Put Your Technical Meeting & Event Production Skills To The Test!

1. Which of the following is an event attendee going to be the least tolerant of?

Not being able to see the speaker clearly.

Not being able to hear the speaker clearly.

Not being able to read the speaker's slides clearly.

Attendees are far more likely to tolerate not being able to see the speaker or his/her slides than not being able to hear the speaker.

Explanation

Attendees are far more likely to tolerate not being able to see the speaker or his/her slides than not being able to hear the speaker.

2. One way projectors vary is by the number of lumens. What is a lumen?

A measure of the brightness of the lamp.

A measure of the amount of electricity the projector draws.

A measure of the size of the image that can be projected.

A measure of how far the projector can be from the screen.

A lumen is a measure of brightness. One lumen is around the brightness of a candle.

Explanation

A lumen is a measure of brightness. One lumen is around the brightness of a candle.

3. Your client's boss is bringing his laptop to give a presentation at a meeting you're planning. He wants to know what type of lug will be at the podium to connect to the projector, so he can bring the proper adapter if necessary. assuming the a/v provider at the hotel will be using the most common type of cable, what would that be? Hint: it looks like this.

A DVI cable.

A VGA cable

An HDMI cable.

A Thunderbolt cable.

4. When comparing wireless vs. wired microphones, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Wireless mics are prone to more interference than wired mics.

Wireless mics are generally less expensive than wired mics because there's no cable to supply or install.

Wireless mics provide greater range of speaker movement than wired mics.

Wireless mics are more prone to getting lost by speakers taking them off and misplacing them.

5. Which of the following are advantages of having your lighting fixtures flown as opposed to ground-supported? Check all that apply.

Frees up more floor space.

Less expensive.

Enables wires to be generally hidden.

Provides greater degree of angles for projecting light.

Takes less time to set up.

Flying (hanging from a truss overhead) lighting fixtures frees up floor space (which would otherwise have pipes and bases for the lights), hides wires better, and provides a greater range of projection angles. However it usually takes more time to set up and is generally more expensive.

Explanation

Flying (hanging from a truss overhead) lighting fixtures frees up floor space (which would otherwise have pipes and bases for the lights), hides wires better, and provides a greater range of projection angles. However it usually takes more time to set up and is generally more expensive.

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6. You need to have the podium spotlighted for your gala dinner, but you're a little worried that the in house vendor may not have the right gear. What instrument would you need for this purpose, to enable the focusing of a tight beam of light on the podium?

An Ellipsoidal (Leko).

A Par.

An LED.

A Fresnel.

7. Which of the following is NOT a benefit of using LED lights?

Easy to install.

Can change colors easily by remote control, enabling different lighting looks without changing fixtures.

Energy efficient.

LED lights are easy to install, can change colors easily by remote, and are energy efficient; however they generally do not rotate or revolve. That functionality is found in intelligent lights.

Explanation

LED lights are easy to install, can change colors easily by remote, and are energy efficient; however they generally do not rotate or revolve. That functionality is found in intelligent lights.

8. A monitor sits on the floor in front of the stage facing the presenter. It displays exactly what is seen by the audience on the large screen behind the presenter. This enables the presenter to see what's on the screen without turning his back to the audience. What is it called?

A confidence monitor.

A playback monitor.

A perfect cue system.

A mirrored screen.

9. Assuming you are utilizing rear-screen projection, which of the following control stations can be placed backstage (as opposed to the front of house, where the audience is)?

Audio

Lighting

Projection

All of the above

The audio technician should be in the same area as the audience, so he hears what they hear when making his adjustments. The lighting technician should also be in the front of house so he can see what the audience sees in terms of lighting effects, when making his adjustments. However the projection technician can be backstage and still see what the audience sees.

Explanation

The audio technician should be in the same area as the audience, so he hears what they hear when making his adjustments. The lighting technician should also be in the front of house so he can see what the audience sees in terms of lighting effects, when making his adjustments. However the projection technician can be backstage and still see what the audience sees.

10. A good rule of thumb for determining if the audience will be able to read your slide content is:

If you can read the slides on your computer from 3 feet (@ 1 meter) away.

If you can read the slides on your computer from 6 feet (@ 1.8 meters) away.

If you can read the slides on your computer from 9 feet (@ 2.75 meters) away.

If you can read the slides on your computer from 12 feet (@ 3.6 meters) away.

11. Your ceo is getting ready to make a speech at the podium, and is getting ready to be mic'd up back stage with a wireless lavaliere microphone. If your audio technician is using best practices, which of the following would he take into account when determining which lapel to clip the lavalier mic to on the ceo's jacket?

Whether the speaker is a righty or a lefty.

The location of the audio tech table in relation to the podium.

The location of the screen in relation to the podium.

None of this makes a difference.

The microphone should be placed on the lapel closest to the screen. This way when the speaker turns her head to look at or gesture to the screen during her presentation, she is turning TOWARD the microphone, rather than AWAY from it.

Explanation

The microphone should be placed on the lapel closest to the screen. This way when the speaker turns her head to look at or gesture to the screen during her presentation, she is turning TOWARD the microphone, rather than AWAY from it.

12. It's important to find out if any of your speakers are going to play videos in their presentations, and to communicate that fact to your a/v provider. Why? Check all that apply.

He may need to change the type of projector being used.

He'll need to run an audio cable to the laptop so the audience can hear any sound in the video.

He'll need to adjust the audio levels because video sound is different from voice sound.

This is a common, but easily preventable, mistake. The cable connecting the laptop to the projector or flat screen typically does not pull an audio feed. To play a video with sound, the a/v technician needs to run an audio cable, usually into the headphone jack of the laptop.

Explanation

This is a common, but easily preventable, mistake. The cable connecting the laptop to the projector or flat screen typically does not pull an audio feed. To play a video with sound, the a/v technician needs to run an audio cable, usually into the headphone jack of the laptop.

13. The slides for your event are being projected onto the screen and your client is not happy about the black bars on top and bottom. Which of the following statements describe what this is? Check all that apply.

A 4:3 formatted slide projected onto a 16:9 screen.

A 16:9 formatted slide being projected onto a 4:3 screen.

An example of the letterboxing effect.

An example of the pillarboxing effect.

An example of aspect ratios not being in synch.

This is an example of a 16:9 (widescreen) slide projected onto a 4:3 screen, also known as letterboxing.

Explanation

This is an example of a 16:9 (widescreen) slide projected onto a 4:3 screen, also known as letterboxing.

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14. Which of the following are benefits of rear-screen projection? Check all that apply.

The projection tech table and operators are hidden back stage.

You can utilize a lower lumens projector for the same effect.

It's much less likely that someone could walk in front of the projector and cast a shadow on the screen.

It's less likely that ambient light in front of the screen will wash out the appearance.

It's a more efficient use of space.

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