Abstracts

AV information for speakers

The AV team at the ECM31 would like to help you make sure that your presentation is a success.

Presentations are becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding, however, and hence a certain amount of technical advice is necessary in order to minimise the potential technical risks. We use the latest generation of professional equipment for your presentation. To ensure that you can make optimum use of this, we have set out the following tips and advice for you below.

Speaker Service Centre (AV check, media acceptance)

We set up a Speaker Service Centre (SSC) in a separate room with acceptance points for all the presentations. Our presentation technicians then check each presentation for format, correct representation, smooth animations and functioning films. The equipment at the acceptance point is the same as the equipment in the lecture rooms. Once the lectures have been checked, they are transmitted to the corresponding control rooms via the internal network and started on the presentation PC there. At the same time, a copy is kept on the server as a backup. This copy is reliably deleted after the event.

PC workstations are also available for speakers for last-minute editing work.

Peak hours of operation in the SSC are during coffee breaks and lunch breaks. In order to maximise your time in the SSC, and the attention that we are able to give you, we highly recommend visiting early in the morning or during the sessions.

Technical Specifications

  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 and earlier editions.
  • Aspect ratio Standard (4:3 or 16:9). The most screens in the rooms are 16 : 9 Audio: audio files integrated in a PowerPoint such as mp3 and wav.
  • Video: MP4, mov, wmv movies, integrated in a PowerPoint presentation, using among the following codec’s: H.264, Xvid MPEG-4, MPEG-2 / MPEG-1 /MPEG-4, Windows Media 12, Mov, Don't use Flash movies.
  • Integrate the movie so that it will start automatically, not to click with a mouse. If it's necessary make a second slide and start the movie automatically on this slide.
  • Don't use hyperlinks to start the movies, don't use movies from the internet like youtube.
  • If some movies in a presentation do not work during testing, we will convert them to a format that PowerPoint accepts through a video converter program.
  • If movies and/or audio files are embedded in your presentation, make sure you bring the movie/audio files to the Speakers’ Support Centre in case the files need to be converted.

In the Speakers Service Center you can see an example of the equipment in the room's. It's possible to test example presentations in the SSC.

How to transport your MS-PowerPoint file to the Speakers Service Centre (SSC)

ON CD-ROM, DVD, USB-Memorystick or USB Hard-Disk Drive.

Experienced and skilled technicians will assist you to transfer and check/correct your presentation.

In the Speakers Service Centre (SSC)

Please come to the SSC the day before or at least four hours before your lecture!

Our technicians will transfer your presentation to a server. You then rehearse your presentation with the assistance of a technician. Technicians will help you with your PowerPoint and will ensure that your changes are updated on the specific server.

In the lecture room

Via network your presentation is made available in your lecture room.

The technician start your presentation on the first slide at the right time, than you can control your presentation with a presenter remote control device, in front of you a comfort screen will be placed where you can see the presentation (the same picture like on the projection).

There will be no possibility to connect your laptop at the lectern in the lecture rooms. No overhead or slide projectors in the lecture rooms; no double projection.

No change in presentation in the lecture room by the technician or the speaker.

Peak hours of operation in the Speakers Service Centre are during coffee breaks and lunch breaks. In order to maximise your time in the Speakers Service Centre, and the attention that we are able to give you, we highly recommend visiting early in the morning or during the sessions. The accepted media in the Speaker Support Centre are: CD-Rom / DVD (data) and USB.

Technical information and tips

  • Note: The computers employed run under the Windows 10 operating system and with PowerPoint 2016.
  • PowerPoint formats.
  • Resolution: To ensure that the presentation looks identical on all the different presentation appliances, we would ask you to compile it with a resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher up to full HD.
  • Aspect ratio: 16 : 9 or 4 : 3.
  • Fonts: Use only standard fonts (such as Arial), because your own special fonts are not installed on our computers and cannot therefore be depicted correctly.
  • Animation: Use animations sparingly.
  • Movie: Make your movie's with standard video programs and the standard codecs. A lot of movie- making tools use their own codecs, which are not available on our computers. This makes it impossible for us to show the films. It must be possible for your film to be played by Windows Media Player.
  • Saving: Films should be compiled in WMV, Mp4, mov or MPEG1/2/4 format and must always be copied into the presentation folder. You can then incorporate your film in PowerPoint without any problems. Copy the entire folder onto your USB stick or onto a CD / DVD and bring it with you, on the storage medium, in its entirety.
  • Mac: Presentations compiled on a Mac with Keynote must always be saved in PowerPoint format. No Mac computers are available for running your presentation.
  • Speakers are not allowed to use their own laptops.

If you have technical questions, please contact info@ecm31.org.