2. In the role of producer, what has been your greatest challenge? Please respond to this question via the “Questions” box on the right hand side of your screen.
One Smooth Stone 01/07/10 15:35 Ken gives cue for this question and he launches this poll. Ken introduces Kevin and Bethany, who each speak. Kevin kicks us off by addressing the opening poll question and the results : Please choose the answer below that best describes your experience integrating CSR activities into events: I have incorporated CSR into my events I have not but would like to I am skeptical about the value of incorporating CSR
Kevin and Bethany are introduced
Bethany thanks everyone for joining us and talks about the breadth of topics that will be covered today. Kevin explains the overall goal of the session…The session will be set-up primarily to provide you with the right QUESTIONS to ask…There is no way that in 45 minutes, anyone can become a fully fledged producer. However, we want to empower you to leave with more information that you began with.
Bethany We’re going to start off by laying some groundwork… what exactly is a producer?
Bethany One easy way that we sometimes explain it is…A producer is like a general contractor. So if Kevin was interested in building a house, he probably wouldn’t find a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician, right Kevin? It would be easier to hire a general contractor to oversee all those people and make sure the house is built properly. Has the overall vision for the “house” from the “buyer” Pulls together a team of specialists Provides overall project management Manages budget and communication process Serves as “single neck to grab” In the meeting context, the producer plays the same role. In the context of the “general session” or “show”, they are the point person for making sure everything successfully comes together.
Kevin What does the producer role look like at a high level? Qualifying expectations Answering the question “What does success look like?” Over-communicating Driving the process
Bethany These are some of the pieces that a producer is typically responsible for…just a brief list (which could be a lot longer), but these are the basics and they are the topics we’re going to touch on today. Video & projection Staging Lighting Graphics Speech Coaching Audio Teleprompter Hotel communication For those of you who, because of perhaps decreased budgets/cut-backs or a smaller team, have found yourself playing the producer role without the producer experience, we hope to equip you with some knowledge to make your job easier and to help you be more successful.
KO
KO Before you even begin, be sure to ask some foundational questions… What kind of experience do we want our attendees to have in our general session? What does the event architecture look like? What should the environment look like? What’s been done in the past and what is expected? What are the technical needs of the program? How will content be communicated? Picasso Story – taking away everything that’s not the horse
Bethany Let’s jump into our first production area… staging.
Bethany Do I have stage risers to elevate presenters in front of the audience? How many people are in the room? How far are audience members from the stage? If you have over 100 people, you will probably want a stage. If attendees are more than 50 feet from the presenters, a stage would be helpful. The bottom line is put yourself in the audience’ shoes…can they easily see? Would a stage make it easier? Who is providing the stage? What is the quality level of the staging available? Hotel risers typically come in 4’ x 6’ or 6’ x 8’ and should be provided free of charge by the hotel. What is happening on stage? Will there be individual presenters, panel discussions, entertainers, etc. Can the size of the stage support what will be happening on it? (What’s the architecture within the general session…) Do I have a podium ordered from the hotel or A/V provider? If your presenters are most comfortable standing in one location while they speak or will need to refer to notes, a podium is the best place for them to deliver their speech. If you have 2 presenters speaking at once, you may need 2 podiums.
