This new partnership highlights the ever-increasing focus on corporate governance of which managing corporate entities, meeting legislative deadlines and running effective board meetings is a crucial element.

CGS’ products – GEMS and Boardworks – assist companies in meeting these requirements across the globe and the partnership with SVC further strengthens this offering.

Mark Selinger, Head of CGS said: “This partnership is a natural extension of both CGS and SVC’s businesses. We’re focussed on providing technology to support companies in the GCC who are embracing the need for effective corporate governance. Working with SVC we can deliver a comprehensive set of services to the wider region that assist them in managing their corporate entities, board meetings and materials.”

John Quinn, General Manager of SVC – a well-established regional provider of solutions that help Manage, Present and Interact with investors, clients and staff – said: “With increased regulatory pressure for corporate governance, today’s corporate secretaries need powerful tools to effectively capture and report on their entity data, as well as their director and officer information and obligations. We are fulfilling a growing demand for technology-based solutions that add levels of control and visibility for Board members and senior management of
GCC based organisations.  With the shift towards electronic communication channels, companies now face increasing pressure to deliver engaging interaction between board members, directors, staff and clients.  This is where Satellite comes in. In addition to the latest board and entity management software solutions we excel at producing visually compelling presentations and we provide audience response systems that turn audience members from passive listeners into active participants.”

CGS is part of the Computershare Group, a global market leader in transfer agency, share registration and employee share plans.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Jacquie Carson, Satellite Visual Communication on +9714 3268535 or +97150 6219358

About Computershare Governance Services: Computershare Governance Services (CGS) is the leading global supplier of web based entity management, board portal and subsidiary governance solutions. Over 250,000 legal entities across more than 160 jurisdictions are administered, governed and kept compliant using our software. Leading companies from all market segments look to our team of governance specialists for proactive ways to stay compliant and minimize risk in an ever increasing regulatory environment. Our headquarters in Monaghan, Ireland are supported by 11 offices across the globe. CGS is part of Computershare (ASX:CPU), a global market leader in transfer agency and share registration, employee equity plans, proxy solicitation and stakeholder communications. We also specialise in corporate trust services, tax voucher solutions, bankruptcy administration and a range of other diversified financial and governance services. Founded in 1978, Computershare is renowned for its expertise in data management, high volume transaction processing, payments and stakeholder engagement. Many of the world’s leading organisations use these core competencies to help maximise the value of relationships with their investors, employees, creditors, members and customers.Computershare is represented in all major financial markets and has over 10,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.computershare.com

About Satellite Visual Communication: Based in Dubai since 2001, SatelliteVisual Communication FZCO offers the latest solutions to help manage, present and interact with your investors, clients and staff. Our offering extends from corporate governance services to professional presentation production to audience interaction systems. At Satellite Visual Communication, our aim is simple: to help you get your message across, no matter what you say, who you talk to, or where you speak.  For more information, visit www.satellite.ae

What is NFC?
Simply put, NFC (short for near field communication) is a short range, wireless RFID technology, that makes use of interacting electromagnetic radio fields instead of direct radio transmissions used by technologies like Bluetooth. Essentially, NFC allows two devices to communicate small amounts of data when they’re either touching or close.

Chips can be found in mobile phones, credit cards, and parking passes and are on the rise because of the rise in smart phones and their more secure technology.

How is NFC currently used?
Londoners use NFC when they tap in their Oystercard on public transport. Google will soon be releasing mobile payments on some of its Android-enabled phones. Barclaycard already facilitates contactless payments with their cards. Access to office buildings is enabled with NFC dongles. And many museums are enabling audio tours when you swipe your mobile phone near a chip at an exhibit. The technology has been around for a few years and is really starting to take hold.

NFC for Events
So, NFC is everywhere – but how can you use NFC for events? Better yet, how could you use NFC for events? We asked around the office and had some cool ideas for how we’ve seen and would like to see NFC used.

