Speakers and moderators
Setting speaker slide deadlines that hold
Slides arrive on the morning of the event, and the audio-visual team opens them on a laptop for the first time.
Opens WhatsApp with a draft you can edit before sending. Nothing is sent automatically.
The short answer
Work backwards from the event date and from the supplier and printer deadlines that depend on the slides. Set two or three dated stages: a draft for review, a final for the audio-visual team, and a lock after which changes are made only in the room by agreement.
Give each speaker their own dates in writing in the session brief, name who collects the files, and decide in advance what happens to a late file.
Who depends on the slides
| Who | What they need | Question to ask them |
|---|---|---|
| Audio-visual team | Final files in a format their system accepts, checked on the equipment. | What file formats and screen shape do you require, and by when do you need files? |
| Moderator or chair | The slides to prepare questions and introductions. | When do you need to see them? |
| Interpreters or translators, if any | Slides or text to prepare terminology. | What do you need and how far ahead? |
| Printing or handouts | Final content if slides are printed or shared. | When must the content be locked for printing? |
| Reviewer or programme owner | A draft to check against the session brief. See presentation review. | How long does review take? |
| Recording or sharing after the event | Permission and a clean version of the file. | Which version is shared, and who approves it? |
A backwards schedule
- Fix the event date and the date the audio-visual team needs final files.
- Allow time for a technical check of the files on the real equipment.
- Add time for review and for the speaker to make corrections.
- Set the draft date before the review starts, and the lock date after the technical check.
- Write the dates into the speaker session brief and, for programme-wide dates, into the run-of-show.
Rules for late and changed slides
- State in the brief what counts as on time and who receives the files.
- Agree whether last-minute edits are allowed, who makes them and on whose equipment.
- Keep one version in use. Mark each file with the version and date. See agenda version control.
- Keep a fallback copy on the control desk in a format the audio-visual team has confirmed.
- Decide whether a speaker who sends nothing presents from their own laptop, and whether this needs a technical rehearsal.
What to confirm with the audio-visual supplier
Ask the supplier, in writing, what file formats, screen shape and playback arrangements they require and what they can support. Do not assume.
Ask whether a rehearsal slot is available for speakers who want to test files, and book it through the rehearsal schedule builder so rooms and people do not clash.
Worked example · Fictional example
A schedule for a one-day conference
Fictional organisation and dates, shown as days before the event, for illustration only.
A fictional association sets slide deadlines for 14 speakers: draft 21 days before the event, final 10 days before, and lock 3 days before. The audio-visual team asked for files 7 days before, so the final date had a buffer of 3 days.
Two speakers could not meet the draft date. The programme owner agreed a short extension for them but kept the final date. On the day before the event, one speaker asked to change a slide. The agreed rule was that any change after lock is made by the speaker with the audio-visual lead present, and the old file stays as fallback.
Use this yourself
Slide deadline schedule
One row per speaker. Dates are set backwards from the event. Fill in actual dates once the audio-visual team has confirmed what they need.
| Speaker (by role until confirmed) | Session | Draft due | Final due | Lock date | Who receives files | Late-file rule agreed | Confirmed by speaker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A small programme with few speakers and a familiar audio-visual team.
- Slides are not printed or translated.
- One person can collect, check and chase files.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many speakers, languages or rooms need files checked in a fixed order.
- Past events had slides arriving on the day.
- Review, technical check and printing each have their own deadline.
Need slide deadlines set and chased?
A conference project lead can set the slide schedule with you and the audio-visual supplier, include the dates in each speaker brief, chase files, route them to review, and keep the late-file rule applied the same way for everyone. Content decisions stay with your committee. Send your speaker list and the supplier requirements you have.
Questions organisers ask
How early should slides be due?
Work back from the audio-visual and printing deadlines, then add review and correction time. Take the dates from your suppliers, not from another event.
What if a speaker will not send slides early?
Agree a rule in advance. For example, a speaker may present from their own laptop after a technical check, or may send a fallback file. Apply it equally to everyone.
Do we need slides before the event at all?
Many organisers do, for review, accessibility, interpretation and equipment checks. Ask the audio-visual supplier and the programme owner what applies to your event.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.