How to Pick Marine Speakers for Your Watercraft

Nowadays it’s not uncommon whatsoever to find top quality sound systems in almost everything from motor luxury boats and sailing sloops down to weekend cruisers and bass fishing boats. Modern day marine audio components allow boat owners to experience the very same quality of audio as they have become accustomed to experiencing while in their automobiles or trucks.

At one time a boat owner simply had to rely on a boombox or perhaps be ready to change their regular car stereo speakers each year or so. Regular car audio speakers simply cannot stand up to the tough marine environment. But nowadays it is easy to locate top end marine speakers that are specifically manufactured for marine use.

Step one in choosing marine speakers is almost always to identify exactly where the speakers shall be mounted. A good thing to remember is that even though today’s marine speakers are water-resistant, they’re not water-proof. So some care and attention really should be taken to position them out of the way of direct spray.

One other thing take into account is precisely how will they be powered. When you are mounting speakers in the cabin of a luxury yacht, you can completely focus only on quality of sound but if mounting in the wide open area of any motorboat, you have to understand that you will have a large amount of background noise to overcome. This means it is best to power your loudspeakers with a marine amplifier. The amplifier really should be set up in the cabin or some enclosed region in order to prevent the electronics from getting wet.

You can also add a marine subwoofer into your system to deliver that distinctive sounding bass. You might possibly integrate it into existing cabinets to avoid the necessity for a separate speaker box.

Last but not least you may pick the suitable souce unit for your system. You can get new marine stereo stereos capable of playing CD, MP3, WMA and all of your selected music direct from your iPod. Even though it’s also advisable to try to install the source unit outside the direct path of any water spray, you can also buy water-proof covers to safeguard the electronics.

Needless to say there are lots of options beyond what I’ve talked about here. Simply remember the determining element for what type of speaker system you’ll need rests upon the size of the boat and placement of the speakers.

What Is Better: Home Theater Speakers or Home Stereo Speakers?

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When shopping for home theater surround sound speakers, those who are new to home theater question if there is any difference between a home theater surround sound system and standard home stereo speakers. We’ll try to consider the basic differences in a brief fashion.

Just compare the size of small satellite speakers used in a home theater surround sound system with standard bookshelf speakers or tower speakers and you’ll get a clue as to why they were not created equal. The difference of size alone makes a world of difference in their sound characteristics. The standard two-way bookshelf speakers and three-way tower speakers have a good\decent size woofer included in the speaker enclosure. The smaller satellite speakers produce excellent quality mid and high frequencies but can’t produce that rich sounding bass we’ve grown accustomed to. This is why all standard surround sound speaker systems require a good powered subwoofer to produce the bass frequencies.

Music lovers will always want to enjoy their old favorite CD’s as well as the sound tracks from their new DVD. The best way to do this is to expand upon basic home theater sound systems. Basic surround sound speakers which average anywhere from three to six inches across do do alright in producing high frequencies for movie sound tracks. So you can replace the front two channel satellites with good quality bookshelf or tower speakers and boost your listening pleasure to both music and your favorite movie on DVD. The standard bookshelf speaker will bring greater sound quality overall to your system. Most surround sound systems will include a home theater subwoofer and the addition of bookshelf speakers or floor standing speakers will make a world of difference.

The basic and inexpensive home theater systems might serve you well for home theater. When spending a substantial amount of money for a home audio, you really should pay close attention to the quality of home speakers and components you select. Remember the old saying: “you get what you pay for.” This is especially true in the field of home audio speakers. Most are very happy with JBL bookshelf speakers in their home theater and home audio systems. In the majority of situations, you can make a good sounding surround sound system sound great by upgrading those front channel speakers.

Apple iPod touch 16 GBis spreading like wildfire!

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Apple iPod touch 16 GB ” All in one Multimedia Player slick type gadget”

This player is the iPod touch, not the Apple iPhone. 16 GB capacity for 3,500 songs, 10,000 photos, or 20 hours of video. Up to 36 hours of music playback or 6 hours of video playback when fully charged.

3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display with 480-by-320-pixel resolution. Supported audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV; supported video formats: H.264, MPEG-4; supported image file types: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG.

The iPod touch has always been an amazing iPod. And with its groundbreaking technologies–including a Multi-Touch screen, the accelerometer, and 3D graphics–and access to hundreds of games, iPod touch puts an amazing gaming experience in the palm of your hand. It comes in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models with new volume controls and a built-in speaker. Play hours of music. Create a Genius Playlist of songs that go great together. Watch a movie. Surf the web. View rich HTML email. Find your location and get directions with Google Maps. Browse YouTube videos. And shop the App Store for games and applications.

This 16GB iPod touch lets you listen to music, watch video, surf the web, get email, and shop for games and applications on the App Store. A new contoured design and revolutionary Multi-Touch touchscreen interface combine with a brilliant 3.5″ widescreen display to make the iPod touch the funnest iPod ever.

