Technical teams should email
Dr Dixon to confirm arrangements below.
These notes are a general guide only and need adapting to audience size, location and type of meeting – from 25 to 4,500 people - and whether you are working with ordinary screen or in 3D. Patrick presents to audiences in up to 4 countries a week, is highly adaptable and will work happily with whatever you have available. However the following notes may help create a truly world-class event. Patrick is always delighted to phone a member of the technical team to discuss how they think things will work, setup times and so on.
As a futurist, the technical quality and control of media are especially important to Patrick, both to him as the presenter and to his audiences, for whom he has planned a customized and extraordinary experience.
SUMMARY for 2D Presentations - normal screen:
Patrick will bring two portable PCs containing identical copies of customised Powerpoint presentations and embedded video clips – usually one clip has a sound track. Output resolution range from 1024x768 to 1920x1200 (HDTV). One PC is for presenting, the other is for backup. He will also supply a USB stick with same Powerpoint but without videos for technicians to load on their own machine as a second backup. Video clips are of various formats and are more stable when running on the same machines all the time. He will also bring his own radio mouse attached to the main PC he is using – range 30-40 metres depending on venue. Patrick does not need internet accessbut he does need a clip on microphone.
Location of PCs. In smaller venues Patrick may agree for technicians to have both his PCs. In most venues he is more comfortable for one PC to be near him (can be on low, small table to side of stage). This allows greater flexibility - and helped recently when power supply overloading knocked everything else out onstage except his own PC. If PC is onstage, needs power, sound cable (standard mini jack) and projector cable.He does not use a podium / lecturn at all. A glass of water is helpful.
Patrick likes to see what is on screen without turning (many slide / video elements), and likes at least one monitor at the front of stage, preferably on floor out of sight of audience. For larger stage consider two monitors. For smaller venues consider a plasma screen instead at back of hall.
Advance copies of presentation. While Patrick is pleased to supply slides ahead of time as a guide for discussion and for other speakers, they are rarely the final version as he often continues to adapt messages (and sometimes make new video clips) after arrival, meeting delegates, walking around the venue, listening to previous speakers and so on. Patrick arrives in plenty of time to ensure full backup and technical reliability. Patrick always appreciates seeing other speaker’s slides to ensure all messages fit together well.
Projectors, Lighting, Staging, Video, Sound, Slide Formats and Interpreters
Some things to consider: For groups of 100 to 3,000 plus, think of “theatre” and audience experience rather than “lecture” when it comes to lighting and setup. High impact, dynamic fast-moving multimedia presentations enable delegates to “see, hear, feel and touch the future”. This requires careful staging for maximum effect. The end result will be an enjoyable event that will stimulate fresh thinking in CEOs, Chairmen and senior executives for a long time.
The projector. Patrick strongly recommends backup plans for all important systems including projectors . As a Futurist it is particularly important to Patrick that technology supplied is reliable. He has had recent experiences where a single huge projector has blown up seconds before start with no alternative available, and where all three projectors experienced power failures on the same cable during a presentation, where switch boxes failed to work, sound desks produced loud hums and so on.
Projector(s) should to be powerful enough to produce a very bright image without blacking out auditorium or dimming lights on stage. Back projection is preferable for larger audiences, and allows Patrick to get very close to the screen to point things out. It is easier to engage the audience if the presenter and slides are more or less in the same field of view. Some organisers place huge screens a long way offstage to right or left, which can make communication more difficult - audience does not know where to look.
Spotlights. Attention to stage lighting is very important, so that the speaker can move and engage the audience interactively when appropriate without disappearing into semi-darkness. Conference venues such as hotel ballrooms often have lighting which is not designed for stage / performance. A key test is how dark the screen is when the projector is off. Ideally it should be black while the speaker is brightly lit and the audience is dimly lit. It is often the case that audience lighting also throws unwanted light onto screens. Directional long lens focussed spots (at least two, preferably four), mounted either side of the auditorium can make a vast difference, angled away from the screen, washing the floor with light, with faders. Otherwise video sequences can look terrible, even with a bright projector. Patrick will walk into the audience so in larger venues where lighting is a challenge, and especially where you want to track Patrick with a camera, it is worth considering a small roving spotlight.
Staging : It is increasingly common for event organisers to give elaborate, creative effort to staging. Patrick will want to make maximum, appropriate use of every metre of whatever you build, to add to audience experience - whether using onstage features, raised walkways into audience, lighting changes and so on.
Live video feed. In larger venues, many conferences use cameras to project an image of the presenter, alternating with images of slides. Patrick will work with camera operators to help them deliver great video. However, because his presentations are very visually rich and fast-changing, it is often hard for event teams to know when to switch to video without missing important slides. If you are filming, consider video and slides on different screens.
Permanent recording. Patrick is always delighted for conference organisers to record his presentations and to use them however they wish , including publishing online, with one condition only which is that he receives a copy as soon as possible after the event which he can use in the same way (he edits out confidential information).
Sound. Mains hum is a common problem from a PC onstage in larger rooms where different equipment uses different power cables (mains loop). This is easily prevented by using a Direct Injection Box (DI Box) between PC sound cable and the main sound desk.
Slide design: Some organisers like to impose the same slide template on every slide. Patrick is delighted to incorporate the even logo and house style into his opening slide, and to adjust all slides to fit screen shape and resolution, but many slides are single images or video clips and do not lend themselves to rebranding with a standard template.
Interpreters: Patrick speaks clearly in “international English”, sensitive to multi-language audiences. He works closely with interpreters, sitting down beforehand to go through slides. He does not provide printed slides since they change so fast, and he prefers eye contact with the interpreters. He uses very few technical terms and is easy to translate.
3D Journey into the Future - no special glasses needed
Patrick can present a completely customised, full 3D FUTURE experience using the Musion system. This extraordinary audience experience is created using a special screen which can be anything from 3m by 3m to 20m high and 100m wide. No special glasses are required. Solid-looking objects, video and images appear in front or behind Patrick Dixon, manipulated by him as part of his unfolding story about tomorrow’s world and the impact on your corporation. Multiple elements can twist and float mid-air, towards or away from the audience. Other virtual people can join him onstage, appearing life size. You can watch an excellent example of the power of Musion technology on the largest screen ever used (different speakers).
Contact Patrick Dixon at any time with queries on any of the above: patrickdixon@globalchange.com or +44 7768 511 390 (mobile)
Blogs - web / video diaries on trends / management by Dr Patrick Dixon
i am 53 years old.i've had two strokes,a heart where 5 stints were installed.i have hepititus c and now i am insulin dependant diabetic.i recently saw a programwhere organs can be cloned(such as stem cells and pig hearts).i wish to volunteer to be fixed in any manner.....all my problems are life threatening,and i wish to at least try to have a real effect with this life that i carelessly ruined.please let me help.....
Reply to allanbolton
Patrick Dixon
July 21, 2008 - 04:24
Subject: Diabetes, strokes and stem cell organ regeneration
Thanks - well I am not involved in this kind of research. These things are experimental at present but we will see stem cell treatments for a number of conditions become more widely available over the next 10-15 years.
Video / Articles by Patrick Dixon - 24 million requests in year - 10 million visitors - Conference Speech/Event? 
