Anyone speaking on the international/national level has run into AV difficulties and there is nothing more stressful than not being prepared to handle it. In this post, what every speaker needs to have when traveling to a conference, we (Salim Rezaie, Natalie May, and Anand Swaminathan) have listed the things we take with us anytime we travel to speak at a conference to ensure our presentation works no matter what connections a venue may have.
Our Current Laptops
13” Macbook Pro
13” MacBook Air
Our Recommended Cables
7 Pin Lightning to VGA to Connect Your Phone
Our Power Sources
Macbook Standard Plug
Universal Plug Converter (International Travel): Monoprice Compact Cube Universal Travel Adapter
Our Slide Advancer with an Extra Pair of Batteries
Our Slide Advancer with an Extra Pair of BatteriesLogitech R400 Wireless Presenter Remote Control
Kensington 33374EU Wireless USB presenter and Laser Pointer
Our Portable Speaker
Kitsound Mini Buddy and Portable Rechargeable Universal Wired Speaker(with 3.5mm headphone jack insert) plus associated USB charging cable
Our Lecture Backup
Our Lecture BackupIf you use PowerPoint, you are likely going to be fine no matter where you go as that’s pretty standard tech. However if you are using keynote, you should always bring your laptop and all adapters as many places won’t have keynote software (this has occurred at conferences such as SEMPA and ACOEP)
Also, always have other talks you have given in the past as back up. There have been a few scenarios where other speakers were not able to travel due to weather and there lecture spots needed to be filled. Have seen this occur on two separate occasions and was able to step in and give another lecture in their stead.
Samsung 128GB USB Flash Drive with a copy of your presentation and PDF versions of your talk
For Our New Ideas
Small Moleskine Notebook & 2 pens (in case the ink runs out of one), sharpie markers
Our Travel Accessory Organizer
Cocoon 10BKB – Black GRID-IT Accessory Organizer
We hope you have found this post helpful and please leave other tips and tech you have found useful and why in the comments below.
Salim Rezaie
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4 thoughts on “What Every Speaker Needs to Have When Traveling to a Conference”
Pure gold.
Laptops are able to convert 110-220 and it is not recommended to use a converter. Instead, use a plug adaptor, Apple has an adaptor kit that is easy to use and includes all types of plugs.
Appreciate your comment Faith….do you have a link?
Salim
My list includes business cards and some form of hard candy, in case I get a throat tickle, and my thermos, so that I can sip tea while I speak. My husband and I have used laser pointers over the years to great effect. I still keep red, green and blue lasers in a pouch w my sketching pencils. Perhaps these are too old school for you. but I find them still useful.