Play music, watch video and surf the Internet with the touch of a finger. The revolutionary multitouch interface is easy to use and the built-in wi-fi comes with a Safari Web browser. Music, movies, games and the Internet — with a built-in speaker and groundbreaking technologies such as accelerometer, and 3D graphics, iPod touch puts an amazing entertainment experience in the palm of your hand.

Brush Blush

How to Organise A Conference

There are several types of conferences; the dictionary definition of conference says “A meeting for the exchange of views”.

My interpretation of conference, being a conference producer, is a place where people meet to confer and share knowledge. In the sharing theme I have decided to detail the elements required to ensure your conference goes smoothly. Whether you are getting a conference production company like mine to do it for you, or if you are going to manage it yourself, follow this outline and you can be assured that if you have made ample allowances for each of the items then your attendees (usually called delegates) will have a great day out. The better the feedback from the delegates the better the conference will have been received by the end client, either your MD or client depending on whether you are doing it yourself, or are an event organiser.

There are many different types of conferences, one of the most popular types are seminars which are normally an academic style forum where people go to learn about a certain subject.Quite a few companies run free seminars to teach their clients about the products they sell and how they can help to fulfil a need. Quite often the clients do not realise they have the need until the seminar is over!

I mention Forum above because this is probably (at least to my knowledge) the oldest type of meeting or conference that I am aware of. My partner Sam will cringe at this, as when I discuss my work, I always have to get the Romans in the story somehow A lot of the passion in my work comes from Roman history.

A Short History of Conferences

The forum as many people are aware was the centre of power in Rome for many hundreds of years, a Roman general would return from a successful campaign and he would have been received at the forum and made a speech from the rostrum to the Roman people.

So for thousands of years people have been having conferences around the world, the tools for doing the job have changed, but I can imagine and have indeed read about, the effort and organisation that went into preparing for one was as important then as it is today.

Things haven’t changed much no matter how large or small a conference is, there are some rules that we must all follow, if it is to be a successful event.

The Right Venue

Once you have a reason to hold a conference and an audience to attend the next step is venue selection, this is crucial as you will need a room large enough for the numbers attending, without being too large. If you are going to have a conference set with rear projection then the throw distance has to be taken into account when you are looking at the room, (I will come onto throw distance later when thing get more technical) as this uses space too.It is also a good idea to try and make sure you have extra ‘breakout’ rooms available for delegates to have private discussions and to make and receive phone calls.

Once you have a main meeting room suitable for your delegate numbers, you then have to consider where they will have tea and coffee breaks for networking and if there is potential for setting up display stands for other products. Quite often a conference you will have a large group of industry leaders and corporate decision makers, why not create a form of exhibition area to promote ancillary products or services?

An often overlooked aspect in conference production venue selection is choosing a venue location close to an airport if the majority of attendees are international.

Remember if you are going to do the job right you are also responsible for the delegate experience prior to arriving at the venue, you want them to have a pleasant journey and feel as relaxed as possible on arrival so venue location is very important, as is the type of venue.

Conference Production

Once a venue has been selected and it fits with all the criteria above, then it’s time to give your production company a call, they will normally recommend a site visit, so the room can be measured to check all of the conference production elements fit within the space proposed. There is nothing worse than turning up on the day to find something wont fit!

There are various different styles of the seating and this is an important consideration. There is theatre style seating where the delegates sit in rows next to each other. Then you have classroom style seating where delegates sit next to each other with a slim table in front similar to when you might take an exam. Then there is cabaret style seating which is where delegates are seated on round tables normally 6 feet in diameter.

After your production company has completed the site visit they will propose the elements of staging you require to achieve your purpose. This will include stage and set, video projection, sound, lighting, crew levels and any pre-production specifics.

Pre-production

Not all conferences require pre-production, for example if your conference has PowerPoint slides you may want your production company to create them for you, a lot of companies now have the resources to do this in-house, but if that is the case they need to be of a professional standard.

You may want a video to be created, there are different types of messages you could utilise a video for, for example, a short opening sting, like an advert, to give a high impact start to your show. Some of the best events start this way and it also helps to ensure you have got everyone’s attention!

Sometimes there may be presenters that can’t attend so you could have them videoed prior to the event and then played back during the conference at the allotted segment.

Not all presenters are comfortable with presenting, so a speaker coach may be a good idea, the coach will do as much or as little as is required. Usually they will come into your offices and asses the presenters, presentation techniques and will advise accordingly.

Event management companies do this kind of work day in day out and so they are used to taking into account all the aspects of a successful conference, so it is recommended that you engage a professional event manager for larger, or really important conferences, until you have cut your teeth on a few smaller projects.

However, if you decide to do it yourself, then below are some useful hints and tips to creating your own successful conference production.These tips are the culmination of over 25 years working as a conference producer.

