grays and gold tend to blend well with graphics and other decorations used for
meetings. Wood surfaces, if they are well maintained, add character to the
room, but mirrors, ornate sconces, stainless steel and other reflective surfaces
can be a hindrance to effective projection.
Doors
Service doors must be equipped with signs on the corridor side to indicate
that a meeting is in progress. Some hotels will place a room divider in front
of the door improving appearance and reducing noise from the service area.
Fire exits should be clearly marked and sufficient in number for the room’s
capacity. Too often these exits are located on walls that are logical areas for
staging.
Lighting and Electrical
Overhead lighting, recessed into the ceiling is preferable to chandeliers.
Incandescent lights which can be dimmed should augment fluorescent
lighting. These should be wired in banks from front to rear, each bank
controlled by a dimmer inside the room. It is especially helpful for a
presenter utilizing slide or film projection to keep room lights off the
screen, yet still permit adequate lighting in the rest of the room for note
taking. If fluorescent lights are the only lighting in the room, these should
be equipped with dimming ballasts. It has been found that certain
fluorescent frequencies can cause fatigue and irritability. The safest are the
so called “dual spectrum” lamps.
Power strips capable of accommodating a variety of hanging fixtures are
flexible and desirable. Larger rooms, which may be used for stage
productions, should have provisions for hanging lighting trusses or grids
with theatrical instruments from the ceiling. These are preferable and safer
than portable light trees. Circuitry should be remoted to a control room or
a panel opposite the probable stage location. One service outlet should be
available for every 10 ft. (3m) of wall space in rooms not used for exhibits.
Rooms with windows must be equipped with drapes of adequate density to
reduce ambient light for projection.
VOICE AND DATA COMMUNICATION
Telephone and networking outlets should be available and located at regular
points around the room. Standard dial up phone jacks are adequate for data
transmission and Internet access in smaller rooms. However, facilities used for
complex graphic presentations, (streaming video, net conferencing or
webcasting) need to be equipped with greater bandwidth capacity. Bandwidth
is the range of frequencies a transmitted signal occupies.
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The more complex the transmission, the more bandwidth needed for
reception or transmission. Complex data signals can be “squeezed” into
narrow bandwidths but that slows down the transmission. For instance, a
two minute video clip transmitted on an ISDN line would take six to eight
minutes to receive. Video requires high speed connection.
How high is “high speed”? The following chart is a comparison of the
most common high bandwidth transmission systems in kilobytes (Kbps) or
megabytes (Mbps) per second:
ISDN is adequate for text and most graphic presentations such as Power
Point. Anything more complex requires higher bandwidth.
Ed Goodman, general manager of Dallas based AVW network suggests:
“A convenience offered by technology-oriented venues is the use of a central server
system in distribution of data. Both AVW and AVHQ offer this service on-line before
and during the presentation. We recommend a standard general use computer in
each breakout room connected to a central server to send presenters’ files to that
location in order to minimize presenters using individual laptops. This takes too
much time and many laptops look fine when embedded videos run on Power Point
but can’t perform with a second screen to a projector.”
High-tech Meeting Environments
Recognizing the increasing role of technology, hotel companies, convention
facilities and conference centers are vying with each other to provide
tomorrow’s communication environment today. Conference centers, long
the innovators in advanced learning facilities, have even come up with a
handle for it. International Conference Resorts calls it “architechnology”
Such state-of-the-art venues reflect the interaction among presentation
technologies, human perception factors and the environment. How
effectively the message is conveyed from the presenter to the audience is
influenced by the environment wherein that communication takes place.
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System Bandwidth
Telephone 56 Kbps
ISDN 64 – 128 Kbps
T1 1.5 Mbps
DSL 6.1 Mbps
T3 44.7 Mbps
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Recognizing the need for such advanced architechnology, Marriott
Corporation – already a leader in meeting venues – developed an inventory
of conference centers in the nineties. The concept grew from a recognition
of corporate America’s increasing emphasis on learning through technology.
Perhaps the most dramatic examples of high-tech meeting environments
are the briefing centers that corporations proudly display to their clients,
associates and the few middle-management individuals who are privileged
to attend. These remarkable facilities incorporate the very latest in
communication technology to ensure that the company’s message is
imparted in the most effective manner possible. At Hewlett Packard’s
generous 40,000 square foot briefing center a presentation is more than
communication – it’s an experience! Such a complex is to a typical meeting
room what an Imax theater is to the neighborhood movie.
These centers have also added a new title to the ranks of conference
professionals. The specialists who manage briefing centers and their
technical staff are called Briefing Program Managers. And yes, they have
their own professional society: the Association of Briefing Program
Managers. (www.abpm.com)
STAGING WITH AV
Staging at meetings encompasses not only the placement of the stage and
audiovisual equipment, but the total room layout. Instructional objective
and format determine audiovisuals and staging for certain types of sessions,
such as educational seminars. Audiovisuals are incidental to the tutorial
style employed at such sessions. In other types of sessions where
motivation and entertainment are key ingredients of the message, AV
becomes the focal point and staging reflects its importance. (Room setups
and table arrangements are presumed to be basic fare for the PCO and are
not covered in depth. Readers wishing to learn more about them are
referred to the Convention Industry Manual, which treats the subject
in-depth.)
