Author Archive

Practice Makes Perfect

Aug 6th, 10 / 0 Comments

Practice Makes PerfectWhen you are having a meeting, chances are you will be making a presentation.  It may be long or short; it may be in front of a crowd of 10 or 100 people.   Regardless of the details, you want to make your best impression and give the best presentation you can give.  When you hold your meeting, you’ll learn that a little time and effort go a long way.  Practicing your presentation ahead of time will help you appear more confident, professional, and you’ll be able to grab your audience’s attention in ways you never thought possible.   You’ve always heard the saying “practice makes perfect;” well, in the case of presentations it’s absolutely true.  So what are some good ways to practice?   Take a look at the tips below and use as many as you can before your next big meeting.

1.  Record Yourself. If you can hear or watch yourself make your presentation, it makes you more aware of what you’re doing wrong and what you’re doing right.   If you have a tape recorder or some kind of audio recorder, go ahead and hit record when you make your speech.  Play it back and listen to yourself.  Are you speaking clearly?  Do you have any annoying habits such as saying “um” and “uh” between sentences?   Are there any words you have problems with?

This works for videotaping yourself as well.  Set up your video camera or if you don’t already have one, consider renting a video camera.  Record your entire presentation and play it back to see where you can make improvements.  Are your gestures distracting?   Do you make eye contact with the camera/your audience members?  Do you look nervous?

2.  Have someone else watch. Whether it’s your friends, family, or a few close co-workers, have people whose opinions you trust watch you give your presentation and ask them to give honest criticism.  Ask them to tell you what they liked and didn’t like, what you need to change and what you can improve.

3.  Use a mirror. In a quick pinch using a mirror can be as rewarding as a video camera.  You have the same ability to watch yourself perform and you can watch to see what you’re doing wrong.  If you are making distracting gestures, you can stop and do it over again until you find a place where you’re comfortable.

4.  Get familiar with props and technology. If you plan to use any kind of visual aids, props, or technology with your presentation, you’ll want to make sure you do at least one run-through with them at your side.  Make sure you’re comfortable moving things around if you have props or paper visual aids.  If you plan to use a projector rental or any other technology you’re not familiar with, make sure you have the rental firm set it up ahead of time and make sure you get there early to learn how to use it well enough, so that you’re not having to stop your presentation to figure out how to change slides or power on and off.

Uncategorized

Staying on Budget When Planning Your Meeting

Jul 29th, 10 / 0 Comments

Staying on Budget When Planning Your Meeting When you’re in charge of planning a meeting, staying within your budget is probably one of your biggest worries, but it shouldn’t have to be.  With a little extra effort, staying within budget can be the easiest part of meeting planning.   Here are a few tips  to help you out with the financial aspect, so that you can spend more time and effort on the important parts of your meeting.

1.  Make sure you know your budget.  If you know your exact limits verses a guess or estimate, you are more likely to stick to it.

2.  Stay organized.  This one seems simple, but before you even begin the planning process, make a list of items you’ll need to pay for.  These might include transportation, entertainment, refreshments, technology rentals, accommodations if your meeting will involve out-of-town guests, renting a location if it won’t be at your office, and more.  Figure out how much of your budget you can afford to assign to each aspect and try to leave a little extra room in case something comes up.

3.  Be flexible.  If you have specific expectations about dates and locations, you may find yourself having to shell out a little extra money to pay for those expectations.  Some places, such as hotels, might give discounts if you’re not 100% set on a date.

4.  Have a back-up plan.  Something can always go wrong when you’re planning a big meeting.  Consider the possibilities and decide what you can do in the event of an emergency.  Not having a back-up plan could result in spending tons of extra, unnecessary cash.

5.  Rent any necessary technology.  In today’s world, technology is king, and any successful meeting requires at the bare minimum a projector.  Renting a projector is a great alternative to purchasing one when you’re trying to stay within a budget.  You’ll pay a small fraction of what you would when you purchase a new projector and you can rent it for as long as you need.  Many meeting planners also rent laptops so that each meeting attendee can use one to access websites, take notes, and perform other tasks related to the meeting.