Set and Staging

A conference set is usually a timber framed construction covered in a material of a colour that fits the client’s corporate colours, normally this would have an aperture in it for rear projection with a screen, the screen should be large enough for all of the audience to see the content on the screen without straining their eyes.Remember, the larger the audience then the larger the screen needs to be.

The base of the screen, known as the under panel, needs to be at least 1.2m (5ft) to ensure the audience has a clear view over the heads of the people sat in front of them.
This is where the ceiling height comes into play. For example if you had a screen height of 2.5m, a screen base of 1.2m and a screen header, above the screen, of 300mm the minimum ceiling height required is 4m, be sure to take into account any staging or steps in your measurements.

There are many different styles of set you can use, many companies have a stock set option which is pre-built, when it is used it is recovered to suit the client’s corporate branding. Other styles of set include a bespoke set where you consult a designer who will take a brief from you regarding the theme of the event and come up with a purpose built set with various options. This is of course more expensive compared to the standard stock set options.

Whether you decide on a stock or bespoke set it is advisable to have some scale floor plans created to ensure all the elements fit into the available space and most production companies will do this in-house. if you went for the bespoke option you would receive some 3D drawings so you can visualise what the set will look like in the venue.

Once the set has been decided upon then the stage will also need to be included in the plans. The most cost effective stage option for corporate events is a standard stage the width of the set, which is normally about 2.5m deep and 450mm high.

The size also depends on what you want to have on stage during the conference, for example if you are going to have just one lectern or two, or if there is a requirement for a top table or some comfortable chairs and a coffee table for a more relaxed question and answer session.

Video Projection

Video projection is required if you want to put an image on the screen behind the speaker. The image can be data or video playback or indeed both. At small conferences this may just be a data projector and a laptop, controlled from the lectern, either with the client pushing buttons or with the help of a remote mouse so a presenter can move around the stage area freely.These are a great tool and whilst being relatively cheap to buy really help the presenter to get into their presentation!

You can also use a stage monitor screen so the presenter can see the slide changes without having to turn and look at the screen, the presenter should never have their back to the audience. To enable this you will require what we call a VCA DA this piece of equipment splits the signal from the laptop to both the projector and the stage monitor screen.

If the presenter is more akin to speaking than using a computer and doesn’t want to control their own slides then a cue light system can be used. This is a hand held controller that when pressed sends a signal to a light backstage and a technician then forwards the slides for the speaker.

If you want to play DVD’s you will require a DVD player with a preview monitor and a switcher. There are many different switchers you can use but it is recommended that if you’re going to play a lot of videos during your event then a good quality data switcher should be used.

So you’ve got your data projector, your cue light system, your stage monitor and your DVD playback.

Who else can think of a way of improving corporate events by utilising video projection technologies?

Recently I did an event which had a live camera feed.

The client wanted this for two different reasons firstly there was a presenter that didn’t have any PowerPoint slides except a name slide, so when he was presenting we had a live camera feed on the screen so the audience had a more up close and personal experience with the presentation. Then we utilised the live camera feed during the question and answer session for the same effect. By using two cameras we were able to switch between the person asking the question and the speaker responding to the question so everyone could properly see and hear both the question and the answer.

The second reason was that the client wanted to use some footage for the internet like a webcast, to be run after the live event. Certain elements of the conference were edited out and compressed for the internet so that delegates who were unable to attend could get a feeling of the content of the conference|, simply by watching it on their PC’s}.

Sound System (Public Address PA)

The sound system can range from a couple of speakers and one microphone in a small conference for say 50 delegates, or multiple speakers and microphones for up to thousands of delegates.

The basic sound system requirements are speakers, amplifiers, microphones and a mixing desk, to enable each microphone or set of speakers to be turned up and down as required.

The speakers are generally on stands, however if you are organising a large conference they may be able to be flown from truss above to give an even coverage in the centre of the room.

In the event that you do have a very large audience than a delay line is required, this ensures that the signal reaches all of the speakers in the various locations around the room, or venue, at the exact same time removing any echo.

There are various different types of microphones, the most commonly used these days are the tie clip radio microphones which enables the presenter the freedom to walk around the stage without having to worry about a trailing cable.

If the presenters are going to stay at the lectern then lectern microphones which are wired are more suitable, as with most thing wired, lectern microphones are generally more reliable as they don’t have a radio frequency to worry about and batteries that need charging up.

With regards the amplifier, most professional amps will run four speakers so if you need eight speakers for good coverage then two amplifiers will be needed. When the amount of speakers and amplifiers is specified, the next piece of equipment required is a mixing desk, generally people who are doing their own event don’t plan for this, but it can be the one piece of crucial equipment that makes the difference between an amateur and a professional event.

