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Speaker Ready Rooms

Over the past twenty years the reasons and applications for "Speaker Ready Room" or "Green Room" have evolved. Most of the evolution has been driven by changes in the media use for presentations.

In the past (when we were using 35 mm slide projectors, overhead projectors, 16 mm film, and the like) the speaker ready rooms were a location where the presenters could preload their slides in trays and preview them to check that all of the slides were loaded correctly. The ready room also served to allow the presenters to meet and discuss their presentations while partaking of snacks and beverages, or simply a place to relax before they went to their meeting rooms. (Note, it is almost universally agreed that serving alcoholic beverages in the ready room is a poor idea.)

Today, with the advent of electronic media types, presenters are required to give presentations of material they prepared on computers using software such as Microsoft's PowerPoint. Often these presentations are given directly from the presenters' laptop, equally often the presenter is required to preload their presentation on a "standard" rented laptop provided by the host of the meetings. In either case it is advisable to set up a place were the presenter can rehearse and edit their presentations. This also allows the presenter to test their laptop on the type of projector used in the meeting room, or conversely to test their presentation on a "standard" laptop. In both cases this is an excellent idea. If the presenters' laptop is unable to connect to the projector, for some reason, steps can be taken before the time for the presenter to start his meeting. Likewise, if the presentation does not run properly on the "standard" laptop (because of software version, missing fonts, or similar problems) the issue can be addressed.

It is also equally important to have a central location where the speakers can meet with someone who is familiar with Audio Visual and the equipment provided in each room to assure that the speaker's designated meeting room has the proper equipment to fill the speaker's needs. For example, where the speaker may have specified that he would be showing a video tape, he may not have correctly identified the format and type. The differences between NTSC and PAL are very important. Likewise VHS verses Sony Betacam tapes is important to note. Having a technician provided by the A/V vendor who is informed as to what equipment is in each room and who is able to distinguish between the types and formats of media can prevent some very painful train wrecks.

It is also helpful if there is a qualified person on hand who can create and edit PowerPoint. Very often presenters find reason to edit or recreate their presentations at the very last minute. Especially with medical meetings, where the slides can be highly complex, editing can be very challenging to someone who is not highly qualified at editing. Additionally a good PowerPoint editor can help out when a presenter shows up with a very raw or poorly created presentation.

about the author:
John Le Duc has worked in the Audio Visual field in Las Vegas since 1970, served as the Event Staging Coordinator at the Desert Inn Resort from 1995 through 2000. He is currently semi-retired and is available on a consultant basis. Questions and inquiries may be directed through the contact page of this website. Or, to e-mail John Le Duc directly, click here.

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