# Presentation: 161816

## Producing an Access Grid Event

**Producing an Access Grid Event**

**Lessons Learned: Alliance Chautauqua 99 **
**At Boston University**
**Jennifer Teig von Hoffman, jtvh@bu.edu**

## Overview

**The production team: roles, responsibilities, and necessary skills**
**Show-time communications**
**New challenges**
**Addressed to the host site – but lessons are here for remote sites as well**

## Key Phrases

**When Something Breaks**
**Trust**
**Communication**

## Our Context: Boston 1999

**250-seat auditorium**
**One AG node, 1 x 3 projectors**
**Two 8-hour plenary sessions**
**3 months lead time after ANL workshop**

## The Production Team

**Producer**
**Technical team, led by technical director**
**Technical director/display control**
**Audio control**
**Network/transmit monitor**
**“****Floater” (cameras, mics, podium ppt, etc)**
**Master of ceremonies**
**Floor manager**

**Notes:**
I’ll talk about responsibilities and qualifications for each, except TD which Russ already covered. If you’re in a role and not “qualified” according to these slides, don’t fret – you’ve got a few months to take care of that and we’re here to help.

This is intended as a general guide. In real life, the boundaries between one role and other get fuzzier.

Ideally, people in these roles shouldn’t have any other responsibilities during event (relate my experience as conference chair and producer)

## Your New Best Friend

**Technical director and producer**
**Must absolutely trust each others judgment**
**Must absolutely be able to communicate in shorthand**
**Must inspire the trust of the entire production team**
**If technical director and producer are not trusting each other, they are driving each other crazy**

## Producer Manages the Team

**Before show**
**Get to know the AG and MUD**
**Develop technical agenda**
**Run pre-show meeting**
**During show**
**Coordinate closely with technical director, master of ceremonies, and floor manager**
**Oversee screen and window composition**
**Determine when/how it is appropriate to deviate from technical agenda**
**Keep running list of announcements for MC**

## Producer Needs to Be. . .

**An excellent manager (people skills)**
**A direct, concise communicator**
**Familiar and comfortable with AG technology**
**Should attend as many nanocruises as possible**
**Ideal to have driven node at least once**
**Should use MUD frequently and know who’s who**
**Good at visual layout**
**Comfortable calling the shots in a crisis**

**Notes:**
In hindsight, I would have been a better Producer had I driven the node a few times myself and spent more time on the MUD, even just mostly lurking

Most common visual composition mistakes: too much white space above heads, and not zoomed in enough on audience

## Producer: Tips

**Contingency plans**
**Have good local backup presenters**
_**Don’t be afraid to use them.**_** You should be able to switch to contingency on a moment’s notice.**
**Pre-show meeting/MC tutorial**
**Producer, technical director, master of ceremonies**
**Try not to have any other jobs**
**Don’t be running tutorials, calling the****caterer, shuttling the speakers**

**Notes:**
We weren’t ready to switch to contingency plans quickly enough in Boston. Your contingency plans should be so good you’ll be psyched to cut over to them.

## Producer: Tips on the Technical Agenda

**One-stop shopping**
**Don’t use more detail than you need**
**Work with your technical team to find out what they need**
**You need plenty of breaks for troubleshooting**
_**[Sample from Boston](http://scv.bu.edu/chautauqua/ppt/technical_agenda.htm)**_

## Technical Director Manages the AG

**Russ Wolf has an excellent talk about:**
**Who to worry about**
**What to worry about**
**When to worry about it**

## Technical Director Needs to Be. . .

**Excellent at communicating concisely and directly**
**MUD**
**Backchannel conference call**
**Frontline**
**Master of AG technologies**
**Able to command respect and earn trust**
**Knowledgable about networking food chain**
**Comfortable with public speaking**
**Ready to handle the isolation situation**

## Master of Ceremonies Manages the Audience

**Before show**
**Study technical agenda**
**Attend pre-show meeting**
**During show**
**Introduce speakers**
**Provide smooth, continuous presence for local and remote Chautauqua audience**
**May be called upon by floor manager to graciously ask speakers to wrap up presentations if they’ve run past allotted time**
**Assist speakers with management of remote questions**
**Local audience microphone management?**

**Notes:**
Microphones: we had a handheld wireless mic for audience questions. It worked best when the MCs, Floater, or Floor Manager passed it around. Your Milage May Vary depending on what mic system you use for local audience.

## Master of Ceremonies Needs to Be. . .

**An excellent public speaker**
**Comfortable in a crisis – can tap dance well**
**Able to take directions well**

**Notes:**
There’s always a backhoe in Chicago just waiting to screw things up

## Master of Ceremonies: Tips

**When something breaks**
**Stay calm**
**This is evidence that we’re pushing limits of available technology**
**What happened, why, and what impressive amounts of data we’re pushing through the pipes**
**(This is equally effective from technical director instead)**
**Don’t give up the floor**

## Master of Ceremonies: Tips

**Handling remote questions**
**Floor manager holds cue card**
**Display control holds mouse over “asking”****site to highlight window**
**Master of ceremonies introduces question**

**Remote**
**Question**

## Floor Manager Manages the Talent

**Before show**
**Study technical agenda**
**Attend pre-show meeting**
**During show**
**Ensure that all speakers arrive on stage at the appropriate times**
**Use cue cards to communicate with speaker**
**If problems arise related to speaker preparation, contact any/all staff needed for resolution**
**Primary timekeeper for agenda**

## Floor Manager Needs to Be. . .

**Quick-thinking and resourceful**
**When something breaks**
**Good at juggling multiple tasks**
**One speaker on-deck, one speaker wrapping up**
**Excellent people skills – must lay down the law for speakers and do all their last-minute prep**

## Showtime Communications Infrastructure

**In-room communications**
**Headset radios: everybody but MC**
**Cue cards: floor manager**
**MUD: producer plus all technical staff**
**Strategic proximity**

**Notes:**
Talk about our day one vs day two experience with Producer on MUD
Talk about difficulty of not knowing who’s who while trying to run show (asking Wayne who’s from UNM, for example)
Stress that backchannel conf call is in addition to any calls needed for Gentner

## Cue Cards

**Cue Cards**

- 5 Minutes Left

- Time’s Up

- Audio is Down

- Audio is Back Up

- Remote
- Question

- Speak Up

**Notes:**
Plus, you know your MC – you’ll need to tailor your cards. We needed “Stand Still” for Roscoe. Don’t have too many though – then it’s hard to find the one you need at the right moment.

## Strategic Proximity

- Podium

- Screens

- AG boxes, TD, DC, AC, NM, phones

- MC, Producer, FM, Floater

**Strategic Proximity**

## Grid-wide Showtime Communications

**Everybody on MUD**
**All sites on backchannel conference call**
**Technical director**
**Stick to the protocols**
**Sites with audiences have top priority**
**Watch for major sites’ requests (ie, to change camera angles, adjust audio levels)**

## New Challenges for C2K

**Expectations are higher**
**Lead time is shorter**
**Multiple physical rooms**
**Need more machines, more staff, more network connections, more packets,**_**much**_** more Tylenol**
**Distributed tutorials**
**What is the nature of the tutorial setting vs plenary setting?**

**Notes:**
Expectations an issue both for audience and for speakers

## New Challenges for C2K (Cont.)

**Increased participation by remote sites**
**Use of virtual venues**
**<The unknown>**

**Notes:**
Note that the AG came into C1999 quite late

## New Advantages for C2K

**Last year’s experience**
**New tools**
**Fresh horses**
**New people bring new ideas**
**More and better “buzz” for both Access Grid and Chautauqua**
**<the unknown>**