Meetings

Start Your Meetings on Time

Jul 21st, 10 / 0 Comments

Start Your Meetings on TimeNo one likes a meeting that doesn’t start on time.  Most of the time, a meeting that starts late means a meeting that finishes late and it can eat up important productivity time and even affect when you and your employees are able to go home.   There are so many ways to prevent your meeting from starting later than scheduled.  After following these tips, you won’t have any excuse to ever start a meeting at the wrong time again!

1.  Make sure everyone involved with the meeting knows when it starts.  Also, make sure everyone knows you mean business.  State that your meeting will begin promptly at that time and that no excuses for tardiness will be accepted.

2.  If possible, remind everyone the morning of or shortly before the meeting.  Send out a group email or put a flier in your employees’ mailboxes.  Make an announcement if you have a PA system.

3.  Even if your meeting starts late, wrap it up at the scheduled time.  This will also show your employees you are trying to stick to a schedule and may help them be on time when you have your next meeting.

4.  Close the doors to your meeting room and post a sign that says something along the lines of  “Do not enter. Meeting in progress.”   This will send a clear message to attendees that you will not tolerate lateness.

5.  If you are planning to use temporary equipment such as laptop rentals or a projector rental for your meeting, make sure it’s set-up and powered on, ready to be used.  Familiarize yourself with the technology so that you do not have to spend the first fifteen minutes of the meeting learning how to show your slides.

6.  Finally, be prepared.  Have your notes together and rehearsed, and be ready and waiting in the meeting room before your participants arrive.

Meetings

Choosing the Right Font for Your Presentation

Jul 15th, 10 / 0 Comments

Choosing the Right Font for Your Presentation

You’ve got a big presentation coming up for your company’s next meeting.  You know your topic like the back of your hand and you’ve contacted your Tech Travel Agent to secure a projector rental for your meeting, but now it’s time to put together the actual presentation.  You want it to be appealing and attention-grabbing, but you don’t want to overdo it, right?
One of the biggest things that often prevents people from even working on their presentations in a timely manner is the font.  There are so many different options when it comes to fonts these days, that picking the right one can be an overwhelming task for someone who does not usually work with programs like Microsoft’s PowerPoint.   Sure, you can use the old-fashioned standbys like Times New Roman and Arial, but that can get boring and surprisingly, it’s not always the best option.
First of all, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions:
1.  What type of audience are you presenting to?
– Do you work in an informal office, where your presentation will be made to your co-workers?  In this case, you can probably spice things up a little bit and have a little more fun with your fonts.
– Do you work for a larger company and plan to make a presentation to several executives from your corporate office?    Obviously, in this situation, you’d want to keep things formal.
2.  How serious is your topic?
– Are you discussing something important or sensitive such as accident prevention or budget cuts?  You may want to avoid using anything you would consider cute or fun in this situation.
– On the other hand, are you discussing something fun, like the budget for this year’s holiday parties or the upcoming community project your office is involved with.  These types of presentations will allow for a little more room to get creative.
3.  Is your presentation mainly in what you say or in what you type?
– If you plan to let your mouth make the point and use your slides as simply a back-up tool for people to refer to or to emphasize a few key-points, then you can afford to be a little creative with your fonts.
– If you plan to rely heavily on your slides and pack them full of information, you’ll want to stick to fonts that are easier to read and less distracting.
Once you’ve answered these questions, you should have at least a general idea about what types of slides you want to make and what sort of image you want to convey.
Here are a few general tips about choosing fonts:
1.  Don’t use too many.  The more you use, the more jumbled up your presentation will look.  If it’s too busy, it will be unappealing to your audience and hard to follow.  Many consultants suggest using three or four maximum.
2.  Use one main font for your main content.  Whether you have two points or ten points per slide, make sure they’re all in the same, consistent font.  You’ll also want to be sure your main font is the most plain. This would be a good time to use Times New Roman or something similar that is easy for everyone to read.
3.  For titles, captions, and other non-main text, you can use something a little more fun, but make sure it’s still readable.  Trebuchet, Tahoma, and Comic Sans are a few examples.
4.  Be careful about using anything too “out there.”   Not just because it might drive your audience crazy to look at it, but also because some of the more unique fonts don’t always transfer well from one system to another.
5.  When choosing font size, never go below 16- or 18-point.  Also, keep in mind that different fonts can be the same size but they don’t appear the same on screen.
6.  If you really want to grab someone’s attention, use even bigger fonts on words like “new,” that are meant to grab attention.   32-point or higher is great.
7.  Use bold font, italics, and underlined font sparingly.  Just like having too many fonts, having too many extra characteristics can ruin you presentation.
Meetings