The mixing desk takes in all the signals that need to be heard through the speakers, such as the microphones, CD players and video playback. Once the equipment is plugged into the Mixing console, a feed is taken out of the desk and into the amplifiers, then from the amplifier to the speakers.

After this has been done the sound engineer then equalises the system which in layman’s terms means making it sound good in areas of the room. A well equalised sound system will have the feeling for the delegate, that the presenter is seated next to them not shouting from the front of the room.

All mixing consoles have a basic equaliser on the unit itself, however a professional conference producer will know it is advisable to get a separate graphic equaliser which has more options on it.

In a very large room it is recommend having what is called a multicore which as the name suggests is a cable with multiple cores inside it that carries the signals up and down the room from the control position from front of house to the control position backstage.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important visual elements of the conference. If you don’t have the luxury of a bespoke conference set then lighting can make all the difference.

There are several different types of lighting available, there is up-lighting normally provided by Par 64 floor cans, which you will recognise from seeing any professionally staged event. These can have coloured gel in them to add a set wash. There are also Fresnells which is a type of lamp which can hang from a truss or floor stand and again these can have a coloured gel in them to provide a set wash or coloured lighting effects. Profile lights are used to highlight elements of the set such as logos, steps or other details.

The most modern type of lamps on the market are LED lights. They are the most expensive type of lighting but they are worth it if you have the budget, the beauty of this type of lighting is that it can change colour at the press of a button|, which saves having to use gels to set the colour, and of course is a much more flexible for of lighting. I am sure you have seen LED lights being used all over the place these days, in torches, in mirrors, in cars, there are even some new cats eyes in the road that use LED lights.

Once the Lighting type and style is specified then it’s a good idea to get a lighting designer involved.

The designer will specify the type of lamp, where it should go, and what it’s going to do, if possible it’s best to hang lighting on a truss in front of the set, as opposed to using floor mounted stands. After the lighting has been decided on then it will need power, this usually comes from the venue supply via a dimmer rack to the lamps. A mixing console then controls the different stage effects which the lighting designer programs in.

Crew

The crew is very important as they pull all the elements of the show together, professional conference production companies will know the value of a crew communication system which comprises of headphones and belt packs for each crew member allowing them to communicate with each other, and the production manager or producer.

On larger shows we have a production manager and if required a conference producer, either one of these will show call, which means they will tell the crew what they should be doing and when they should be doing it. For example, when a video is due to be played they will let the video engineer, the sound engineer and the lighting engineers know in advance so they are ready when the caller say run VT.

Transportation

Again transportation is a crucial aspect of any event, or else how is everything you have ordered going to get there at the right time on the right day? The size of the vehicle is dependent on the size of the show, it can be anything from a transit size van up to an arctic with a 40ft trailer. It is the responsibility of the conference production company to decide on the type and size of transportation, but remember if you are booking a venue and it’s a large show that requires an arctic then make sure the vehicle can get into the loading bay! Fortunately it is not from my own experience that I have learnt this but from watching a competitor learn the it the hard way many years ago at an event I was working at!

In Summary

Organising a conference requires a lot of forward planning, the more you put in to it at the beginning the smoother it will run on the day.

Remember to look after your crew because they are the ones who enable it to all happen, look after your presenters because they are the ones it is happening for, and most importantly look after your delegates if you want it to happen to them again in the future.

Why is Rocket Spanish the Easiest Way to Learn Spanish?

Thinking of maybe learning another language? Best choice for native English speakers in the New World is Spanish. There are several excellent reasons for this…

There are many similarities in English and Spanish. Spanish came from old Latin. Latin was the official language in the British Isles up until 1250. So there is much Latin influence in English.

Another good reason is that Spanish is widely spoken in Europe. It would help you get around in Europe. Also it’s dominant in most of the Western Hemisphere. The fifth largest Spanish-speaking population in the World is in the U.S.!

You can learn Spanish easy and fast as you listen, repeat after the speaker, and you can be learning in no time.

Just forget about sitting in a classroom, bored, conjugating verbs. Today you don’t have to attend classes, spend a lot of money or time. You can download an interactive audio learning course in mp3 format, take copies with you wherever you go and take your lessons at a time and place of your choosing! The best way to learn is to learn conversational Spanish. There the emphasis is on verbal communication. Remember how you learned English? How much English did you know before you knew what the words grammar and conjugation meant?

The learning materials needed to learn Spanish with simple conversational spanish lessons can be downloaded from the Internet for less than $100.

So download yourself a learning course, learn spanish phrases, learn to speak Spanish! It’s easy, and very useful to know!

– David Martinez

Tackling the European Market in Conferencing and Event Management

 

Introduction

When a company or organisation wants to put on a conference or large event, it is unlikely they would consider doing it themselves. Most companies do not have all the necessary in-house expertise, and releasing personnel from their usual work could be less cost efficient than bringing in the experts. There is also a great deal more to organising a conference than most people would realise in that it is a very stressful and technical activity. The client therefore would usually call in another company that specialises entirely in conference and event management.

