Creating Effective Summit Pitch Decks for a Seamless Experience

When planning a summit, one essential yet often overlooked element is the pitch deck used by your speakers. As a summit host, the level of precision and attention to detail you put into this can elevate the overall experience for your attendees. While not mandatory, providing a structured template for the summit presentation can help ensure consistency and professionalism throughout. Here’s what to consider when developing summit pitch decks.

The Purpose of the Pitch Deck

Before anything else, clarify the primary purpose of the pitch deck. Is it to educate, inspire, entertain, or sell? The deck's goal should align with the speaker's topic and the overarching theme of your summit. A pitch deck that offers knowledge and value to the audience will be far more appreciated than one that is merely a sales pitch from start to finish.

As a summit host, you should explain to your speakers what you expect in terms of content. For instance, allowing them a brief sales pitch at the end of their presentation—perhaps two to three minutes for a call to action—could be acceptable. However, summits focused solely on knowledge sharing may only permit links to the speaker’s website, socials, or opt-ins under the video rather than within the video itself.

Consistency in Format

Consistency in the presentation format is critical for providing a smooth viewing experience. Imagine a speaker zooming through 100 slides in a five-minute talk—this could easily overwhelm or alienate attendees, particularly those with alternative needs. To avoid this, establish guidelines such as limiting the number of slides per minute and offering recommendations for slide transitions and timing.

Additionally, if your summit involves slide-based presentations, consider providing branded templates. These templates should include your summit’s colors, logo, and branding elements, creating a cohesive visual identity. Another factor to decide on: will you allow speakers to add their logos to the deck, or will the branding solely represent your summit? This is a decision that should be communicated early on.

Balancing Promotion with Value

We emphasizes the importance of providing a balance between value and promotion. While it’s crucial to avoid an overly sales-driven approach during presentations, it’s equally important that speakers have the opportunity to benefit from their participation. Many summit hosts are building email lists or promoting collaborations, so making sure your speakers can share their expertise and give value to attendees is key.

One strategy is to allow speakers to include contact information, opt-ins, or links to their offers below the video. This allows attendees who are interested in learning more about a speaker to easily find their information without overloading the presentation with promotional content. Since summit videos can be accessed long after the event, this timeless approach ensures that information remains relevant without cluttering the main presentation.

Actionable Steps for Summit Hosts

To help you implement these ideas effectively, here are a few action steps:

1. Provide a Branded Template: Create a pitch deck template that reflects your summit’s branding. Include your logo, colors, and any other elements you feel are necessary. This ensures consistency across all presentations.

2. Clarify Promotion Guidelines: Decide early on whether you will allow speakers to promote their products and services during the presentation or restrict promotional content to call-to-action slides or links below the video.

3. Set Formatting Guidelines: Communicate the desired number of slides per minute of presentation time and any other technical guidelines for your pitch decks to ensure accessibility and a pleasant viewing experience.

4. Decide on Logos: Will you allow speakers to include their logos on the pitch decks? Establishing this rule early will help speakers adhere to your guidelines.

5. Align Pitch Decks with Summit Goals: Ensure that each speaker’s presentation aligns with your summit’s goals, whether that’s educating, inspiring, or entertaining your audience.

Final Thoughts

A well-thought-out pitch deck can make or break the flow of your summit. By providing templates, setting clear guidelines, and allowing your speakers to promote themselves in a structured way, you’ll create a seamless and engaging experience for all attendees. Whether your summit is designed to share knowledge or grow an email list, keeping these best practices in mind will help ensure that both your audience and speakers benefit.