Social business cards: Technologies such as Poken enable attendees to share information by tapping tiny devices. Information can be basic business card information or more detailed information such as branded collateral or social profiles. So, attendees no longer have to carry around endless business cards or brochures and can engage with each other in a more unique way.

Attendance management: Imagine regulating attendance to your next conference or seminar session by having registered attendees tap their badge or smart phone to open a door. Or, better yet, simply having the door open automatically for registered guests without having to tap. Then, the data would automatically be uploaded to your event management software.

Payments: What if you opened your event registration to a large target audience and had them pay to attend sessions or seminars with their mobile phone as they enter. Payments could be made through a third party and financial data immediately uploaded and monitored. That way, exhibitors are getting the exposure they desire and attendees pay for invaluable live content without an hassle.

Security: Upon entering your event, each attendee’s profile information and photo are populated onto a main system. So, you know who is there and where they are. Possibly creepy, but could be great for government, military or youth events.

Instant info: Visitors could swipe their phone to obtain more information, a special offer or invitation to a cocktail reception as they walk by a stand. Or, learn more about a speaker and access their slide materials instantly. Or, send tailored information to passers by they are looking to initiate conversation with. Or, be invited to a later session or event based on their current location.

Transport booking: After a long day of sessions, meetings, walking and talking visitors could automatically trigger transport upon leaving the event. As they exit, a taxi could pull up and whisk them away to their accommodation or dinner venue based on their agenda, without having to ask!

Networking: Some events can have thousands of attendees and it can be impossible to catch up with colleagues. After entering profile information or selecting other attendees they’d like to meet with, visitors can be alerted when someone with similar interests or from their list is close so they can initiate conversation – making the best use of their limited time.

Take Away
Technology is moving at an incredible pace. Make sure your events are keeping up with the almost endless possibilities QR codes and NFC can bring to not only enhance visitor experiences, but to increase the information you have about them to optimize future marketing and content development.

Want to learn about our latest innovations for event planning? Get in touch and we’d love to show off our most recent developments. www.satellite.ae

2. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon and then click the down arrow below New Slide. Choose the Reuse Slides option.

This activates the Reuse Slides pane.

3. Open the presentation you want to copy the slides from as follows:
• To access an existing presentation, click the Open a PowerPoint File link in the Reuse Slides pane to bring up a Browse dialog box that lets you choose a file on your computer.
You now see the other presentation slides in the Reuse Slides pane.

4. Right-click a slide, and in the shortcut menu, choose one of these options:
• Insert Slide: This inserts the selected slide.
• Insert All Slides: This inserts all the slides visible in the pane.
• Apply Theme to All Slides: This applies the theme of the slide in the task pane to all slides in the active presentation.
• Apply Theme to Selected Slides: This applies the theme of the slide in the task pane to the active slide. If you are in Slide Sorter view, this relates to selected slides. You can also individually select slides in the Slides pane in Normal view.

5. If you want to retain the source formatting of the slides that you insert through the Reuse Slides pane, make sure that you check the Keep Source Formatting option.

It’s that easy…

So how do you get your PowerPoint presentation onto the iPhone?

You can’t actually run your PPT files directly but you can convert your PPTs to an appropriate format such as MP4, a common video format for various mobile devices including the iPhone.

There are converters available around the web, such as PPTMovie.

When you convert the PPT to a movie suitable for the iPhone you’ll need to resize it for the screen which is 480x320px, you’ll also need to choose a compression setting to get optimum file size as storage on an iPhone is limited. Remember though, that higher compression will not only reduce file size but also quality, so choose with care.

You’ll also have other options to choose from, such as how to control the movie, as well as various audio settings.
Another option is IVTStudio software. This software “enables users to publish and share video podcasts which alternate video clips with full-screen PowerPoint slides.”

Displaying your iPhone presentation

So your presentation is on your iPhone, which is great for close viewing, for one-to-one presentations and for practising while commuting, but as well as viewing it on the iPhone itself you can hook it up to a TV, monitor or projector. You just connect the appropriate Audio/Video connectors into the iPhone base dock. Exactly which cables you’ll need will depend on your playback equipment, but there are already many available.

