Using laptops on events

There is a growing trend for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) when it comes to technology on events. The motivation is to save money, and in some cases it can send out a message that is appropriate for the times at a company. We tend to advise against it and suggest that equipment is hired in, preferably with a technician. We particularly advise this if technology is critical for an event, but sometimes it is less important and BYOD is appropriate. An example might be showing the photos at the end of a Treasure Hunt.

There is a link between the amount of data on a computer and performance. It seems that data stored on the desktop impedes performance more than data stored in internal files, so clean up the computer that you are going to use. It is also easier to see the files that you want on an uncrowded desktop. Run a cleaner programme, for example cCleaner, to get the most out of your device.

Make sure that you turn the computer on a few days before the event to check that it works and it is up to date. Some companies have an dedicated event laptop and it may not be regularly used. The next point ties into this and happened to a client recently on an event, hence this blog.

As soon as you arrive at the venue turn the laptop on to make sure that there is time for it to run any updates that it needs to. It is extremely stressful to have this happening as the room is filling up with people. Perhaps the belt and braces approach to BYOD is to have two people bring a device so that there is back up.

Sometimes BYOD is appropriate, but if you really are relying on something having a dedicated device with a technician means that you won't be faced with a disaster.