AV Requirements workshop

Audio Visual Guidelines and Room Set-up for Steve Spangler Hands-on Science Workshop

There is no one single factor that influences the success of the presentation more than the set-up of the room. Steve and his support team are experts in helping you finalize a room layout that accommodates his high level of audience engagement. The following are suggestions to enhance the audience experience.

SET-UP TIME

Steve and his team will need between 60-90 minutes to unpack and set out all of the workshop materials for the participant and to set-up his demonstrations on the stage. Whenever possible, it’s preferable to get access to the room the night before the event to set out the materials. This way Steve can spend time talking with your participants in the morning instead of rushing around trying to set-up. All of these arrangements will be discussed in detail prior to the event.

ROOM SETUP & LAYOUT

Due to the interactive nature of this experience, a wide room set-up is vastly superior to a long room set-up. In other words, in a rectangular meeting room, place your stage in the middle of the long wall so the audience is evenly divided between left and right. Some of the most difficult events are when the stage is on the short wall, making it seem as though Steve is in the end-zone and speaking down a football field. Placing your stage in the middle of the long wall ensure a greater number of your participants can truly engage with Steve.

Classroom style works best for all of our workshops.  If you using round tables we ask that you set them crescent style so the front side of the table is open.  We can work with you to select the best setup for the type of room and group size.

WORKSHOP MATERIALS

Materials will arrive 3 business days ahead of your event date and can be shipped directly to the event location.  All of the hands-on materials will be included in your fee inclusive agreement.  Depending on the workshop you book with us we may need some access to water pitchers and paper towels for the participants.

WATER & PAPER TOWELS

The participants will need to have a source of water on each table to conduct the science experiments. Please have one pitcher of tap water (no ice) for every three participants. It’s important to have a wide-mouth pitcher similar to what you might find in a restaurant for many of the activities. This water is not intended for drinking. If you’re working with a hotel, this is a foreign concept to them. Just assure them that they’re doing the right thing… no ice! If you want participants to have drinking water, please set up a water station in the back of the room, away from the experiments on the table.  Please have a small stack of paper towels available at every table next to the water pitchers for the participants to use throughout the workshop.

RAISED PLATFORM

Our workshops are highly visual so we want to do our best to allow everyone in the room a good view of the demonstrations. If you are working with a group of 100 or more we recommend a raised platform that can accommodate two 6 foot tables on the back.

STAGE NEEDS

Steve will need 2 six foot tables on stage for his props and demonstrations. Standard folding tables (2×6) work well. Drape the table to class up the joint and you’re set. He would also like to have a smaller table (2×2 or so) to work off of from the middle of the stage. If the location of the event is a hotel or event center, a waiter stand and tray will also be requested.

HANDS-FREE MICROPHONE

Please have a wireless, lavaliere (TIE CLIP) microphone for Steve. Due to the hands-on nature of the workshop, Steve will not be able to use any type of handheld microphone. A clip-on style (lavaliere) microphone is preferable over a headset style microphone whenever possible.

AUDIO INPUT

Steve uses audio clips from his laptop computer throughout the workshop. Please have the necessary audio cables (standard 1/4 inch jack or “mini” connector) and mixer needed to play the audio from Steve’s laptop computer through the sound system.

LCD PROJECTOR WITH AUDIO & SCREEN

If a projector is available with a connection to the sound system, Steve may integrate brief video clips into the presentation. The video clips play from Steve’s Apple computer, and he travels with the DVI to VGA connector.

LIGHTS

It’s important to aim as much light on the stage as possible and provide the participants as much light at their tables to work with their hands-on materials throughout the workshop. If the venue is a hotel, check to make sure the lights over the stage area are working… and bright! If the room has theater spotlights or any type of stage lights, please aim them to cover the entire stage. Steve utilizes lots of movement to connect with his audience and it’s important for everyone to be able to see.

You’ll receive additional set-up information, room layout diagrams and other information once all of the details are finalized.

If you have any questions regarding our room setup & audio/visual requirements or are interested in taping Steve Spangler’s presentation, please contact Carly at (855) 228-8780 or by e-mail at [email protected]