1. Less and less people will stand in front of poorly constructed visuals. Presenters will use great supporting visuals or none at all.

2. The public’s diminishing tolerance for bad PowerPoint will eliminate the majority of bad visuals out there.

3. Social stigma and peer pressure from having poorly constructed and distracting visuals will be career limiting.

Rule of Three – We remember three things.

What’s so magical about the number three?
It’s no accident that the number three is pervasive throughout some of our greatest stories, fairy tales and myths.
It’s also no coincidence that some of the most famous quotes from throughout history are structured in three parts, nor is it surprising that the Rule of Three also works wonders in the world of comedy.
It all comes down to the way we humans process information. We have become proficient at pattern recognition by necessity, and three is the smallest number of elements required to create a pattern. This combination of pattern and brevity results in memorable content, and that’s why the Rule of Three will make you a more engaging writer.

Storytelling
Have you ever wondered:
What the three little pigs, the three blind mice, Goldilocks and the three bears, the Three Musketeers, the three wise men and the Three Stooges have in common?
Why the three-act structure is the dominant approach to screenwriting in Hollywood?
Why three bullet points are more effective than two or four?

The Rule of Three works in stories due to the presence of the concise, memorable patterns that I mentioned above. But even if that wasn’t the case, the number three has been used so widely throughout some of the most memorable works from our childhood, it’s likely that we are preconditioned to respond favorably to elements grouped in threes.
Think in terms of three when crafting your content, and you’ll likely end up with a more engaging outcome. If at first you don’t succeed, remember—the third time’s the charm.

Sticky Ideas
You see the Rule of Three used all the time across diverse areas of life. Why?
Because information presented in groups of three sticks in our heads better than other clusters of items. For example:
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people”
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen”
“Blood, sweat and tears”
“Location, location, location”
“Father, Son and Holy Spirit”
“Faith, Hope and Charity”
“Mind, body, spirit”
“Stop, Look and Listen”
“Sex, Lies and Videotape”

The rule of three is one of the oldest in the book – Aristotle wrote about it in his book Rhetoric. Put simply it is that people tend to easily remember three things.

Odds are that people will only remember three things from your presentation

What will they be?
1. The audience are likely to remember only three things from your presentation – plan in advance what these will be.

Believe it or not, the chances are, people will only remember three things from your presentation. So before you start writing your presentation, plan what your three key messages will be. Once you have these messages, structure the main part of your presentation around these three key themes and look at how they could be better illustrated.

2. There are three parts to your presentation

The beginning, the middle and the end. Start to plan out what you will do in these three parts. The beginning is ideal for an attention grabber or for an ice breaker. The end is great to wrap things up or to end with a grand finale.

3. Use lists of three wherever you can in your presentation

Lists of three have been used from early times up to the present day. They are particularly used by politicians and advertisers who know the value of using the rule of three to sell their ideas.

Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered) – Julius Caesar**
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen lend me your ears” – William Shakespeare
“Our priorities are Education, Education, Education” – Tony Blair
A Mars a day helps you to work, rest and play – Advertising slogan
Stop, look and listen – Public safety announcement

A classic example of the rule of three was Winston Churchill’s famous Blood, Sweat and Tears speech. He is widely attributed as saying I can promise you nothing but blood sweat and tears. What he actually said was “I can promise you Blood, Sweat, Toil and Tears”. Because of the rule of three we simply remember it as Blood sweat and tears.

4. In Presentations “Less is More”

If you have four points to get across – cut one out. They won’t remember it anyway. In presentations less really is more. No one ever complained of a presentation being too short.

trust in allah but tie your camel

One day Allah’s Messenger noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I placed my trust in Allah.” At that, the Prophet, sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said, ” Tie your camel and place your trust in Allah” – Tirmidhi 

Lessons from this hadith: Placing trust in Allah means doing everything that is necessary for success!

