Planning an Event

 

The first place to start is what is the purpose of your event? This should drive all your future decisions, from venue to the colour of any set you have. This really is crucial to the event going well. Having no direction will mean a disorganised event, at best.

Of course the following will focus on the more technical side of planning an event, being our speciality. It is by no means an exhaustive list.

Venue

You probably have a venue in mind already, but if not then CVP can reccomend locations throughout the country. Numbers of delegates as well as costs and location will all come into play. Don't forget access to the room. If you are planning a car show, being on the 1st floor is usually not very helpfull!

Message

For want of a better word, your message is what decides the support and equipment you may require. If it is a motivational session, then a wide open stage with minimal distractions and a great PA is the call. However for a training course then a powerpoint presentation is standard. This means screens large enough or multiple enough for all the delegates to be able to see.

Set and branding

If you have company colours, then a backdrop to the stage - a set - can be coloured to match. This would also frame your screens. In the above picture the blue and red set contains 2 large projection screens, while a further central screen displays the organisations' logo.

Many speakers consider having a lectern on the stage. We have many options, including having the logo or branding on the lectern, microphones for the speaker, integrated powerpoint controls, timing clocks and more.

Lighting

Lighting can help draw attention to banners, artwork, speakers, or props. Coloured uplighting can help brand a room with your colours. For an after dinner speaker, a followspot may be beneficial, and a starcloth could hide any set being used the next day, and act as a backdrop.

Sound

Whatever your event, the delegates are going to want to hear whats going on. While a PA system is something to specify based on the room, questions about microphones can be done earlier. If speakers are likely to move around, radio microphones are preferable, as cabling is removed. Equally, fixed microphones on lecterns or top tables mean speakers can come and go without being individually mic'd up