Bethany Is my stage size proportionate to the size of my audience? Regardless of the quantity of presenters you have, here are some easy tips for determining stage size… Stage Depth All stages should be at least 12’ deep – for use with audiences up to 300 ppl 16’ deep – up to 800 18-24’+ deep – 1,200ppl and higher Stage Width 16’ - up to 150 ppl 24’ – up to 300ppl 32’ – up to 500ppl 40’ – up to 800ppl 48’+ – 1,200 and larger How high is my stage? What is the ceiling height in the ballroom and how large is my audience? A good rule of thumb is… 12” high – up to 150 ppl 24” high – up to 300ppl 32” high – up to 500ppl 36” high – up to 800ppl 42’ high – up to 1200ppl 48” high – for audiences larger that 2,000 ppl Watch your ceiling height closely from 32” and higher…
Kevin
Kevin (Tell chicken story) This is the MOST important aspect of the meeting… Everyone is a sound “expert”. Whenever there is a problem with sound, everyone knows it. Huge exposure in this area. One way to ensure it sounds good is to test it yourself…walk the room! How does it sound? What kind of microphones will I need? Is a podium microphone needed? Will your presenters prefer wireless lavaliere mics, so they can walk and talk? Do you need a handheld wireless microphone in the audience for Q&A? What type of podium microphone is being provided? Can it pick up sound 6 – 8 inches away? How many presenters do I have and how many microphones will I need? What kind of music do I need? Does my program need music for walk-in, walk-out and awards? What genre of music would be appropriate for my audience? Does my company leadership have an opinion? Other audio needs? Musical act, entertainment, sound effects, etc.
Bethany So now that we have a stage and everyone can hear, let’s make sure our attendees can see.
Bethany Do I need theatrical lighting ? In most cases, you will want to add some lighting to enhance your meeting environment. 1) Do you want the audience’s attention to be focused somewhere? 2) Am I using video projectors or plasma monitors? Projectors need more contrast between the stage lighting and the lights around the projection surface. How high are the room’s ceilings? If you have low ceilings in the ballroom, you will be limited on your ability to light the stage. What is happening on stage? (Architecture) Will entertainment be highlighted? Where will presenters be standing? Presentation format? What type of lights are typically used? Par cans, lekos and moving lights are standard. Electrical power? Lighting is a huge driver of power usage in the ballroom.
Kevin
Kevin Are my general session screens standard 4:3 format or widescreen 16:9? All videos and media should be sized accordingly. What size should my screen be, in relation to my audience size? Screen size is typically determined by the distance of the farthest audience member from the screen. A quick reference formula is 8 times the width of the screen should reach the last row of attendees. Therefore…a 6'h x 8'w screen is adequate for any size audience that is no further than 64' from the screen. So…take the distance of the last row from the screen and divide by 8. Then round up. This will give you an estimate of your screen width and that will determine the height, accordingly. As a general rule of thumb, don’t position your screen less than 4.5’ off the groups for any scenario. Always consider ceiling height when making this determination. Plasma monitors are a good alternative to screens if your audience size is small.
Kevin Does my meeting need to be recorded? Creating video archives of your meeting can have an impact on lighting and video equipment. Ensure you have sufficient lighting and that cameras and recording decks are supplied. Do I have sufficient back lighting for i-mag? (Magnifying the image of presenters on the screen.) What factors could have a detrimental affect on the brightness and view of the screens? Are the chandeliers or ceiling lights around my screens turned off, optimizing the screen’s brightness? Will there be any other obstructions? Should we be concerned with “bounce” from theatrical lighting? What type of media will be used? Video formats typically include BetaSP, DVcam, DVD or laptop files on a media server. Ask your presenters about their media and be sure your equipment can support them. Be sure to ask if any media is embedded in a PowerPoint presentation.
Bethany After walking through the production areas we’ve discussed and pulling the pieces together, quite a bit of information should be discussed with or communicated to the hotel (or venue) in order to ensure your program is successful.
Bethany For your general session, gather answers to these questions and communicate the information to the hotel… If equipment gets stolen, who is liable? Does the ballroom need security overnight to protect equipment? If so, during what hours? How much power is available in the ballroom? How much power does the room have and what kind of connection does it require? Will the house lights be used? Ask the hotel if they are dimmable and if a remote is available. How many stage platforms will be needed and what size? What is the hotel’s staging inventory? Are their other groups tapping into the inventory on the same day? Will meals need to provided for the crew? What times? How will the room be set-up? Theater, classroom, banquet rounds, or half rounds? Submit floorplans to the hotel for fire marshal approvals. Will rigging be needed to attached equipment to the ceiling? If so, who does it and how much will be charged?
