WELCOME TO MY WORLD
A snapshot into the lives of people who hire speakers
Lights, Camera, Speech!
With 30 years of expe- rience in audio-visual technology, Ed Beaman knows how to make speakers look and sound their best on the
platform. Meeting planners and event
producers hire Beaman and his company,
South Carolina AV, Inc., to make sure
light, sound, video and staging work
together to ensure a successful event.
Janet Bailey: What audio-visual
issues do speakers overlook?
Ed Beaman: Some speakers like to jump
off the stage so they can be close to the
audience. If you’re going to do that, you
need to let the AV crew know ahead
of time, because it affects lighting and
audio. Otherwise, you may wind up in
the dark, and your impact is decreased
because the audience can’t see you.
we’ll do everything we can to meet
with you the night you arrive. If you
can’t do the sound check until the next
morning, it needs to happen at least an
hour before the meeting starts. For a
meeting that kicks off at 8 a.m., we’re
up and running at 6: 30 a.m., so I recommend coming in to do the sound
check before breakfast.
Don’t wait until just before show
time to make a special request. People
may not think it’s a big deal to put a
table up on stage, but it is a big deal.
It disrupts the flow of the meeting and
makes the meeting planner look incompetent, through no fault of the planner.
member standing by to hand it to you
and retrieve it when you’re done.
When and how should speakers
communicate their needs to the
technical crew?
Your requirements should be in writing
when you contract with the event
planner, so that the planner can send the
rider to the production company. Often
the planner will put you directly in
touch with us, especially if the rider has
a lot of specific requirements. If you’re
using slides, it’s a good idea to send us
the slide deck ahead of time. Bring a
backup copy on a thumb drive to the
presentation. If you use embedded video
in your slides, make sure you also have
the video files on the drive.
Always attend the technical
rehearsal or sound check. If you have a
late flight and can’t make the rehearsal,
What else should speakers do?
If the AV crew does a good job for you,
tell your meeting planner. We’re all in
this together to help you do your job
and get the message out.
What should speakers know about
microphones?
If you sing as part of your presentation,
use a handheld microphone, not a lavaliere. The tonal range and frequency
response are totally different. You can
still use a lavaliere for speaking. If we
know you are going to use a handheld mic to sing, we can have a crew
Ed Beaman is president of South Carolina AV, Inc., a full-service audio-visual company in Columbia, S.C., providing equipment and
staging services for events around the United
States. Previously, he was president and
co-founder of Advanced Video Inc., named a
top 500 company by Inc. Magazine under
his leadership. Visit www.sc-av.com.
Janet Bailey helps organizations improve focus and engagement hrough Precision Questioning & Answering, clear communi- cation, and mindfulness
training. Learn more at www.janetbailey.com.