Projector Rentals Save the Day

Jul 7th, 10 / 0 Comments

Projector Rentals Save the Day

Did you know that no matter what type of business you’re in, a projector rental can be just what you need to save the day?
Amy Evans spends the last few days of each month traveling around the metro Atlanta area.  She sales insurance to businesses and often meets with groups of new employees at various companies.  These meetings may include two people or 32 people. When Amy started the job, she realized quickly that showing her slide presentation on her laptop wasn’t going to work when she had a couple dozen anxious new employees to keep entertained.  Being new to her job, she couldn’t afford to purchase a projector and she never knew if the company she was visiting that day would have one on hand.  That’s when she turned to RentOurProjectors.com.  “I was able to take advantage of their Atlanta projector rentals, which saved me money and helped make my presentations a lot more interesting.  I recommend them to any new salespeople my company hires.”
Jason Hudson learned that Maryland projector rentals are definitely life-saver when it comes to his job.  Every year, his company sends him to Baltimore for his industry’s big annual conference and every year, he’s forced to make an educational presentation to a few groups of about 50-100 people.  Jason has always been very shy and nervous about speaking in front of a large crowd, so anything that would help make his job easier is a welcome bit of a relief.  That’s why he uses RentOurProjectors.com to make sure he has a quality projector ready and waiting for him at the Baltimore Convention Center.  The projector is delivered and set-up exactly where Jason needs it, exactly when he needs it.  That’s one less thing he has to worry about.
When Amelia Farquhar’s small business just outside of Jacksonville, Florida launches a new product and she has to present that product to potential buyers, she finds herself staying up all night for weeks, planning every little detail of her product launch.  But Ameila says she couldn’t do the launches without Florida projector rentals from RentOurProjectors.com.   “As a new small business owner, I can’t afford to purchase a bunch of technology for my office.  I’ve only been at this for about a year and a half.  I am just so thankful I found RentOurProjectors.com.  I’ve only had three product launches so far and each time, they’ve delivered the right projector to my office, set it up, and provided me with excellent customer service.
If you ever find yourself in a tough spot and you need a projector for a limited amount of time or you can’t afford to go out and buy one, let RentOurProjectors.com save the day for you, too.  Visit our website or give us a call at 800-736-8772 today.
Meetings

10 Meeting Presentation Dos & Don’ts

Jun 2nd, 10 / 0 Comments

10 Meeting Presentation Dos & Don'ts

Making a presentation can be intimidating, but if you follow a few simple rules, your presentation will run smoothly.  Below you’ll find five dos & don’ts of making a presentation at a meeting.

Do:

1.  Smile & Be Yourself: When you smile, the world smiles with you.  That can be said for meetings, too.  If the presenter is smiling and upbeat, attendees will smile and be more alert.   Also, the audience will relate to you if you are genuine and not trying to be something you aren’t.  It will put you and the audience at ease.

2.  Use a Computer or Projector: Using technology can make your presentation appear more professional.  Some people use dry erase boards or overhead projectors – that is outdated.  If you or your company doesn’t have a computer or projector that will work alongside your presentation, you can use a laptop rental or a projector rental from a computer firm such as Rentacomputer.com.   Computer Rentals are convenient because you can have them delivered and set-up right where you need them at a mere fraction of the cost of purchasing the equipment, yourself.

