How to Choose a Projector for Events and Lectures

Sometimes organizing an event from scratch might be a stressful experience, but if you approach it wisely, you can find the whole process quite enjoyable. Careful step-by-step planning is the key to success. And it’s always a good idea to start preparing well in advance. 

To get the most of your event, you need to choose the right projector that meets your needs and requirements. It’s not only that humans are predominantly visual creatures, but, as research shows, visual processes are critical for a sharp mind. In practical terms, it means that visuals can literally make or break your event. 

While effective visuals can significantly enhance your presentation, immediately capture everyone’s attention, and help you better connect with the audience, poor projection can cause misunderstanding and distortion of your messages. To avoid any negative situation, you should take several factors into consideration when choosing a projector for your activities. 

Baseline

As soon as you’ve chosen the perfect location, drafted the final list of participants and attendees, created event invitations with the help of invitation templates, and sent them out, you think you have everything covered. But without a projector, your event might not be entirely successful.

First thing first: projectors are rather costly equipment, which is why many people decide against using them, especially if they plan a small-scale event, lecture, or workshop. The good news is, you do not necessarily need to purchase a projector – instead, you can rent it (and the costs are rather affordable). Or, if you are lucky, you can even borrow it from a friend or colleague. The best approach is to think about the desired end outcome first and work backward from there. 

Inside or Outside?

There are a lot of different project types and modifications for you to choose from. In general, all projectors fall into two major categories: those designed to be used indoors and ones for outdoor use. Before you proceed with any further steps, you need to decide whether your event will take place inside a building or somewhere outside, like in the garden, backyard, etc.

How Many Attendees Do You Expect?

Knowing your audience, both in qualitative and quantitative dimensions, is a crucial prerequisite for having a smooth event. If your activity is designed for a group of up to twenty people, a basic model is exactly what you need. Some organizers have a wrong perception that the more expensive the equipment they use is, the better the ultimate result will be. However, there is absolutely no sense in utilizing a projector, designed for use with triple-digits audiences, during a small event.

Front or Rear Projection?

Many people love the idea of a projector projecting through the screen from the front part of the room. Yet, to be able to do it this way, you’ll need to allocate ten to twenty five feet of free space for placing the audio-visual equipment and the screen. Importantly, the rear projection reflects a lot of brightness back to the equipment, so the brightness level will be considerably lower. To make sure every participant is able to clearly see what’s on the screen, you will need to choose a higher lumen model.

Is Your Screen Big?

With so much attention focused on the audio-video presentation equipment, event hosts often overlook the screen. The screen is also a very important component of your presentation because its size defines how bright the projector bulb needs to be. If you have a big screen, this means that you require a bulb that is capable of filling large areas. If you choose a projector with the wrong bulb configuration, you risk ending up in a situation when attendees sitting in the back of the room won’t be able to see the screen.

What Kind of Content Do You Have?

If you have simple traditional PowerPoint slides containing text only, renting a projector with low lumens will be enough. In case you have more detailed content in your presentation, then you will want your projection to be much brighter than average. For example, if you are planning to use multiple-element infographics, you will require high-resolution equipment. 

The same applies if you are going to project high-definition video to your audience. Another thing to keep in mind is that very few projectors have built-in speakers, and even if they do, their quality often leaves much to be desired. If sound plays a vital role in your event, you may want to consider adding an external sound system.

Wrapping Up

Understandably, choosing a projector that will suit your needs best can be a rather difficult task, especially if you don’t have any training or previous experience in the technical area. Your main objective is to find a balance between cost-efficiency and high-quality presentation of your visuals during the event. The most effective way to do it is to assess your viewing needs and pick the equipment accordingly.

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