Sound and lighting for a conference

The job is comprehension

A conference is not a music gig with a lectern. The measure of the sound is whether the person at the back of a long room, behind a column, understands the sentence the first time. That is a question of intelligibility rather than volume, and it is the reason a modest, well-placed system beats a loud one every time.

Microphones for the day

• A radio handheld for the host, who is usually the one moving between the stage, the lectern and the room.
• A lapel microphone for a presenter who walks and gestures. It keeps the hands free and the voice at a constant distance.
• A wired microphone on a stand at the lectern as the spare, and as the option for speakers who prefer it.
• A radio handheld for the Q&A, with wired microphones on stands for the panel and as spares, so a question from the floor is heard by the room and by anyone recording.
• Batteries changed at every break, and a spare set with the kit. A microphone that dies mid-sentence is the one thing nobody forgives.

Lighting for a long day

• Light the stage and the lectern, not the screen. Light spilling onto a projection is the fastest way to wash out a slide deck.
• Warm, even light on faces keeps a long day comfortable and photographs well for the company’s own images.
• Keep the audience area dimmer than the stage but not dark. A dark room at three in the afternoon is a sleep aid.
• House lights on a dimmer, agreed with the venue, so the room can move between a presentation and a break without a sudden change.
• Uplighting in the company colour for the evening drinks or the awards, rather than a second rig.

Slides, screens and where we stop

The screen and the projector are the venue’s or an AV supplier’s, and their technician should own them. We look after the sound and the lighting, and we will patch our system into theirs for playback if that is the simplest route. Saying so up front saves the awkward moment on the morning when somebody assumes the projector is in the same box as the PA.

Timings, changes and the run-through

• Get in before the registration desk opens, not while the first delegates are arriving.
• Line check every microphone with somebody walking the room, not standing at the desk.
• Rehearse the handover: from the host to the presenter, from the lectern to the panel, from the panel back to the room.
• Agree who owns the change between rooms or between sessions, and whether the same system moves with it.
• Allow a quiet twenty minutes before doors. It is the difference between a calm start and a scramble.

What it costs

The plug-and-play party PA is £115 for three days, or £140 with local setup, and covers speech and playback in a meeting room or a small hall. A wireless handheld can be added to it for £25, and the wireless lapel system is £8.50 for the day. For a larger room, the essential stage and band wash at £120 gives the presentation area a front wash, and six wireless uplighters at £70 light the room for the evening. The quote covers the figures for your venue and access.