3. Come Prepared: Get to the location of the presentation early so you can be sure everything is set-up and you have all the materials you need.  Run through your presentation and make sure you’re ready to go.

4.  Use Multiple Visual Aids: Using the same five slides for an hour-long presentation isn’t going to cut it.  You need to change slides every one to three minutes.  Give attendees enough time to read what your slide says but don’t give them time get bored and start looking elsewhere.

5.  Move Around the Room: Don’t stand behind a podium or in one single spot.  Move around the room, engage your audience, and give them reason to pay attention.

Don’t:

1.  Make Spelling & Grammar Errors: One of the most unprofessional things a presenter can do is forget to run spell check.  Do this and proofread your presentation several times before letting your audience see it.

2.  Speak too fast, too softly: This is probably a given, but a lot of people talk too fast when they get nervous.  Take time to think about what you’re saying and enunciate your words.  You may make other changes in your voice when you’re making a presentation, as well.  Personally, I know I tend to speak softly when I’m nervous and there is nothing worse than having an audience to tell you to speak up.

3.  Make Animation Mistakes: Animation can be a great way to keep your audience interested in your presentation but a little goes a long way.  Don’t overdo it and make sure you know how to use it.  If something goes awry in the middle of a presentation, it will make you look unprepared and unprofessional.

4.  Use Multiple Fonts: One or two fonts to dress things up is OK, but when you begin using a different font for every sentence, you’ll overwhelm your audience and make your presentation hard to read.

5.  Leave Your Screen Saver On: Imagine you’ve just given a five-minute lecture and forgotten all about your projector, yet your audience is still very focused on the screen.  You look up and see ocean creatures swimming around on your projection screen and realize you forgot to turn your screen saver off.  That one’s pretty self-explanatory.

Meetings

Make Your Meetings Fun

May 13th, 10 / 0 Comments

Make Your Meetings Fun

Chances are, if you surveyed your employees, most of them probably aren’t going to use the word “fun” to describe meetings.  As a matter of fact, they probably don’t look favorably at meetings at all.  Let’s be honest, meetings aren’t usually exciting.   But what if you could spice things up a little bit?  Not only will this encourage employees to attend and participate, but the overall mood and production value of the meeting will probably change, too.  Here are few tips on making your meetings “fun.”

1.  Audience Participation

Admit it.  You, yourself, have probably started to drift off during a meeting in which the presenter droned on and on about one topic for hours.  Giving a lengthy speech about a topic usually means the information goes right in one ear and out the other.  Adding some audience participation can go a long way.  Games, hands-on activities, demonstrations, role-playing, and even trips outside of the meeting room or anything else which requires your audience to be an active part of the meeting can help keep everyone’s interest through the duration of your meeting.

2.  Get employees involved in planning

Ask your employees what they do and don’t like about your meetings and use their suggestions to change things up.  Maybe appoint a different employee to come up with ideas for each meeting or to gather information for you.  When people have a say in what they’ll be doing, they’re often more engaged.

3.  Offer Prizes and Contests

Good, old-fashioned bribery is always an option when it comes to getting people motivated.  Offer some sort of raffle or contest that allows meeting attendees to win a prize.   Or maybe at the end of your meeting, you can have a “pop quiz,” and the person who is able to answer the most questions, gets a prize.  The possibilities are endless.

4.  Use Audio Visual Equipment Rentals

Projectors, plasmas, and other audio visual equipment can perk up even the dullest of meeting rooms.  Imagine your content being projected on a large screen, in bright colors, with music or other sound to back it up.  The right equipment can turn your boring powerpoint presentation into an engaging activity that holds everyone’s interest.  And if you don’t have equipment on hand or spending thousands of dollars for equipment you don’t use very often isn’t in your budget, a rental firm like Rentacomputer.com is a great option.  You can rent the equipment for just the time you need it, and even have it delivered and picked up to and from any location.  Just call 1-800-736-8772 to find out more!

Remember, meetings can easily become boring and people work better when they are energized and motivated.  Wouldn’t you rather see your employees laughing and relaxed verses falling asleep at your meetings?  I know I would!

