Slide Deck Tips & Tricks
Think of a slide deck as the icing on your event's cake...
When you create slide decks for corporate events, you are not just designing visuals. You are contributing a vital part to a live production, however, a presentation that looks great on your laptop can behave very differently in a ballroom or general session room. Whether you are using PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, or another platform, the tips below will help your content display clearly, play reliably, and support your message on stage.
1. Backgrounds: Don’t Use Dark Colors
Dark colored backgrounds often look polished on personal screens, but these colors are especially sensitive to stage lighting and can reduce contrast, making text and graphics harder to read from a distance. We suggest choosing lighter backgrounds that project cleanly and maintain contrast. If your brand guidelines require darker colors, make sure you test those slides on a projector early so you know how they will look in the actual room. You can also improve color accuracy by working with your hotel team to turn off lighting above the screens, which helps reduce washout. Higher-lumen projectors will also produce brighter, more accurate colors, especially in larger rooms.
2. Use a Font Size the Back Row Can Read
If someone sitting in the last row cannot easily read your slide, the font size is too small. Your slides should support your message for the entire room, not just the people closest to the stage.
3. Don’t Put Every Word of Your Speech on the Slide Deck
Slides that mirror your script compete for attention and make it harder for your audience to stay engaged. In a live setting, people should be listening to you, not reading paragraphs of text. Use your slides to highlight key ideas or visual cues that reinforce what you are saying. If you need to share detailed explanations or data, those are better provided in a follow-up document rather than displayed on screen.
4. Know Whether Your AV Team Wants Videos Embedded or Separate
Video playback is one of the most common sources of technical issues during live events. Different AV teams have different preferences based on their systems and workflows. Before finalizing your deck, confirm whether videos should be embedded directly into the presentation or provided as separate files.
5. Know If Your Deck Has Animations and Whether the AV Team Is Running on Mac or PC
Animations and transitions can behave differently depending on the operating system and software version. A deck built on one platform may not translate perfectly to another. When reliability matters most, simpler animations tend to perform more consistently.
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6. Know Whether You Have Wi-Fi If You Are Running an App or Live Content
Internet access is never guaranteed unless it has been specifically planned and tested. Live demos, polling tools, and web-based content can quickly fall apart if bandwidth is limited or unstable. Confirm Wi-Fi availability and reliability well in advance.
Additional Tips That Make a Real Difference...
- Using standard fonts helps ensure your slides display correctly on show computers without missing text or formatting issues.
- Clear file naming helps your AV team manage multiple presentations without confusion.
- Take advantage of any opportunity for a tech check. Even a short run-through with the AV team can surface issues that are easy to fix before you step on stage.
- One final reminder that is easy to overlook: do not forget transition slides. Simple slides like “We’ll start again at 12:30 PM” are incredibly helpful during breaks and keep your audience informed while the room resets for the next session.
Great presentations do not happen by accident. They are the result of thoughtful preparation, clear communication, and collaboration with a team that understands the realities of live events. If you are working with presenters now, be sure to download and share our Slide Deck Tips & Tricks guide to help set them up for success from the start.