In addition to the many networking opportunities available at this conference, attendees appreciate and expect that the sessions they attend will be well-planned and thought-provoking, with significant take-home value. This guide has been compiled to help you plan, prepare and deliver a professional presentation. Even if you are a seasoned speaker or facilitator, we encourage you to take a few moments to review the contents on this page.
The Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference asks all speakers and moderators to keep in mind the following guidelines:
Session Etiquette Guidelines
- Respond in a timely fashion to the conference staff/session moderator/session minder regarding conference materials and information.
- Be considerate to other speakers as you give your presentation. Try not to go over your allotted time. If speaking on a panel, please be respectful to co-panelists’ viewpoints.
- If you are speaking with another person or as part of a panel, please communicate with your co-speakers/panelists in a timely manner. Be sure to establish an order of presentation. Additionally, the general content of each speaker’s presentation should be known by all, if working with other speakers for your session. Communication with others in your session will avoid unnecessary duplication of content and will result in a smoother run program.
- Plan to check in at the registration desk. Our registration staff will provide you with a welcome packet and information on where your session will take place.
- Plan to arrive in the assigned session room at least 15 minutes prior to the beginning of your session.
- Please refrain from overly promoting or speaking negatively about another company while speaking during your session. If speaking on a panel, please be respectful of other panelists’ views. Discriminatory or offensive language is strictly prohibited and could be cause for removal from the event and/or future Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference programming.
- Please be aware of the time during your session. Room minders have been instructed to end the session if you go too far over the allotted time.
- After the completion of your session, if there are several attendees who want to meet with you and continue to ask questions, please make your way outside the session room so that the next session can begin.
PowerPoint Presentations
- If you are able, please use PowerPoint or PDF as your presentation tool (this is our preferred format) as we cannot guarantee that other presentation tools (such as Prezi, etc.) will be compatible with our AV.
- Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference-themed templates are available, but not required.
- If using a format other than the Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference template, please use a light background (white works best) with a dark font.
- Please also make sure your font selection is easy to read and compatible with most operating systems (e.g. Arial, Calibri, Helvetica).
- Make sure your slides are readable. Aim for 24-point font or larger to ensure your slides can be read from beyond the first few rows.
- When presenting images, graphics and charts, please ensure they are large for viewing at a distance.
- If you are presenting a video, please let Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference staff know beforehand, so that our AV team can ensure it will play properly with the equipment on site.
- PowerPoint, visuals and video are powerful tools when used correctly, but they can be distractions when misused. They should never replace you as the provider of expertise. PowerPoint templates can be found using the link above.
- Keep your PowerPoint to a few words and never read from the screen in the presentation. Ask yourself if a slide or video is truly necessary before adding anything. Visuals are good for making an emotional connection only if they are relevant and required.