Educational Sessions
Seating for educational sessions differs according to audience size and session
format. Classroom style and the various configurations of conference seating
(U-shape, T-shape, Roundtables, Board of Directors, etc.) are the most
common. Generally the focal point is a platform, lectern or dais, prepared for
one or more presenters or a panel and moderator. Visual aids may include
chalkboards, flipcharts, copy-boards, whiteboards, overhead and data
projectors and video playback. Lighting is mostly at room level but the option
of dimming lights is important so that participants can see the audiovisuals but
have adequate light for note-taking.
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Ideal screen placement is on one side of the lectern, at a 45° angle to the
audience. Optimally, data projectors are mounted to the ceiling; otherwise
they can be equipped with long throw lenses and placed on high projection
stands at the opposite corner in back of the room. This arrangement permits
the speaker to see the projected materials peripherally without having to turn
away from the audience. In rooms which have a fixed screen or which require
that the screen be in the center, the same results can be achieved by reversing
the placement of the presenter or panel, so that their relative angle is
maintained. The overhead or the data projector may be on a stand next to the
lectern or on a table at the front of the room. To avoid the keystoning
commonly associated with overhead projectors, some presenters will specify a
screen with a keystone compensator which positions the screen so that it is at
a right angle to the horizontal projection axis. Data projectors typically have
built-in keystone compensators.
Staging for Entertainment
Staging for motivational sessions and those which employ elaborate
audiovisual and theatrical production is influenced by the media and the
needs of the performers. As described in Chapter 6, some entertainers
have very detailed staging specifications. Some audiovisual presentations,
particularly multimedia productions, may require unique and complex
staging. Unless the event is part of a banquet, theater style seating is the
preferred configuration. A room with a high ceiling (16 – 22 ft. or 5 – 7m)
is essential to allow for adequate screen height and to accommodate
theatrical lighting where required. Floor lecterns, angled in relation to
the screen, are placed to the sides of the stage so as not to interfere with
sight lines. Lighting will vary from dim to total blackout and should be
controlled by AV or stage technicians from one location.
If the room does not have strip lighting or theatrical lights, the organizer
may want to rent them. Since the room will be dim or dark much of the
time, the lecterns should be spotlighted. Cross-lighting is preferred to
avoid light spill and shadows on the screen. Projection equipment is placed
on platforms or scaffolding so that lenses are as close to perpendicular to the
screen as possible, particularly for rear projection. If front projection is
employed, it is necessary to position it on risers in order to clear the heads
of people seated or moving in aisles. The projection platform should be
dressed with themed decor or draped for a presentable appearance.
Staging for banquets with AV or entertainment involves a different set of
problems. Since people are seated at round tables, some of the guests will
have to turn their seats in order to see the screen or stage. Because of the
complexity of staging for entertainment, the PCO must request the room for
advance setup and rehearsals, and require written confirmation of dates and
exact access times. It can be frustrating to arrive with two tons of equipment
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at the stipulated ballroom on the stipulated date only to find that setup can’t
begin until the self-help seminar is cleared out.
EQUIPMENT SHIPPING AND RENTALS
To ship or rent, that is the question. Some PCOs will not consider taking an
AV presentation on the road without shipping all their own equipment. Others
may ship key pieces like computers and rent projectors, sound systems and
bulkier equipment on site. Yet others will take only their software and rent
everything locally. The choice depends on the availability of suitable
equipment and the presence of a reliable AV rental firm at the meeting site. If
the venue is a foreign destination, the expense and complexities of shipment
and possible variances in electrical current or media formats may dictate
on-site rental. (See Chapter 18 for additional audiovisual guidelines for
meetings abroad).
Renting Audiovisual Equipment
Many meeting facilities will maintain a basic inventory of microphones,
screens, flip charts, projectors, projection stands and related accessories.
Some are provided at no cost to the meeting organizer. Conference centers,
for instance, include the use of all audiovisual equipment and the services
of technicians in their flat daily rate. In the larger conference hotels and
most convention centers, the in-house AV contractor has become a
standard, though sales people will explain, if asked, that the client is not
required to utilize those firms. Some hotel contracts specify that a service
fee is customary for equipment brought in or rented from another source.
A firm objection during negotiations will usually eliminate the fee since
most ethical suppliers support the customer’s freedom of choice.
Whether depending on the in-house AV supplier or selecting an outside
company, the PCO should base decisions on the following criteria:
z Extent of AV inventory and availability of current models. Inquire
whether needed equipment will come from local inventory or be
sub-contracted.
z Reputation for maintaining equipment. Proper maintenance is
critical.
z Experience, training and technical competence of AV staff.
z Recommendation by other meeting professionals who have met at
the venue.
z Competitive pricing structure; reduced rates for back-up equipment.
z Ready availability of substitute or back-up equipment.
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