There are a great many companies offering Corporate Event Management Services so competition is keen. Even if you are the best you still have to compete with others who offer lower prices and might appear to be less expensive. One of the ways of countering the cut throat business in the UK is to look at offering Conference Production Services in Europe. European managers then have the option of using a UK or EU company to provide for their Conference or Event. UK conference services are more than able to offer competitive prices. In the current economic climate with the pound at its lowest value for many years, UK companies have a distinct advantage in the EU market. The following example will serve as a useful illustration of the many benefits of taking your event expertise outside of the domestic environment.

I plan to take you through a step by step account of the stages of managing an event in Europe using examples from a recent contract in Rome.

Step 1

As a company offering conference and event management services it is vital that the quality of service provided is professional and value for money. To this end attention to detail is paramount. The project manager will know his team and the quality and reliability of the technical staff, the quality of the electronic equipment and the soundness of the sets that are used. Once these issues are in place and proven on previous jobs then the pitch to the client can be confident and knowledgeable so that the client can be reassured things will run smoothly. If you can trust your team to do a good job then the client can trust you to do a good job.

Step 2

The Brief

The brief we were given was a three and a half day conference event in Rome in early February for approximately 150 international delegates attending, the majority of whom would be travelling from the USA.

Technical Specification

The technical requirement was to combine a rear projection set and a four speaker PA system with radio microphones. Also data and video switching, wireless table microphones for delegate interaction with presenters in question and answer sessions. They wanted two show laptop PC’s loaded with PowerPoint and various video software to assist with conversion of any extra footage required to a suitable format for projection.

Step 3

A quotation was provided for all the physical hardware and the technical requirements and the services of the project manager and his team. No subcontracting was required. Details were agreed and the quote was accepted by the client and a contract issued. It is important to make sure you have a contract and in it, a clause for cancellation charges.

Finding the best event company to suit your organisation may be difficult because there are so many to choose from.

Step 4

When organising any event abroad we find it more reliable and economical to use our own technical equipment and workforce who we know and trust. There are no problems with language and the team understand the technical issues that are likely to be encountered. They are used to working together, each having their strengths to contribute to the whole, and they can be trusted to do the best possible job with the minimum of fuss. However planning is a key activity particularly when organising meetings and conference events abroad. If you have forgotten something it’s too late to go back when you have driven 600 miles. So having decided to transport the full conference set, staging and equipment by van to Rome we then worked out the details of how best to achieve it.

Step 5

Transportation

The size of the event is critical to the choice of shipping. In our Rome example it was possible to convey all the required equipment in a hire van which could be driven using a standard UK driving licence. If the scale of a conference or exhibition event is much larger it would be recommended to use a dedicated freighting company to collect, deliver and return staging and technical elements to the destination. Using a dedicated freighting company also has the benefit of delivering the key personnel to the event without them being tired out after driving across Europe.

However, in this case it was decided that the event technicians would drive the van to Rome which would still be well within budget for all staging and technical elements. When hiring a vehicle it is essential to pay attention to maximum load capacity of the vehicle. The weight of the technical equipment and set must be less than the maximum load and once the main systems are onboard, care must be taken not to fill it to the brim with extra bits and pieces.

It is so easy, when being helpful, to add the client event material, such as delegate registration systems and materials, brochures, display and graphic panels. The result can easily mean that the maximum safe load allowance for the vehicle is compromised. As the load capacity is a legal necessity it is never a good idea to consent to extra items on behalf of the client without being aware of the likely impact on overall weight.

Step 6

The Journey

As the distance was twelve hundred miles there and back it was decided that with an allotted journey time of two and a half days each way to Rome would be enough. Although it would have been possible to travel to Rome in two days we have learned from experience to allow a margin for any delays en route. It also allows for the technicians themselves to be fresh enough after the road trip to be able to work effectively.

When travelling long distance across Europe and at a time of year when the weather might be inclement, it is essential that the safety of personnel and other road users is paramount. By dividing the travel time between two drivers and rotating them every two hours, we have found that neither is unduly fatigued. This system allows large distances of up to 600 miles a day to be covered with safety. Regular breaks help to maintain concentration and awareness, with total travel times of no more than ten hours in any day and preferably no more than eight hours a day. It is never advisable to rely on a bare minimum of journey time for any long distance travel to meet an event deadline.

Conference management is a highly stressful and frustrating job because there are so many different aspects to the work.

Having decided on the route to be taken from the UK to Rome we left the UK via a ferry from Dover to Calais and then journeyed to an area just North of Dijon on day one. From Dijon on day two, the journey continued as far as Bologna via the Mont Blanc tunnel. We decided on day three, to make an early start for the half day drive from Bologna to Rome and deliver the equipment to the venue, then rest up for the remainder of the day so the crew would be fresh to start work the next morning.