Kevin
Kevin What’s my process for tracking changes? You need one!! Changes written on hard copy. Keep track of which ones have been made. If changes are tracked well, presenters are confident that their graphics will be accurate. This improves their confidence overall. Does my graphics designer (internal or external) need our corporate design standards and a high res version of our corporate logo? If I am hiring an outside graphics designer/operator, how are charges typically handled? If you are asking a designer to create slides from scratch or make significant changes to your slides, a per frame charge will probably be most affordable. If only minor slide clean-up is needed, ask to pay per hour. Are all of the font sizes in our graphics size 18 or larger? Is our graphics content… Bulleted (not in paragraph form) Formatted so key words and phrases STAND OUT Supported by visuals, such as images, graphs and charts CLEAR, CONCISE and CONSISTENT Is our graphics background color dark enough for easy projection? A pure white background can overwhelm a viewer’s eyes when projected on a large screen. Darker colors will be easier to read and view.
Bethany Before the show ever gets understand, rehearsals are a crucial part to ensuring your success and the success of your program. Sufficient and effective rehearsal can make or break a general session. So how do you make this happen?
Bethany What makes a good rehearsal? From the presenter’s standpoint , IF TIME ALLOWS they are able to get comfortable in their environment, their content/media works, and they are reminded of logistics. From the crew’s standpoint , they know the flow of the show in sequential order, with the technical requirements to support each element. Who needs to rehearse? How much time do you have? Make sure enough time is budgeted for every presenter to rehearse (audio levels, at least) and for your crew to rehearse on their own. What expectation should you set for rehearsals? Communicate time slots, Content is fully developed and has already been rehearsed; Final polished run-through on stage; Getting comfortable (Crew is being paid! A separate rehearsal room can be set-up, if needed, that only has PowerPoint.) Are your presenters ready to go on stage? Before coming on stage, ensure all name badges and cell phones are removed and their microphone is on. Be sure the timing/process for getting on stage has been communicated? Do your presenters know what attire is appropriate? Need a place to clip a mic…no turtlenecks or high necked dresses, is possible. Don’t wear the same color as the background. If panelists are sitting on stools, ensure women wear appropriate clothing that won’t be too revealed.
One Smooth Stone 01/07/10 15:35 Bethany Q & A is just around the corner…Please begin submitting questions now via your “Questions” window on the screen.
Kevin
Kevin Do I have all my media gathered and is it in the appropriate format? Is it in the right order? Will presenters be entering the stage from the house or from backstage? If backstage, who will cue them to go on? Do they know when to arrive in the room that day? What will my role be during the show? Be sure you don’t commit to overseeing too many things outside the room, if you need to be in the show.
One Smooth Stone 01/07/10 15:35 Bethany & Kevin Looks like we have a few minutes for some final Q&A. (Address final questions, if there are any. Kimberly will write them on the flipchart.)
One Smooth Stone 01/07/10 15:35 Bethany- Wrap -up After today’s webinar concludes, you will receive a follow-up survey . We would appreciate your feedback so we can improve for our next webinar. After today’s webinar, all participants will receive an email with today’s slides, as well as a helpful check list. Check back at our blog at ossunplugged.blogspot.com – complete audio and video (slides) will be posted there in the next few days. We’re looking to host webinars quarterly so look in your inbox for your next invitation. Feel free to submit topic ideas via email to bjohnson@onesmoothstone.com (email on screen) Thank you and we hope to have you join us at our next webinar! Kevin – Thank you for participating today! We’ve learned a lot from your ideas and we hope your time has been well-spent.
Thanks everyone for participating!
Is my script formatted as a txt file or a word document before it’s submitted to the operator? This will make formatting quicker and easier. Are presenters’ notes for teleprompter fully scripted or bullet points? Both can be suitable for teleprompter, depending on preference. Have I added the date and time to the script every time a change has occurred? This is a great way to control and keep track of script versions. Have my presenters worked with teleprompter before? Do I have the time, money and on-site resources for teleprompting rehearsals? How experienced is my teleprompter operator? Are they at an appropriate experience level for your meeting?
