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Audi Management

Who is this for? - Auditorium volunteers, managers and speaker manager inside the specific auditorium

What is called an Audi? - An auditorium here is a room where there is a stage and audience can listen to live content delivered by a speaker. Historically, IndiaFOSS has been run at NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru where there are 3 audis with 700 to 300 capacity.

Time required - This is an on ground responsbility. You do not need to spend much time before the event.

As an Audi manager or volunteer, you play a crucial role in ensuring that talks stay on schedule at all times. These are the primary responsibilities and things to keep in mind.

  1. Who are the volunteers in the Auditorium?
    There is generally one auditorium manager, 2-4 auditorium volunteers based on the size of the room and a speaker manager.

    i. The audi manager oversees smooth and timely operations overall.
    ii. The volunteers are managing the crowd, setting up the speaker, giving the speaker time reminders and also helping with microphone passing during Q&A.
    iii.The speaker manager inside the auditorium is responsible to coordinate with the speaker manger outside to make sure at least two of the following speakers have reported to the auditorium and are ready to go to the stage as and when called. The speaker manager in the audi is not supposed to be leaving the venue to look for speakers. Refer the speaker manager guide for more.
    iv. An Emcee or two who hosts the crowd

  2. Presence in the Audi
    Be physically present in the auditorium throughout the event.

  3. Positioning
    The volunteers should be present at different areas of the auditorium. Near the front row for helping speakers out and keeping track of time, at the door for crowd management and around the audi for running mics.

  4. Maintain Silence
    Maintain silence during the talks. Ensure attendees are not creating noise, inside or outside, that disturb the speakers.

  5. Escalations
    As a audi volunteer, you escalate matters to the audi manager who will then escalate to the overall volunteer managers if needed. If you are a speaker manager, refer the speaker manager guide for more.

  6. Speaker Support
    Ensure speakers have tested their laptops or have shared their presentations with us as early in the day as possible. Make sure they are properly mic'd up and briefed about the countdown timer before they take the stage.

  7. Time Management
    Always keep track of the time. Display time cards to indicate how much time is left for each session.

  8. Q&A Session Management
    QnA can be done if there is time remaining from the speakers' session. During the Q&A sessions, manage the microphone to facilitate audience questions.

Checklist

Here's a checklist for you to follow throughout the event:

Before the day / Team arrival

  • Audi manager ensures the full team audi team arrives on time
  • Confirm roles for the day: who's doing crowd control, who's on mic duty, who's giving speaker timing reminders
  • Map out exit points and volunteer placements
  • Audi manager checks in with emcee to confirm they're ready and briefed on the day's flow

Presentation testing

  • Test all morning speakers' presentations before 9am
  • Test all afternoon speakers' presentations during lunch break
  • Check laptop connections, slide transitions, embedded videos/audio, and clicker/remote
  • Flag any file or format issues to the speaker immediately, while there's still time to fix them

Speaker readiness (ongoing, before each talk)

  • Audi manager confirms the next two speakers are present in the auditorium. If a speaker is missing, contact your speaker manager rep right away
  • Before each talk starts, confirm the upcoming speaker :
    • Has their mic attached and working
    • Knows about the 5-minute and 10-minute warnings
  • Give the speaker a 10-minute-to-go reminder
  • Give the speaker a 5-minute-to-go reminder

During each talk

  • Volunteers manage crowd control (seating, entry/exit, noise)
  • Volunteers pass the mic around during audience Q&A
  • Audi manager keeps an eye on time to ensure the hall is running to schedule

If something goes wrong

  • Speaker hasn't arrived or has technical issues that can't be fixed quickly → move to the next speaker and inform the speaker management team immediately
  • Any AV/equipment failure → flag to the technical/AV team inside the hall
  • Any schedule slippage → audi manager to decide on adjustments (trimming Q&A, adjusting breaks). communicate this to emcee and volunteer managers (if needed)

General

  • Keep a copy of the day's schedule and speaker list on hand (printed or digital) at all times
  • Keep speaker manager rep's contact details handy for quick reach
  • Before every meal break, make sure to reach out to overall volunteer managers or F&B volunteers to know what the meal situtaion is looking like. If it's too crowded, find ways to extend the current talk by allowing more audience questions.

Credits

  1. Immanuel Raj