Navigation across Europe is now much more straight forward with Satellite, but we would also recommend printed route plans and local maps of any places where a stop-over is planned. It has sometimes been the case that even with the latest updated information the Sat Nav cannot always find the precise location of the road you want, due to the ongoing construction of many new motorway networks. You may find yourself suddenly stuck on a road it doesn’t know and this is when the co-driver can be a great help to navigate you through the confusion.

Step 7

Accommodation for Overnight Stops

Choosing accommodation for suitable overnight stops is worth some research. There is a plentiful choice of motel stops near to all major roads in France and Italy all of which are reasonably priced. However, there are great guest houses away from the main cities and major roads which offer a much more relaxing experience for a tired traveller and are usually cheaper than the chain motels. Often these places have secure parking enhancing vehicle security from theft and damage. After all, when freighting audio-visual systems with a value stretching to tens of thousands of pounds, peace of mind is useful to say the least.It is advisable to spend time during pre-event production locating places to overnight. There is little benefit from having to find a room late in the day at an unknown cost which may impact on the profitability of the job.

Step 8

On Site Conference Production

On arrival in Rome we drove the van to the conference venue so that the audio-visual equipment and staging could be unloaded directly into the conference room. This was to secure the items and have everything ready for installation the following day. Getting an early start to set up the equipment allowed for the client to begin presentation rehearsals on the afternoon of the rig day. Later on the same day there was to be an evening reception and brief welcome presentation to all attending delegates. The setting up procedures are tried and tested and the team worked like a well oiled machine so that all the audio-visual elements were complete and in place on schedule and all the technical systems were working correctly by the time the client presenters arrived from the USA.

Step 9

Audio Visual and Production Content

An example of the kind of last minute technical hitches that has to be resolved is when a conference presenter is unable to submit his presentation during the pre-production period and will arrive on site with it in his briefcase (Probably having worked on it during his flight over). The production team will not know until late in the process what presentation format is required. However the presenter will still expect his material to be incorporated seamlessly into a master slide deck. If a conference set uses a wide screen projection format the content will need to be generated in a sixteen by nine aspect ratio. Unknown to the presenter however, the offered material may have been built around a slide template that used a four by three aspect ratio instead. Depending on content, this may have minimal impact on the look of the presentation but if there are images of people, or pie chart graphs, these will then appear as stretched and elliptical shapes which would be unsatisfactory. Fonts and text boxes may move out of alignment and embedded applications such as XL may well be impossible to read. The added value for European clients of using a UK based corporate event supplier is that the British are famous for their ability to be innovative and come up with solutions to problems at the last minute and particularly under pressure.

My understanding of what audio visual equipment means is that it could be anything from simple interactive whiteboards to the full works with plasma screens, video control and PA systems as well as integrated audio output for live events.

During the rehearsals for the first day of the conference one of the American presenters had travelled to site with a power point presentation containing video footage. Unfortunately the video content had not been embedded into his presentation so it did not appear as he expected. The video content was hyper-linked to files that were inaccessible from the PowerPoint presentation – supplied to us on a memory stick. Fortunately with our technical expertise we were able to download the video from source and convert the video footage into a high resolution format that would be compatible with our audio visual systems. This is when event support specialists, who speak English as a first language and are familiar with the requirements of such last-minute complications, are invaluable.

In an ideal scenario, all presentation content will have been tendered during the pre-production phase to minimise such last minute glitches, but more often than not on-site changes are required to re-format a presentation. Whilst it is by no means out of the question that a local AV company might well have been able to do the same, feedback from client events in Europe suggests that when they have used a local supplier they have often failed to be sufficiently expert to support such needs.

Step 10

During the Conference

Over the period of the two and a half day event we were able to further increase our reputation with the client and delegates. Something that they had overlooked until the last minute was to provide appropriate themed music for role-play exercises. Although it had not been part of the original conference production brief, we were able to provide apt and timely presentation support at very short notice from our on-site database of over thirty thousand music tracks.Again, this was something which many of our European competitors may not have been able to achieve within the time frame and it would probably have added an extra cost.

Whilst seeming relatively trivial points in themselves the above types of scenarios can be very stressful for conference and event organisers, who already have responsibilities that go beyond the presentation content. The corporate conference event being organised by the client is a huge task of delegate management and event logistics, so that any projects that can be left to an experienced dedicated event management team such as ourselves, frees them up to focus on their own tasks of delivering a successful delegate experience.

Step 11

Language Issues in European Conferencing.

