With all the things that normally fill everyone's inbox here at KONTEK, one might ask why I'll be heading into the wide world tomorrow to make a presentation that goes something like this:"This half-hour presentation by Erik Benson of KONTEK Systems, Inc. will address many of the important questions that presenters face in technology-enabled meeting rooms, including:What content do I want to present to my meeting?What format should I put my content in to use in a particular room?What do I need to know about the system I'll be connecting to for my presentation?How do I get my content to look great on the big (or small) screen for my meeting? He will also provide a look at the technologies used to present computer and online content to meeting attendees. These topics include......" (well, the stuff that Kontek does every day is what goes down here)So, again - why? Why isn't the type of technology our first thing, since that's arguably our thing? And what about the other part, where I'm sure to get in some stuff about the whiz-bangy new bell and whistle that was on the Internet the other day? Or the bit where I say "You know, Kontek says do it this way, and we can sell you that!""There's nothing worse than a great presentation that can't be 100% because a presenter wasn't able to get it to work."The main reason that I am venturing outside to talk with our clients about this sort of thing is.....it's what they need someone to talk with about. Everyone reading this post on their laptop (or phone, or tablet) would agree that none of us are surrounded by a lack of technology. The harder part becomes what one should do with the surfeit of technology that's there - especially if you're trying to get a point across to an audience. There's nothing worse than a great presentation that can't be 100% because a presenter wasn't able to get it to work. Or worse, there was something extra that they wanted to do with their content - a video clip, streaming their presentation, recording what they said - that they just couldn't get their head around to make it happen.But I guess the curious thing is, if a presenter has that experience in one of our rooms? We think it's OUR fault. Either the room wasn't intuitive enough, or we asked too much of the presenter to make their content right, or there was some other gap that didn't get filled.So - attention, KONTEK faithful: If you don't succeed presenting to your audience, then we don't succeed either. And if you don't succeed, you should call me - because there's nothing better than knowing how some whiz-bangy technology you have in a meeting room can help you succeed with your audience. And that goes for whether it came from KONTEK, or not.See you at my next presentation!-Erik BensonAttend Erik's Presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at the WakeMed Andrews Center in Raleigh.Visit the North Carolina Society of Government Meeting Professionals website for details.Erik Benson, Client Outreach Specialist for Durham-based KONTEK Systems, inc., has been with KONTEK since 2006. As well as working with installed AV systems and the technologies they support, he also has a background in technical theater and live entertainment production, having worked in New York on Broadway and in Boston for many years. Despite having lived other places, Erik is a North Carolina native: born in Durham, grew up in Boone, and attended Duke University. In his spare time, he enjoys playing in a band, helping with his kids' sports teams, and sleeping through New England Patriots football games on Sundays.
