Practice makes perfect – Creating memorable event experiences

This is especially important given how much money is often invested in live conferences. Staging, equipment and audiovisual technology can take up a massive proportion of an event budget. Reduce the risk of embarrassing technical errors by rehearsing with all elements before the event goes live. It’s something we strongly advocate here at The Outlook Creative Group.

Your schedule will be unpredictable.

People will be tired from travelling.

Technical issues may occur.

By rehearsing, you minimise the risks these issues bring by putting people at ease and reassuring any nerves ahead of time. And hey – it’ll help you to relax too, which will mean you get to enjoy it more and won’t be rushing around sweating madly.

As Alan Jay Zaremba notes in his book Speaking Professionally, rehearsing can minimise 75% of speakers’ nervousness. Additionally, when it comes to public speaking, 95 per cent of a presentation’s success will come from the work put in before presenting. This may include:

• Becoming familiar with the way the room looks and how the audience will be seated
• Analysing the audience and who will be participating
• Preparing for any audience interaction (or non-interaction if no-one puts their hand up!)
• The type of equipment and microphone used, and the levels check with the sound desk
• Preparing how to walk on and off the stage, the (if any) music cue, and the distance and route=
• Checking any questions that have been sent in ahead of time
• Reading through any scripts or notes to ensure you know your subject in detail
• Practising with any videos, slideshows, animations or presentations that enhance and support your story to ensure they’re working and your team know what to press and when

Even though the hare had an advantage when it came down to speed, the slow and steady tortoise always wins the race. When you put aside dedicated time to ensure your communication engages your audience, you create experiences to remember.

Key techniques to ensure you’re always getting the best use of time

1. Schedule a dedicated rehearsal slot with the technical team to run through the event cue to cue. This prevents any last-minute changes or anything getting forgotten.

2. Ensure you have everything you need for your practice run-through ahead of time, and that all the people you’re working with know where they need to be. You can do this by printing off a running list or schedule for everyone to review.

3. Make sure all the technical staff have aligned their equipment with the communications for the most effective results.

How Outlook can help

Our experienced Events team can help you plan your event, provide dedicated timings and establish what to prioritise. Get in touch!