When working in Europe either as an event manager, conference producer, or production company, it is always helpful if you are able to communicate directly with the people you meet at the venue and along the way. Whilst all major event management destinations and hotels across Europe have staff who will speak English, there are occasions when they will not be available. We are happy to have colleagues with rudimentary skills in French, Spanish and German who are all keen to improve their language skills. They are prepared to have a go whenever possible to try out what they have learned and this has sometimes proved to be invaluable. It may seem obvious to say, but we recommend that at least one on your production team should have a working knowledge of the local language and should be encouraged to use their language skills as often as possible. It is often surprising how a little effort can generate a much better response from those who you are working alongside.

Conclusion

If you haven’t given much thought to the idea of working in Europe then we really recommend it. Conference events in Europe can be undertaken by a UK event production company at comparable cost to our European colleagues in the audio-visual supply sector. Favourable exchange rates add a further competitive edge to the costs of bringing your audio-visual and staging from the UK. Researching and planning the route and method by which conferencing systems are freighted and delivered will provide surprisingly low cost delivery solutions.

Taking your regular conference production team with you to Europe will give increased peace of mind with regard to the quality of your technical support. Our client in Rome was very happy with the service and level of attention to detail we brought to their conference and repeat European corporate events are now routinely part of our conferencing diary. Fortunately our team really enjoy the experience of travelling abroad and having the opportunity during ‘down time’ to experience life in another culture and country.

 

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The benefits of stereo headphones.

Although modern headphones have been particularly widely sold and used for listening to stereo recordings since the release of the Walkman, there is subjective debate regarding the nature of their reproduction of stereo sound. Stereo recordings represent the position of horizontal depth cues (stereo separation) via volume differences of the sound in question between the two channels.

When the sounds from two speakers mix, they create the phase difference the brain uses to locate direction. Through most headphones, because the right and left channels do not combine in this manner, the illusion of the phantom centre can be perceived as lost.

Hard panned sounds will also only be heard only in one ear rather than from one side. This latter point is of particular import for earlier stereo recordings which were less sophisticated, sometimes playing vocals through one channel and music through the other.

Binaural recordings use a different microphone technique to encode direction directly as phase, with very little amplitude difference (except above 2 kHz) often using a dummy head, and can produce a surprisingly life-like spatial impression through headphones. Commercial recordings almost always use stereo recording, because historically loudspeaker listening has been more popular than headphone listening.

It is possible to change the spatial effects of stereo sound on headphones to better approximate the presentation of speaker reproduction by using frequency-dependent cross-feed between the channels, or–better still–a Blumlein shuffler (a custom EQ employed to augment the low-frequency content of the difference information in a stereo signal). While cross-feed can reduce the unpleasantness that some listeners find with hard panned stereo in headphones, the use of a dummy head during recording, with artificial pinnae, can allow on playback through headphones, the experience of hearing the performance as though situated in the positron of the dummy head.

Optimal sound is achieved when the dummy head matches the listener’s head, since pinnae vary greatly in size and shape.

Headsets can have an ergonomic benefits over traditional telephone handsets[citation needed]. They allow call center agents to maintain better posture instead of tilting their head sideways to cradle a handset[citation needed].

Visit our web site for more information on stereo headphones.

How to Select a Car Audio Subwoofer

Usually the very first upgrade anyone considers making to their OEM car sound system is to add a subwoofer. It really isn’t surprising since OEM speakers are simply too small and not of sufficient quality to accurately produce low bass frequencies.  Subwoofers provide the most immediate improvement one can make to a car audio sound system.  Consequently one of the most frequently asked questions is: “How do I select a subwoofer?”

Actually, your selection will depend on several factors such as your personal preferences in music, your budget and available space in your vehicle. The amount of space you have to dedicate to your subwoofer’s enclosure should be the first thing you consider. In the majority of cases, this decision narrows the field very quickly. But what if space is no problem?

Subwoofers range in size from 6” to 18” in diameter. Most are round in shape but in recent years the new square shapes are becoming more and more popular. Materials used in the speaker cones can be made of treated paper, light metals such as aluminum and even various types of composites. Paper cone subwoofers tend to sound the most natural and true to life but paper is the least durable. Aluminum Cone woofers were one of the best materials to use for quick, tight bass response (sound quality applications-SQ) because they produced very low frequencies in small sealed boxes. There are some very good musical subwoofers today that offer excellent sound quality while also presenting exceptional SPL (Sound Pressure Level – An acoustic measurement of sound energy, typically expressed in dB-SPL).

I could go on but if you are considering buying a subwoofer for your vehicle, I strongly suggest you click thru and pick up some tips to make decision making a bit easier.

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How to Select a Car Audio Subwoofer

Usually the very first upgrade anyone considers making to their OEM car sound system is to add a subwoofer. It really isn’t surprising since OEM speakers are simply too small and not of sufficient quality to accurately produce low bass frequencies.  Subwoofers provide the most immediate improvement one can make to a car audio sound system.  Consequently one of the most frequently asked questions is: “How do I select a subwoofer?”