Meetings

Technology Rentals for Meeting Planners

Mar 31st, 10 / 0 Comments

Technology Rentals for Meeting Planners

Meeting Planners are involved with and responsible for almost every aspect of a corporate meeting or event, from preparation to presentation.  This might include site selection; arranging for guest speakers; and scheduling, and negotiating with suppliers to provide the necessary food, entertainment, tables, pipe and drape, computer and or audio visual devices.

As a matter of fact, they work much like a Tech Travel Agent.  A Tech Travel Agent are basically Meeting Planners who specialize in providing corporate events and meetings with the latest technology.  How does this benefit you as a Meeting Planner?  Our Tech Travel Agents is your single, nationwide contact who you can count on for advice and sourcing your technology needs, no matter what they are.

Meeting Planners can consult with a Tech Travel Agent prior to booking an event at  venue.  For over twenty years, Tech Travel Agents and Rentacomputer.com  have been providing short-term technology rentals for meetings and events, as well as offering invaluable advice to Meeting Planners on the venue’s ability to provide the necessary IT infrastructure.

Using a Tech Travel Agent for your technology rental needs can help Meeting Planners reduce their workload and increase the value they provide to their clients.  You will get great rates on short-term technology rental equipment such as audio visual equipment, computer equipment, kiosks, trade show displays, and anything else you need, all delivered to your event or meeting and installed.

Using a Tech Travel Agent eliminates endless solicitations from multiple vendors who only supply to this city or that venue.  Tech Travel Agents cover it all, in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and almost any other English-speaking country.

If you’re a Meeting Planner who would like to take advantage of a Tech Travel Agent and receive all of the benefits mentioned above and more, contact one today, by calling toll-free  800-736-8772 or e-mail TechTravelAgent@rentacomputer.com

Meetings

Business Presentation Projectors

Mar 9th, 10 / 2 Comments
Business Presentation Projector Rentals

With all the hard work that goes into preparing a business presentation, finding a projector should be the least of your worries!  You have to prepare the presentation by studying everything you can, organizing and putting it together and coming up with just the right approach to impress your audience.

That’s where RentOurProjectors.com can help.  With one call to our Tech Travel Agents, we can not only find the perfect Business Presentation Projector Rental, but we can deliver to your location, no matter where you’re located in the United States.  We will also set it up, taking away another worry you might have.  Our prices are competitive and our customer service can’t be beat!

When  you are putting together a business presentation, you should remember the following:

1. Include  the most essential information in your slideshow

2. Use  fonts and contrasting colors that make your information stand out.

3. Include photos, graphs, charts to keep your audience’s attention.

4. Visit RentOurProjectors.com for the best quality projector rentals!

Uncategorized

Texas Dental Association/Texas Meeting Technology Rentals*

Feb 8th, 10 / 1 Comment

Texas Dental Association/Texas Meeting

May 6-9, 2010, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, the Texas Dental Association will meet for its 140th Annual Meeting.  About 12,500 dental professionals from all over the state will be in attendance.   This is the largest dental trade show in Texas and each year, it offers professionals a quality education among other exciting opportunities.

Special events taking place include the Texas Dental Association Healthy Smiles Golf Classic, the Gold Reception the TDA Photo Contest, the TEXAS Party, and so much more.   And don’t forget the exhibit hall!  The exhibit hall will be open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Thursday and Friday, and from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, with a special Happy Hour from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM on Thursday and Friday.   Over 390 companies will be displaying their products and services this year!

If you’re planning to exhibit at the Texas Dental Association/Texas Meeting, get a fast quote on Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Technology and Computer Rentals by visiting our website at www.TechTravelAgent.com or calling toll-free 877-422-1907 to speak to your Tech Travel Agent today.

*TechTravelAgent.com is not affiliated with or in any way authorized by the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center or the Texas Dental Association/Texas Meeting. TechTravelAgent.com is an independent nationwide technology rental provider and this page in no way implies exclusivity of our services at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center or Texas Dental Association/Texas Meeting.

Meetings