell you the basics of how to order food in a restaurant. They will tell you any number of words to use in different situations. A book like this should also contain valuable information like how to ask where the US embassy is.

If you are concerned about your pronunciation, you can get the same type of phrase manuals on CD’s. Just pop them into your CD player and repeat after the speaker. You can do this in your car, at your computer, or in your living room. Wherever you find comfortable will do. You can find spanish training courses at www.spanishsoftwarereviews.org

Soccer is the name of the game

442fotball.no is the name of the blog that is on every Norwegian soccer fan’s lip these days. Golden nuggets in form of great articles is written every week and just a few weeks ago they wrote a great article about the Norwegian youngster Per Ciljan Skjelbred. The you player did a fantastic impression in the game between Rosenborg of Trondheim and Brann of Bergen.

Skjelbred impressed with his work moral, driblings and passes. Agents from english Premier League clubs Blackburn and Newcastle is interested in his services and was watching from the stands. 442fotball.no was there too. English clubs have for some time now been watching Skjelbred with the intend to bring the kid to England. Since Skjelbred injured his leg two years ago, he has showed and impressive comeback and many believe that he will be playing in the Norwegian national team soon.

The game against Brann ended in a draw, 0-0, but Per Ciljan Skjelbred did his job in midtfield, serving Rosenborgs attacker Steffen Iversen passes that should have resultet in several goals. Iversen is not in his best form and went off the field goal less. If Rosenborgs attackers would have shown the same form as the rest of the team, like Skjelbred, Rosenborg would have won by several goals, even if Brann got some chances near the end of the game. Branns captain and midtfielder Eirik Bakke, was totally “run over” by Skjelbred and the rest of Rosenborgs midtfielders. You could not tell that Bakke is the one with the most experience, from England and the Norwegian national team.

Visist 442fotball.no and read norwegian articles about Norwegian and international soccer or fotball as we say it in Europe.

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