Content and media permissions
Event presentation permission register
Delegates are asking for the slides, and half of the speakers have not said whether they may be shared.
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The short answer
A presentation permission register records, for each session, what the speaker has agreed to: showing the slides on the day, circulating them, recording the session, translating them and sharing afterwards. Each answer has a date, a version and the person who gave it.
Anything not recorded is treated as not yet agreed, and the file stays out of distribution until it is.
Ask each permission separately
Speakers may be happy to present but not to hand over the file. A single yes can hide five different questions. Ask each one, and let the speaker agree to some and decline others.
Slides that include other people's photographs, charts or client data may carry limits the speaker cannot override. Ask the speaker to flag such slides, and send flagged items to legal.
The register
One row per session or speaker. Leave a permission blank until the speaker has answered.
| Permission | Speaker answer | Version and date | Recorded by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show on the day | Yes, no or blank | v and date | Name |
| Circulate to delegates | Yes, no or blank | v and date | Name |
| Record the session | Yes, no or blank | v and date | Name |
| Translate slides | Yes, no or blank | v and date | Name |
| Share after the event | Yes, no or blank, and where | v and date | Name |
Version discipline
- Set a deadline for final slides and tell speakers that the permission answers apply to the version they send.
- Save each file with speaker, session ID, language and version in the file name.
- If a speaker sends a new version, mark earlier permissions as needing reconfirmation.
- Check the materials and translation-version checker before any file is circulated, to see whether the copy in each language is current and approved.
- Distribute only rows that show an approved yes for circulation and only the approved version.
Question pack for legal
- Does our speaker agreement or invitation text cover display, circulation, recording, translation and sharing, or only some of them?
- How should we record a speaker's partial permission, for example circulate but not record?
- What should we ask speakers about third-party images, charts and client data in their slides?
- Do speakers who work for a government body or a company need their employer's permission, and how do we record that?
- How long may circulated files stay on a member portal?
- Answers come from the legal adviser. The register records what was agreed and does not decide what is allowed.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional two-track finance seminar
Fictional organisation and figures, illustrative only.
A fictional finance institute had 18 speakers across two tracks. At the deadline, 11 had answered all five permissions, four had agreed to display only, and three had not replied.
The secretariat circulated 11 decks, kept the four display-only files off the portal, and had the project lead call the three silent speakers. One speaker's slides included a client chart, which was sent to the legal adviser before the file was released.
Use this yourself
Speaker permission request wording
Adapt this list into your speaker email or form and have your legal adviser review the final wording.
- May we display the attached version (name, version, date) on the day?
- May we circulate this version to registered delegates? Yes or no.
- May the session be recorded? Please confirm separately from the slides.
- May we translate the slides? If yes, who checks the translation with you?
- May we share the file after the event, and where?
- Do any slides include third-party images, charts or client data? Please mark them.
- Does your employer need to approve sharing? Name and contact if so.
Open the tool: Conference materials and translation-version checker
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Few speakers and one person manages their files.
- A standard speaker form already exists.
- Slides are not planned for circulation.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many speakers, several languages and a portal waiting for files.
- Speakers represent employers with their own approval rules.
- Final slides keep changing in the last week.
Need speakers chased and files tracked?
A conference project lead can send the permission questions to speakers, chase answers, keep the register current with file versions and tell the secretariat which files are ready to release. Rights questions go to your legal adviser.
Questions organisers ask
Can we assume speakers agree to share slides if they present?
Treat sharing as a separate question and record the answer. Presenting on the day and handing over a file are different permissions.
What if a speaker only sends slides on the day?
Display may go ahead if the speaker confirmed it, but hold circulation until the permission is recorded for that version.
How does this connect to recordings?
A speaker may allow slides but not recording, or the other way round. Use the recording release workflow for the recording side.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.