Background to Conference Presentations
Not that long ago, a classroom-style overhead projector (properly called an epidiascope) with A4 transparencies and a marker pen was the norm for most conferences. But those with more resources preferred to use slide shows, based on professionally prepared photographic or graphic transparencies. In fact, until the early 90s, producing slide transparencies and charts for conferences, presentations and events was big business.
Meanwhile the very rich employed elaborate stage effects such as revolving turntables, or near-circus lighting.
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| Lloyds TSB conference |
Or more creatively, for example, companies like IBM would employ a creative team to write whole dramas - mini stage plays if you like - using a cast of actors to bring their conference message to life.
The best boardrooms in Britain would boast multi-slide projectors, where slide after slide would dissolve over one another, synced to music - perhaps even Queen’s "We Are The Champions!"
But overall, conferences were fewer and further between in those days as the cost of a conference presentation was high, and not everyone was that mobile to attend.
Then by the 90s we saw the emergence of graphic desktop PCs.
Companies could produce their own conference-ready charts in house, but the biggie of them all was the arrival of Microsoft’s Powerpoint.
At a single stroke, directors and line managers could have clickable bullet points on demand for their presentations, which could light up the whole conference event.
And with this leap in technology we also saw a great increase in the actual numbers of conferences being held.
This was helped along by greater car ownership, the growth in conference facilities at reasonable cost, and the increasingly recognised need for events where companies to get together and meet.
Nonetheless, not everyone had Powerpoint straightaway. It took time to grow in popularity to what it is today.
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| Powerpoint - Univeral appeal? |
The first five years of Powerpoint was a honeymoon period for all. It had so few facilities that almost anybody could operate it, and on that simple level, anybody still can. Any corporate event could have slides.
But PowerPoint’s universal appeal has led in part to its downfall.
Because Powerpoint became so common, every laptop travelling salesperson started obliging every buyer to sit and endure a company presentation, whether they liked it or not.
The phenomenon known as “death by powerpoint” began to appear. This led to a welcome stratification of the now massively growing presentation market into more clearly defined lower and higher ends.
Lower end event presentations had found their doyen in Powerpoint, as every manager became empowered to deliver a structured presentation on a laptop to any audience that needed to listen.
Higher end presentations still used Powerpoint as the package’s facilities became more professional. But as PowerPoint’s professionalism increased, so did the skill level required to get the best out of it. A badly executed presentation now looked even worse than ever, and red faces at events started to abound.
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| SPAR conference |
Increasingly this void was starting to be filled by specialist companies who could organise a whole conference presentation brief with creativity and flair. But these creatives didn’t necessarily see Powerpoint as their presentation development package of choice.
Because by the late 90s, multimedia software development packages had emerged.
Gaining early notoriety was Macromedia, who cashed in with their sophisticated but highly complex multimedia development tools, Director and Authorware. Difficult to work with, and needing a programmer’s analytical mind combined with a creative flair, costs started to spiral, with some companies paying £40,000 for “something rather special” to grace their conference.
Other packages, notably Digital Workshop’s Opus, began to find favour. It had all the bells and whistles of Director, but worked in a WYSIWYG way, which diminished the technical barriers, and opened the door for creatives to become presentation producers.
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| Presentation for Beer & Pub Association |
Animation, originality, integrated special effects, portability between PCs, and a host of features brought Opus to the attention of creatives everywhere, and hence their customers, the corporates with the still increasing demand for better and better conference presentations.
Which brings us to today.
Now we have powerful projectors at budget prices so event messages can be blown up wall high at greater luminosities and sharpness than ever before. Allied with WYSIWYG multimedia development software, we see prices coming down to the point where any major event can look and feel original, impress an audience, and make sure the focal point of the conference presentation - the presenter person who has to stand up on stage - looks like a star. |
