MyData ❤ Presenters — 7 tips for better conferences

Presenter experience is often neglected topic, since the organisers focus mostly on making the conference participants feel well. However, if the presenters have a good experience it will have a positive impact on the whole conference. We compiled a tip list on how to make a conference as lovely as possible for the presenters before and at the event.

These tips are compiled from a discussion thread on Facebook. If you wish to contribute more feel free to comment on this post! We intend to realize all of these points in the Mydata 2017 conference.

1. SET GOALS TOGETHER

Inform the presenters what are the expected outcomes of the session and what the organisers define as success. Emphasize the role of this session or topic track in relation to the overall goals of the whole event.

It is good to include all the presenters together in the session planning rather early. When the presenters are in the same email delivery instead of one-to-one communication they get better understanding of the session as whole and how their own contribution fits in with the other presenters.

2. KNOW YOUR PARTICIPANTS

Brief the presenters on how many participants and with what backgrounds (business, research, students, NGOs) are expected to the whole event and to this particular session. It is helpful if it is possible to share the participant list with the presenters.

3. PROVIDE SUPPORT IN BUILDING A KICK-ASS PRESENTATION

Communicate actively if also other formats than traditional slide presentations are welcome. Many presenters are willing to be more interactive and prepare other formats if the conference organisers encourage to that.

Be always super clear about the timing and location of the presentation, when and where to send the material, possibility to test presentation technology and whom to be in touch with special needs like video or audio.

Individual presentations or a panel discussion?

Sometimes a change of format can be refreshing. On the other hand panel discussions can be challenging to host. Consider using professional hosts for all panel discussions or at least do not let first timers prepare panel discussions alone without proper support and briefing. This blogpost gives a good start.

Technical details

Provide accurate information for the presenters on what is possible (screen, audio, video..) in the presentation room and who can be asked for technical support if needed. It leaves really good feeling if the technical support actively shows that presentation is ready and asks if any further help is needed.

Downloading all presentations beforehand to a cloud service can be helpful in smoothly changing between the speakers at the venue. There should be always an offline version of the presentations in case if the Internet connection for some reason fails.

Own computer or fixed presentation computer?

The question whether presenters should be allowed to use own computers divides opinions. Best of both worlds is to recommend using the fixed presentation computer but allow also own computers. Connection and change between fixed computer and own computers need to be tested before the session starts.

4. SHARE PRACTICAL INFORMATION

It gives good vibes for the presenters if you provide clear practical guidance about the conference well in advance. However, multiple overly detailed and long emails from organisers may stay unread or even cause unnecessary stress.

Golden standard here is to write as few emails as possible and be prepared to convey the same info whenever needed. From the event home page it should be possible for an outsider to locate in less than 5 seconds the date and starting time of the conference and the venue address.

One-pager

One tip is to write a one-pager titled “PRINT THIS WITH YOU”. Include core info about the venue: address, timing and contact phone number. This is especially helpful for international presenters who might not have constant internet connection while travelling.

Travel, accomodation and food

Provide clear information how travel, food (including special diets) and accomodation are organized and possibly refunded, do receipts need to be saved etc. If there are no meals included provide tips about the best restaurants in town.

Map the arrival

For the presenters as well as other participants it is crucial to have clear info on how to arrive to the venue and accommodation (address and a map). Images of the venue and hotels are helpful for recognizing the buildings.

Include all modes of transportation: public transport time tables, walking & cycling options, directions from train stations and airports, taxi numbers, parking facilities etc. Deluxe version is to go to pick up the presenter from the airport!

Be the host

It is luxury to have a pre-conference get-together with speakers in the form of dinner or lunch. If there are time or other constrains familiarize the spakers with each other at least by sending a welcome email.

5. GIVE VISIBILITY FOR PRESENTERS

Promote the individual presenters and sessions in social media, not only the event as a whole. Let presentens know how they can participate in the discussion and what are the main communication channels and hashtags used. Also an important aspect to communicate beforehand is, if the sessions will be recorded or live streamed. It is good to ask for presenters’ permission.

6. BRIEF EVERYONE AT THE VENUE

Ask all the presenters to arrive 20 min. before the start of the session for a briefing. It is good to have a backstage assistant (in smaller sessions the host can do this as well), who can repeat once more the practicalities, help with the microphones and show presenters where to stay and move before the presentation.

Take time to test all presentations beforehand. Video and audio need a special check before the event begins. It is often better to show videos from researchers own computer: there cannot be a quarantee that videos showed from web platforms actually work.

7. HELP DURING THE SESSIONS

It is important to introduce the presenters on their behalf at least with few words and tell the audience why is the presenter and the topic relevant in this session. After the short intro the presenters can then introduce themselves more in detail. It is also possible that the moderator gives a bit lengthier introduction of the presenter and his backgrounds. In such case it is important that the moderator agrees with the presenter what will be mentioned and highlighted in the introduction.

Prepare questions

The session host should read beforehand all the presentations if possible. During the presentation, prepare couple of questions and encouraging comments for the presenter so that you can ask those in case if there are no questions raising from the audience. Often the first question also breaks the ice and more questions from the audience will follow.

Ask beforehand what is the most important thing the presenter would like to highlight. Last question from the moderator before moving on should be such that it allows the presenter to revisit this most important topic and therefore end the discussion in positive way.

Take care of timing

Best way to show respect to the presenters is to ensure that everybody can start on time and is allowed to keep the presentation in the length that was agreed in advance. The session host needs to be polite but very firm when it comes to keeping the schedule.

Better Q&A sessions

The session schedule should be planned realistically and communicated clearly to the presenters. It should include enough time for Q&A and additional few minutes of flexible time between all presenters. Best is to provide for all presenters in printed format a schedule that shows separately the presentation times and planned Q&A times and be strict with the plan.

Very good and too little used format is such that the Q&A is taken during the presentation before the final summary, this format allows the presenter to summarize not only the points from his presentation, but also the points from the Q&A. So instead of 15 min. presentation + 5 min Q&A consider having 12 min. presentation + 5 min Q&A + 3 min. conclusions by the presenter.

Share the material

Share presentations and other material after the conference with all the participants. Let speakers know in which format the material should be in.

Special thanks to Outi Puukko in simplifying and editing this text. Thanks to all who contributed on Facebook.