Panel Application 'Needs' ?

[Anames 0]

Hello!!

The PanApp says

"Other than the standard room equipment*, do you have technical or special needs? "

I am wondering

1) What qualifies as a technical need. For example, we need the lights out for the first 4 minutes to do a miniskit and show an MV. Is that a request we need to make? Also we want to set our stuff up in the room before the members come in - so will probably need 3 minutes before/during our panel time to set up. Do I need to add this to the application??

2) Are some common requests people have (if any) that a first time applicant should know about?

Also..now that there will be panels in the Hilton, will the food policy be different? I can imagine they don't want to be cleaning up crumbs...but will Aramark be serving the Hilton as well? (See my previous post)

Thanks!

[alabaster 0]

I'll let Panels Czar answer the more detailed questions, but there are a few general amenities that are standard in all rooms, and a few rules of thumb that may be helpful until he gets here -- since I have to provide this same info to industry and guests.

* Typically, all our panel rooms have microphones, screen, table, 4 or more chairs. Easels and big paper pads are usually available on request.

* The mics generally are FIXED and can't be moved, though sometimes the bigger rooms have wireless mics. Typically you won't see a wireless microphone in a room that doesn't have a sound tech in it, because otherwise the wireless mics walk.

* Each room's mixing board typically has standard RCA (red and white) audio cable input and SVGA and RCA (yellow) video input, but NOT necessarily VGA or any of the HD-level stuff. If you have special hookup or tech needs, let the panels people know WELL in advance.

* There are usually standard cables on hand, but I STRONGLY suggest you BRING YOUR OWN AS WELL. If you bring the standard cables (suggest 6-foot length rather than 3-foot, however) you'd use at home to hook up, you should be okay.

* I have a traveling cable/connector kit in a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag that contains all the video/audio out cables and adapters I typically might need. Make sure you have tags on your own cables, however -- they tend to walk. (Mine have tags with my name on them, but something as simple as a bit of colored tape can suffice.)

* Most big hotels have exclusive catering contracts, and if not with Aramark, then with their own catering department. I would not plan on the Hilton being handled any differently from the BCC when it comes to food and drink (doubtful they'll check bags or forbid you walking in with a soft drink -- just clean up after yourself!). And of course, the tidier and more discreet people are, the less likely they are to be strict. (If food and drink become a problem for them, it'll become a problem for everyone.) We should have more official answers on that stuff soon but my hope is that things will be pretty standard across the board.

[ithilienne 2]

1) What qualifies as a technical need. For example, we need the lights out for the first 4 minutes to do a miniskit and show an MV. Is that a request we need to make? Also we want to set our stuff up in the room before the members come in - so will probably need 3 minutes before/during our panel time to set up. Do I need to add this to the application??

Also..now that there will be panels in the Hilton, will the food policy be different? I can imagine they don't want to be cleaning up crumbs...but will Aramark be serving the Hilton as well? (See my previous post)

Thanks!

You should plan your presentation to include your set-up and take-down time; a panel scheduled from 1-2:30pm would include five minutes of setup and five minutes of teardown, so your actual content should be 80 minutes long.

As was stated in your previous thread (to which I and the current panels department thread replied), please do not plan to serve food or beverage at your panel. The only possible exception to this is packaged, unopened candies or snacks that are distributed as prizes (as an example, offering a box of Pocky to someone who correctly answers a trivia question); and if you plan to hand out food/candy prizes, please note that on your panel application.

[Anames 0]

Thank you both for the replies, they are very helpful...I will let them know on the app we plan on giving away unopened candy as prizes. I didn't know if turning out the lights was a hazzard or something but the lighting should be enough....

This gives me more to think about in terms of the a/v stuff....

Also, the average panel is 90 minutes? For some reason I am thinking it was like 60.

[lepraconog 0]

panels are 90 minutes long?

[alabaster 0]

panels are 90 minutes long?

Last year we had a mix -- most panels fit into a one-hour slot (so a 50 minute panel); a few panels and industry events went longer. I think Mer's comment was just giving an example.