Speaker 1: Are you getting ready to host an event and you're curious about what rehearsals you need? Well, I'm going to talk through two different kinds of rehearsals that I always do at events, whether I'm running them or I'm making sure my client is, but trust me, you do not want to forget these. Rehearsing is essential, so stick around. ♪♪ Before we get into it, I'm Logan Clements, freelance event producer, and I do want to remind you to like, subscribe, turn on that little notification bell so you get notified every single Monday when I drop new videos. I love to talk about event production tips, event planning. You'll know a lot of Zoom videos for me, as well as running my own business. And if you love more free content, I am the co-host of the Better Events Podcast with fellow event pro, Mary Davidson. We drop new episodes every single Wednesday, and it's an entire podcast that is dedicated to helping you create, host, and attend better events. So listen to that wherever you listen to podcasts. Now, before I talk about the two kinds of rehearsals I like to do, I do want to address the word rehearsal. A rehearsal can really mean a lot of different things, and so that's why I'm going to break them down into kind of two types. Another word that I've used for these rehearsals has also been a tech check. I've had some speakers before who are a little sensitive to the idea that they need to rehearse, but seem to be more willing if I use the words tech check. Again, to me, I kind of use them interchangeably because they're both times to really just check through and rehearse either your content or your tech. So my two rehearsals that I always do, and this counts for Zoom webinars, for conferences, for galas, award shows, no matter what, big budget, small budget, does not matter, we always do a tech rehearsal. So this is where I like to make sure that all of my event tech is working, and if you're someone doing virtual events, you know we kind of have to live and die by our tech virtually. In person, it's still the same thing. You want to make sure the clicker works for your speaker. You want to make sure the projection is on or your LED screen is on, your confidence monitors are showing. No matter what you have, test your tech. Now for virtual, this could be as simple as even just opening up whatever platform you're using, setting up a dummy event to start so that you practice the doors opening. What happens? What can people see? What can people do? If you're doing a Zoom, you know, if you're actual events in Zoom, I suggest doing this tech rehearsal in Zoom. Personally, as a producer, I always do this with my internal team, and sometimes I'll additionally do a second tech rehearsal with the client if I think that's helpful, but it can be as basic as really just talking through step-by-step exactly what you want to see on screen or see on the stage and, you know, how those transitions go, and it helps get you and your entire tech team on the same page. I've even done these for shows where it's just a conference and we have one like encore tech at a hotel, and I will sit down and say, let's do a tech rehearsal, and we just talk through it. This is so crucial because you want to really replicate what the event day is going to be like, but you're really also giving yourself space and time to test everything. So usually my tech rehearsal is, if virtual, I try to do it a week before or a couple days before so I have time to make adjustments. If you're onsite, this is usually something you want to do a day before or at least ahead of the next kind of rehearsal that I'm going to talk about. And so for the second rehearsal that you really need to make sure you do at your next event would be doing a content rehearsal. Now, as a producer, I usually like to say there's a tech rehearsal, crucial for me as a producer, and the content rehearsal, more crucial for the speakers or anybody who really is caring about what exactly is being said on stage. Now, your content rehearsal can be as in-depth as maybe the organizer of the event wants it to be or the speaker wants it to be. So this is where we actually have the speaker on stage, or again, if we're here virtually, they're in Zoom, we spotlight them, and we have them practice just maybe the start of their remarks. Now, some speakers might just want to click through their slides and say, yes, yes, yes, everything's working. Others might want to actually practice their entire thing. There is no right or wrong way. I have found sometimes it's really inefficient to have the entire tech team present for a content rehearsal, especially if the speaker is still figuring out what they want to say on slide three or where they want to go with it. Sometimes that's something that I'll have the client do separate, but I do want to make sure that you actually practice with the person who's presenting. And the way I always frame this, especially if you get pushback from maybe higher level C-suite individuals or famous people who don't necessarily want to come in for a rehearsal is that's where I would use the word tech check and just say it's to ensure so when you show up ahead of your session, ahead of whatever you're doing, that we are prepared and ready for you and you are prepared and ready and know what to expect. So by practicing and standing on the stage, we know what microphone for you to use. You already know where to look. That is not saying that without either of these rehearsals, you can still have a successful event, but you are really leaving a lot up to chance. And if you watch my videos, I love backup plans and testing. And so these rehearsals are just like so crucial to me. And like I said before, I do these for everything from a very small, just like a one-off webinar, all the way up to my big multi-day million dollar, multi-million dollar shows. And it is a good practice, no matter even if it's just you doing an event all by yourself, I highly suggest you doing both of these rehearsals. Well, that's all I have for you. I'm Logan Clements. This has been another installment of my favorite tips and tricks when it comes to event planning and running your own business. I drop new videos every single Monday and I'll see you in my next video. Bye.