Sound, microphones and discussion systems
Sound is the first thing an audience notices when it goes wrong. We match the sound system to the size and acoustics of the room, so the speaker is equally intelligible everywhere, including at the back and under a balcony. Which microphone suits depends on the programme: a headset or lapel microphone leaves a moving speaker's hands free, a lectern or table microphone works for a tightly run programme, and for questions from the floor we use wireless handheld or roving microphones. For panel discussions, general meetings and council meetings we use discussion systems: every participant gets their own unit with a talk button, so the floor is shared in an orderly way and nobody talks over anyone else. Wireless microphones require frequency management; we establish in advance which frequencies are free at the venue, so there is no interference or dropout during your congress. For hard-of-hearing participants we install a hearing loop or use Auracast. Throughout the programme a sound engineer sits at the desk, mixing and adjusting live.
Vision, projection and presentation management
Whether projection or an LED screen is the better choice depends mainly on the light in the room. A projector with the right brightness and lens gives a large image at lower cost, but needs a room that can be dimmed. An LED screen stays bright and high in contrast even in full daylight and under strong stage lighting, and needs no throw distance. We calculate in advance which size and aspect ratio suit the room, so even the back row reads the slides effortlessly. On stage we place a confidence monitor so the speaker can see their own presentation without turning around, with notes and a countdown clock for speaking time if wanted. All presentations and videos are loaded centrally in advance and tested on the day, so there is no shuffling of laptops and cables between speakers. From the control position we switch seamlessly between presentation, video and camera. In large rooms we use cameras for image magnification, so the speaker is clearly visible from the back as well.
Lighting, staging and room dressing
Lighting determines how your speakers come across, both in the room and on camera. We light the stage so faces appear open and natural, without harsh shadows and without a speaker squinting into their own screen. We also use light to give the room atmosphere: colour accents in your house style on the back wall, calmer room lighting during presentations and more energy during breaks and networking. The stage itself is built to measure from modular decking, at the height that suits the sightlines of the room, with a catwalk or seating stand if required. Pipe & drape gives you a clean back wall in a short time, hiding cables and doors while providing a calm background for screens and cameras. Banners, décor and branding in your own house style complete the picture, so the stage looks exactly as you pictured it from the very first second.
The room itself: layout, sightlines and acoustics
The room decides more than people think. A theatre layout has everyone facing forward and calls for one large screen; with a cabaret or café layout part of the audience sits at an angle and you often need a second screen. Columns, a balcony or a low ceiling can break the sightlines, and a room with a lot of glass and hard floors reverberates, which harms intelligibility more than an underpowered sound system does. So we look at the floor plan in advance and, where possible, at the room itself: where the stage goes, how far back the last row sits, which seats have no view and where the control position can stand without ending up in a walking route. On that basis we advise on the layout and match the technology to it, rather than the other way around.