Years ago, on my first 4-hour flight from Dubai to Cairo, I was a miracle of modern technology. I had a new laptop equipped with spare batteries and adapters for telephone and power. The laptop was packed in an ergonomic carrying case. The case was tagged in three languages, and slung over my shoulder like gear for a camping trip. A long camping trip. The bag could have been lighter, but I needed all that stuff.

During the flight, I worked on my presentation, burning through my battery. On touchdown in Cairo, I shouldered my bag, feeling prepared at last, and headed to customs. During the long wait in the customs line, my laptop-carrying shoulder began to ache. I was discovering a principle that had somehow escaped both Archimedes and Einstein: road gear gets heavier with every mile.

After customs, I jumped in a taxi and said “Intercontinental Hotel”. The usual hair-raising ride in an unfamiliar city ensued. Rattled but in one piece, I arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel roughly fifty minutes later and emerged into the heat.

Deciding to proceed directly to my presentation room (“Ballroom A”), I shuffled off through the sauna. I found Ballroom A, but it was empty. Grabbing the nearest house phone, I asked for the person in charge of meeting setup, as I was tomorrow morning’s presenter and I needed to rehearse. Within moments a manager arrived, apologised over and over that my room wasn’t ready, and rapidly began assigning employees to set it up. The crew performed like a pit crew, setting up a theater-style room for 100, skirted tables for my literature, and a podium for me.

The multimedia projector I had ordered had not been delivered. The efficient banquet manager responded at once, telephoning the house’s AV service, who arrived in moments, apologised again that the room wasn’t ready, and wheeled in the multimedia projector. The hotel threw in the screen.

As the AV crew completed the setup, the technician approached to hook up my laptop. Friendly guy that I am, I helped him set up a power strip, plugged in the electricity using my new power adapter, connected the interface and looked up to see my output on screen. Breathing a sigh of relief, I realised I had done everything right. I was now prepared for my presentation with everything working and in place.

That’s when I found out there are two Intercontinental Hotels in Cairo.

Folks who make presentations for a living are going to have trips like my first trip to Cairo. You’re going to have a trip some day where everything comes as a surprise. But stay sharp, and you’ll learn how to head those surprises off the next time around. Here are some miscellaneous tips for survival, gathered from years on the road . . .

Things to Know

About your computer

Computer model, OS – in case a technician needs this information, have it written down on a card.

The keyboard command to manually force your computer’s VGA or HDMI output port to “On” – some computers sense the presence of a monitor or projector, but some do not.

About your accessories

Input voltage requirements – not just of your computer, but all your electrical accessories as well. My computer is an international model, but I’ve purchased an accessory power supply that is 220v only.

Plugs/adapters required for location you’re visiting – for power and phone.

The traveling presenter’s golden rule – DON’T carry anything you don’t NEED.

About service availability

Phone numbers for computer and AV rental – even if you’re not using them (yet). Often, the local AV company knows a lot about working in the facility you’re going to.

Things to Take

Presentation packaging

Source files – all the files, pictures, charts, sounds you used to create your presentation

Hard copy of presentation

Presentation files backed up on CD or Portable USB hard drive – most presentation programs will export a file that can be played without the program software in case something happens to your computer (called a dot PPS file in the PowerPoint world).

Tools

Mini screwdriver (tweeker)

Multitool (Leatherman)

Things to Do

Advance calls to make

Hotel – make sure you have a place to sleep, freshen up, and regroup.

MIS at facility – if you’re going into a corporate facility where you might need to get on their network or get Internet access.

AV contractor – order any equipment and/or services you can’t bring with you, or have provided by the groups hosting the presentation.

Things to Arrange (or Double Check)

In theory, everything is arranged by the time you, the presenter, are on your way to the presentation site. So, in theory, there’s really nothing for you to arrange. Except that it doesn’t always work that way. Which is why you should double check the arrangements that impact your presentation, so that you can arrange them in the nick of time if you have to.

