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GREAT PLANS MAKE GREAT MEETINGS
The old admonition to “Plan your work and work your plan” seems well-applied to conference management because without a great plan, there is no great meeting.
ConferenceDirect has unusually deep expertise in the discipline and practice of conference management and if you are interested in learning more about outsourcing the development, planning, and execution of your meetings, kindly email joe_dymek@conferencedirect.com to receive a free meetings analysis and recommendations on how outsourcing your meetings will help your organization conserve resources and reduce expenses.
As the leaves begin to turn and the kids go back to school and the air gains a seasonal crispness, we wish you a safe and productive autumn season. - Editor
PRESIDENTIAL PONDERINGS:
The New Normal
By Brian Stevens
Last month, one of our customers called to tell me their meeting had been ‘double booked’ at a hotel. I got involved and eventually we ended up with a $150,000 credit to the master account. The problem was not something new, but this strong resolution was worth mentioning.
Our customer was so impressed by the fact that we brought her a win-win solution that she signed a long term agreement with CD to continue booking their conference and meetings business. She commented: "It's not only that you saved me time and money to booking the meeting, but I’m convinced that if anything goes wrong, we’ll have the most competitive resolve.”
When I was at Hilton, the company was always fair and went overboard to make a mistake a chance to make a friend. Some companies don’t have that same culture. It's a good reminder that ConferenceDirect is like a warranty on your contract. Our buying power and professionalism does get the attention of many senior hotel industry executives. Over the next few years, hotels will want to recapture the losses following 9/11. We will be asked to make concessions on old deals. This can be a fight or a win-win situation. As your agent we’ll strive for the latter.
CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT:
Audio Visual Presentations
By Joe Dymek
All of us spend a large amount of time making sure we select the right speaker for our audience. We take the time to review their qualifications and to approve the contents of their presentations in order to make sure it is just that it fits the topic they are speaking on perfectly.
But how many of us when reviewing a speaker’s presentation take the time to think of how that presentation will look when blown on a 10 x 12 screen. Will your audience be able to read the charts that they have squeezed down to an 8 point font? Will all of the animation of bullet points flying in add to the presentation or will they become a distraction? Will the yellow back with white letter blind the audience when the first slide comes and prevent them from reading anything?
Our job as meeting professional besides making sure the speaker’s content is appropriate for the topic is to make sure the audience can read the presentation. Flashy is not always best when to presenting to audience. With this in mind I would like recommend that every organization establish speaker guideline for visual presentation and specifically PowerPoint presentation. Attached is a list of guidelines we have developed over the years with our clients in order to make sure the presentation comes through as clearly as the speaker’s message.
Use Font sizes in the range of 20 to 32 points. Smaller Fonts may not be readable from the back of the room. In general, when it comes to fonts, bigger is better.
We recommend Fonts like Arial or Helvetica because they are easier to read on a PowerPoint slide. Fonts like Times New Roman may look nice on your monitor, but when your slide is being projected more than 20 feet, the text on the slide will appear blurry.
Use a combination of upper and lower case. The combination generally makes it easier to read THAN ALL UPPER CASE
Stay away from narrow fonts, they are not easy to read at long distances.
Try not to have more than 6 words per line, and no more than 6 lines per slide.
Don't mix and match font types on one slide.
Font colors should be in the range of whites to yellow for dark backgrounds and black to dark blue for light backgrounds. Never use red. It doesn't project well and may agitate your audience.
Use a solid background color, like medium blue. Stay away from dark green and reds. They don't project as well, and red can agitate your audience. Light backgrounds can be used provided the lettering is dark enough. Use only dark blue or black lettering. We do not recommend light backgrounds because the slides become more difficult to read during video or web transmission. Compare watching a television image with a white background and a dark background. On dark backgrounds, we suggest your font colors to range from white to yellow. The higher the contrast the better!
Keep your slide transitions simple and consistent.
Consider developing a slide template for your speakers. This gives the presentations a consistent look and eliminates many of these issues.
About the Author: Based in Chicago, Joe Dymek is Executive Vice President of ConferenceDirect and leads the company’s Meeting Planning practice.
MANAGING BREAKOUT SPEAKERS:
It's in the Details
By Lynn Golabowski
All presenters are just as important as your keynote speaker, however the breakout speakers need to be handled in a slightly different way. Since some of these speakers are not experienced, sometimes they need extra help in submitting their proposal or customizing a presentation for your meeting.
To begin with, large conferences distribute a call for presentations or a presenter's application. This document is an opportunity for individuals to apply to speak at your conference. It provides you with information in a consistent format from each potential speaker, which helps you make an informed decision.
A call for presentations or presenter application includes the following:
Presenter information (name/organization/address/phone/fax/email)
The title of the proposed session
The session description and learner outcomes
Track information (so they can prepare for the audience)
The presenter bio and other credentials
Audio-visual requirements
A question regarding audio or video taping of the session
What the speaker will receive for speaking (travel costs, honorarium or fee, complimentary registration or registration discount, name and bio in the program, and so on)
Due date and to whom to send it
Once you have received responses to the call for presentations, make your selection(s). Send the speakers you select confirmation letters. Send the people who are not selected a thank-you letter for submitting an application and why their session was not selected, and invite them to the conference.
Most of the speakers who do not charge a fee are people who do not speak professionally for a living. They may not have their own contracts, so you need to send them one. Sometimes just a confirmation letter is enough. In any case here are the most important items to address in speaker contracts/letters:
Day and date and start/stop time of the presentation; location of presentation.
The topic and any customization required.
Q&A time throughout the presentation (if any) and book signings if appropriate.
Breakout sessions and additional costs (if any).
Approval for video and/or audio taping of the program. If yes, have the speaker sign a release.
A short bio for introduction purposes and the program.
A presentation outline and learner outcomes.
Handouts (if yes, who copies them?) and deadlines for
receipt of originals with copyright release.
Reimbursable expenses and caps on expenses if any.
Travel arrangements.
Travel requirements (first-class airplane ticket?).
Audio-visual requirements and room set requests.
Date the deposit (if applicable) is due.
No-show, cancellation and termination clauses.
The date final payment is due.
The date expense reimbursement forms and receipts are due.
Instead of an honorarium or a speaking fee, offer a registration discount or a complimentary registration to the conference. Many of these speakers would normally attend anyway, and this saves them money.
About the Author: Based in Wisconsin, Lynn Golabowski is a Regional Vice President with ConferenceDirect and is co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Meeting & Event Planning.
ON OUR RADAR:
UPCOMING
INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS
| The Motivation Show – IT & ME |
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September 28-30, 2004 |
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McCormick Place, Chicago, IL |
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| SITE International Conference |
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November 4-7, 2004 |
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Merida, Mexico |
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| IAEM National Conference |
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December 1-3, 2004 |
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San Antonio, TX |
CONFERENCEDIRECT
NEWSLETTER
Publishers:
Brian Stevens & Brian Richey
Editor: S.W. Leland
Contributors: Lynn Golabowski, Joe Dymek
Design: Ogden-Ritenour, Atlanta
The
ConferenceDirect Newsletter is an online journal for clients,
partner-companies, professional associates and industry colleagues
of ConferenceDirect and is published six times yearly at Los
Angeles, California, USA.
For editorial and advertising inquiries, kindly email editor@conferencedirect.com or
call 626-441-8389 for more information.
© Copyright
2003-2005. ConferenceDirect.
All Rights Reserved. |