Actually, your selection will depend on several factors such as your personal preferences in music, your budget and available space in your vehicle. The amount of space you have to dedicate to your subwoofer’s enclosure should be the first thing you consider. In the majority of cases, this decision narrows the field very quickly. But what if space is no problem?

Subwoofers range in size from 6” to 18” in diameter. Most are round in shape but in recent years the new square shapes are becoming more and more popular. Materials used in the speaker cones can be made of treated paper, light metals such as aluminum and even various types of composites. Paper cone subwoofers tend to sound the most natural and true to life but paper is the least durable. Aluminum Cone woofers were one of the best materials to use for quick, tight bass response (sound quality applications-SQ) because they produced very low frequencies in small sealed boxes. There are some very good musical subwoofers today that offer excellent sound quality while also presenting exceptional SPL (Sound Pressure Level – An acoustic measurement of sound energy, typically expressed in dB-SPL).

I could go on but if you are considering buying a subwoofer for your vehicle, I strongly suggest you click thru and pick up some tips to make decision making a bit easier.

Search Engine Optimization – What Is It and What Can It Do For You?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is always changing, it never stops, much like your competition, and requires in-depth knowledge of marketing, technology and the search engines. It takes a tremendous amount of time and experience to design, implement and monitor an SEO campaign. Tampa Search Engine Optimization understands seo and search engine marketing.

I have heard many people speak on SEO that understood absolutely nothing about the subject. Recently I heard a speaker take the stage, get up to the microphone, and make the claim that no one needed SEO. She did it for their company Web site and it is one on Google! She was so proud of her accomplishment … her company name was unique so getting it to the top of the search engines was certainly not rocket science! New customers will NEVER type in your company name when searching for your product or service because they don’t know about you and that is why your SEO campaign is so important to you business if you goal is to capture new customers.

The majority of Web sites online today dont have a chance in the search engines. Search engine algorithms are dynamic and keeping up on what is happening behind the scenes is a full time, labor-intensive job that requires a set of knowledge that doesnt come in a box. Even if you wont be the one implementing the SEO campaign understanding the basics will allow you to Talk the Talk with your SEO firm.

Search Engines are the SINGLE most important source of new visitors to a Web site!

That is where it becomes a little marketing and a little science. The majority of Web site developers DO NOT understand SEO they understand design and development, which are both important to the overall success of your Web site once people find it. Tampa Search Engine Marketing understands websites, business and the search engines.

Creating a Web site to be accessible to search engines and increasing the number of pages indexed is a major benefit of search engine optimization. SEO is a matter of understanding what search engines look for when they visit your site and what customers search for when looking for your site. It is not about tricking the search engines!

When someone is researching a new product or looking for a service they head to the Search Engines! Search Engines are part of a pull advertising strategy similar to what the Yellow Pages were in the 1900s and often produce the highest Return on Investment (ROI) compared to other forms of advertising and marketing.

Building a Web site without search engine optimization is like building a house with no front door!

Organic Search Results = Free Natural Results

SEO is NOT simply adding META tags and submitting a Web Site to a million search engines to gain higher rankings.

The only three search engines you need to worry about getting listed on are:

Google.com, Yahoo.com and MSN.

The remaining Search Engines are either fed by Google or are too small to worry about. Google currently has the largest market share but there has been a downward trend over the past few years and the Search Engine wars are in full throttle between the ones mentioned above.

I am sure that each and every one of you have received the famed email stating we can get you to the top of the search engines in 24 hours guaranteed. Logical thinking should immediately cause you to question such a claim. The only company that could make such a guarantee would using a Pay-Per-Click campaign and that is certainly not the same as getting to the top of the free search engine results. The only way to get top placement on the free search results is to have a good SEO strategy and a Web site built to be read by the search engines. SEO is often very labor intensive and can take months for results to show up.

Search Engine Optimization Facts

SEO is a sub-set of Search Engine Marketing.

SEO is an important factor in the success of a Web site regardless of its size.

SEO delivers quality traffic for a maximum return on investment.

SEO is the way to pull massive amounts of organic free traffic.

SEO produces a higher rate of return (ROI) than almost any other form of traditional (offline) and online advertising or marketing.

SEO without targeting the right keywords and keyphrases is a waste of keystrokes.

SEO and submission used to be easy.

SEO is such a technical and ever-changing field that it demands specialization.

SEO is the process of improving a web site for higher search engine rankings.

85% of high income and highly educated adults use search engines as their major source to find new Web sites and search for information.

Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the quality and volume of traffic to a Web site from search engines via “organic” search results.

If your Web site is selling great products or services, you need to be found in major search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask … SEO is what gets you there.

The practice of guiding the development or redevelopment of a website so that it will naturally attract visitors by winning top “organic” ranking on the major search engines for selected keyword phrases that your target audience use are what SEO is all about. search engine optimization company florida will get you ranking and get your website traffic.