AV order – if it’s a large show, confirm equipment and talk to people who will set up and/or operate the show. If you’re doing the show yourself, confirm orders for screen, backup equipment, etc.

Site map and directions – don’t underestimate the time it can take to find a building, or a particular room in a building.

Site and times – things can change while you’re on your way to the venue.

Site details – check the name or number of the presentation room the day before the event directly with a facility representative. Room changes are more the rule than the exception as facilities try to cope with groups of fluctuating size and schedule. Remember that a change in room can very well affect the equipment available to you – the sound system is a prime example.

How to Operate On-Site

The people who help you execute your presentation, from the housemen who set up the meeting room to the vendors who deliver your AV, are your allies. Treat them as such.

Finally some advice from a guy who’s been there before you –

Have fun! More important, believe in your heart that you’re having fun. You’re the leader of this shindig, for the twenty minutes or so it takes you to present your material. And the group is going to take its tone from you. They’re going to pick up on your sense of fun and enthusiasm, if it’s genuine. If it’s not, they’re going to pick up on the fact that you’re faking it. It worked for James Bond, and it will work for you: Stay cool. Keep moving. Your best presentations are directly ahead.

Based in the Dubai, John Quinn works with many organizations to help them maximize their corporate Branding through memorable presentations.

Most people learn to make presentations in front of relatively small groups of people.

When it comes to presenting yourself, your ideas or your business to an audience of hundreds at a conference, panic can easily set in.

But a few simple measures can be taken to make sure you are fully prepared to give a great presentation. The six tips below will help calm those big-day nerves.

Tip 1 – Choose your topic wisely

As soon as you’ve made the decision to speak, decide on a compelling and engaging topic for your presentation. It may seem obvious but you’d be amazed at how many people go for some wishy-washy subject that won’t appeal to the audience.

Choose a topic in which you have some expertise, as you’ll naturally be more confident speaking about something you know. It should also be consistent with the theme of the conference. Avoid blatant sales pitches, as they may not engage the audience.

Outline your key points to the audience, as this will help you focus and help the conference organisers promote the event.

Tip 2 – Prepare your materials

Ask yourself the following important questions, and use the answers to create a plan for your presentation:

What time will your session be and how long will it last?
Are you expected to take your own handouts, or will the organisers provide them for you? In which case, in what format should you provide them?
How many people are expected to attend and who are they?
How will the room be set up?
When can you have access to the room?
Will they provide the equipment you need, or should you take your own?
The more information you can get, the better prepared you’ll be.

Tip 3 – Practise until it’s good

Give yourself plenty of time to prepare your presentation and practise it. If it doesn’t feel right, you’ll need enough time to improve it. Blagging your way through a presentation rarely works.

Don’t forget to give yourself plenty of time to prepare supporting visuals, and try to be creative – it doesn’t always have to mean PowerPoint.

Prepare handouts to give delegates even more value from attending your presentation.

Tip 4 – Set-up properly on the day

On the day of your presentation, take time to make sure you’re organised and mentally prepared for what lies ahead.
Before you leave for the conference, make sure you have back-up copies of your presentation, so you know your files are safe if you have problems with your equipment.

When you get there, check that you’re happy with the layout of the room and that all the equipment you need is there and working.

Try to attend some other sessions at the conference, to make sure you don’t duplicate what’s already been said. This will also give you the opportunity to find out more about your audience.

Tip 5 – Follow-up questions and contacts

Take note of any questions you were asked, as this is good material for your next presentation.

If you promised to get in touch with anyone – to provide extra information or contacts – make sure you get their contact details and then do what you promised.

This will make you stand out from many presenters who never keep in touch with people they meet.

Tip 6 – The audience are on your side

Speaking at conferences used to scare the living daylights out of me. Despite being armed with a great story, compelling support materials and hours of rehearsal, I’d be a quivering wreck by the time my introduction onto the stage was being made.

And then a colleague let me into a little secret – the audience wants you to succeed. They want to engage with you, smile knowingly at your ice-breaking gags and marvel at your visuals. Why not give them what they want!