Sample Event Presentation Deck

HannahT · January 2022

Attached is a sample deck for events, including the Anaplan Groups logo and many different slide layouts for you to choose from. There are notes on each of the slides to help guide you through the sections of the presentation, and we have covered each one below in more detail.

Use these slides as a guide for what your presentations should contain. This is only a suggested sample presentation; you aren't required to use it (in fact, for virtual events, we recommend as few slides as possible or even omitting them altogether!). The order of the slides and the cadence of the event is completely up to you. However, we do recommend having these key ingredients at every event: welcome, agenda/overview, main event, Q&A, and call to action/closing.

Welcome!

Take about five minutes at the beginning of every event to welcome your attendees.
Set the expectation for chat engagement early. Post a welcome message and icebreaker question (e.g., where they are from, their favorite vacation spot, or preference between cats and dogs).
Engage throughout this time verbally as well. Make sure your camera and mic are on right away, and call out individuals as they join to personally say hello. If you have co-presenters, banter with them and include your attendees in some way.

Agenda/Overview

While the agenda slide is displayed, introduce yourself and go over housekeeping items.
Housekeeping items should include a brief overview of the Bevy platform. Point out where attendees can engage in the chat, where they should post any questions, what to do if they are having any technical difficulties, etc. To anyone with mic and camera access, request that they stay on mute when they are not presenting.
Without reading directly from the slide, highlight what attendees can expect at the event. Talk about what type of content they will hear and what they should expect to take away from the event.
This is a good time to mention how you will handle questions that there isn't time or space to respond to (e.g., inform attendees that unanswered questions will be addressed in a recap thread in your Group forum).

Main Event

Content Slides

If possible, collaborate with all presenters to create one consolidated deck in order to avoid multiple presenters having to share their screens.
If you are inserting slides from another deck be sure to update any layouts that are not consistent with the deck theme.

Speaker Slides

Before your speaker starts give an introduction and warm welcome. Share about their background and any interesting personal facts they have provided. This will help attendees feel more comfortable with the presenter and more at ease with asking questions.
We recommend scheduling and conducting a test event with your presenters prior to your event. This will allow them to become familiar with the Bevy platform and ensure system compatibility for ease of audio, video, and screen sharing. This rehearsal will also allow you to preview their slides ahead of time and become familiar with their content; you can then provide feedback to help refine the presentation, and you'll be more prepared to facilitate smooth transitions during your event. Be sure to ask in advance if it will be possible to share their slides with the full group as part of the event recap forum post.

Q&A

Dedicate at least 10 minutes for a question and answer session. Encourage active participation and engagement (this is a meetup, not a webinar).
There are a few ways to conduct your Q&A:
- Have audience members simply post questions in the main chat or use the Q&A feature in Bevy.
- You can answer questions live during the presentation as they are posted or save them until the end.
- You may choose to allow participants to come off mute and interact with the presenter live to ask their questions if desired.
- For some questions, you may wish to respond to them directly in the chat rather than taking time for them in front of the full group.
If you are not able to respond to every question, let your audience know where those questions will be answered post-event. We highly recommend continuing the engagement from your event in the Community: suggest attendees go to your Group forum for further discussion and to find a recap of the event.

Breakout Sessions (Optional)

Breakout sessions are a great way to create networking and attendee interaction. if this is something you would like to add to your event, be sure to check out this article, "Breakout Rooms Build Relationships".
If you are using Bevy Virtual, before you hit the button to move to breakout sessions, take a minute to explain what will happen next. Let attendees know how long they will be in their breakout rooms and what the process will be for returning to the main room.
Give your attendees a topic starter or sample questions to discuss. This helps relieve some of the inherent awkwardness of virtual networking. If you are able to, try to have a co-lead who can help moderate the sessions with you so the conversations continue.

Calls to Action (CTAs)

These are extremely important and should not be skipped. Calls to action help reiterate the desired event takeaways for your attendees and give them next steps for after the event.
Be sure to post CTAs along with related links to other resources in the chat as well as including them on a slide.
Here are a few sample CTAs:
- Call out or recap any main points from the presented content.
- Remind attendees to complete the post-event survey. Audience feedback is important!
- Direct them to continue conversations in your Group forum (and share the link!).
- Tease your next Group event—when it will be and what will be covered. A consistent event cadence will ensure good attendee value and keep them coming back. If you already have your next event planned (and you should!) be sure to share the registration link to help maintain momentum.
As part of your wrap-up, be sure to thank any speakers or co-hosts who have joined you, and thank your attendees for taking the time to participate.

Presentation Tips

Visuals speak louder than words. Avoid slides with a lot of text and use clear graphics instead. If you use text, stick to 3-5 bullet points.
Proofread and spell check your entire deck.
Consistency is key. Presentations should have a uniform theme; same colors, fonts and formatting.
Keep it simple. Avoid unnecessary animations such as slide or image transitions.
Make a clear and strong point, and stick to the time limit. Less is more in order to drive home your message.
Practice, practice, practice! The slides should merely support what you say, not be a crutch for poor preparation.