Info for Speakers

Last Updated on March 5, 2019 by Jessica Clary

Thank you for your participation in the 2019 CBI National Student Electronic Media Convention in St. Louis. CBI is a non-profit association of members and we could not pull off a convention like this without your help.

Where is the convention hotel?
Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch
315 Chestnut Street
St. Louis, MO 63102

What should I bring? What AV is set up? What about Internet access?
If you need a laptop for your presentation, please bring a laptop. If you need an adapter to connect your laptop to a projector, please bring that adapter. Wireless internet access will be available in all rooms, but speeds may be unreliable for streaming video/audio playback.

Where do I check in?
All sessions will be held in the hotel. Please check in at the Registration Desk so we can get you your badge, check your laptop or other AV needs and show you to your room.

If you are a CBI member who is speaking and have already picked up your name badge, please go directly to the room where you will be speaking.

When should I arrive?
Ideally, 30 minutes before your session so you can find the registration desk, pick up your badge and check your presentation AV. Feel free to arrive earlier or stay later to check out what goes on at the convention.

Can I give handouts?
If you have handouts, please bring copies. Extra copies may be left at the registration table for students to pick up. We would also love to post a PDF of your presentation on our website after the convention.

What is the audience like?
Excited college students involved in radio, TV and electronic media production from around the country. Some are preparing for careers in broadcasting and media, and some are developing skills to supplement their other career goals. Expertise ranges from freshmen who are totally fresh to broadcasting to students who produce daily live shows. Media they represent includes traditional terrestrial broadcasting, radio and TV, campus cable, web broadcasting, new media and more. Professional staff who advise and work with stations in engineering, sales and educational aspects also attend, with a wide variety of expertise and experience.

How should I prepare for my presentation?
The best presentations include preparation. Chances are, you are appearing with co-presenters and a good presentation with multiple people requires some communication between those involved. If you do not know the other people on your panel, let us know and we will provide you with their contact information or the contact information for the person who coordinated the session.

The keys to a keeping an audience interested are:

• Stay on topic, which is to say cover the material in the session description and do not let one or two people distract you from that goal.
• Do not think of this as a classroom lecture. These are students who want to be engaged and drawn in. They sit in classes almost every day and have traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to be here so try to engage your audience by asking them questions, letting them ask you questions, and bringing examples of your work and the work of others.
• Do bring a variety of things to talk about, not just your experiences. We find that if a speaker’s presentation is all about “look at what I/we have done,” people leave.
• Do arrive early and plan to stay late as students almost always have more questions than you can cover at the end of your session, but please take those conversations into the hallway as there is another session that needs to use the room.

Questions? Email events@askcbi.org.