ZigMail had our first technical review today for DEMO Spring 2012 with Rob Lee from Evergreen Creative. The call was a checkpoint to see how we're doing with the script for our six minute demo on the main stage and answer our questions about staging and production.

This guy Rob sure knows his stuff. Not only has he been the Technical Director for years and years of DEMO Conferences (produced by IDG and VentureBeat), he's the single point of contact for roughly 70 demonstrators this year.

We got some valuable pointers from Rob:

1) 100 is the magic number - Preparation is key. According to Rob, once you've done your 100th run-thru, you're ready.

2) Watch the clock - It starts when you start talking and six minutes goes fast. We're aiming for a sweet spot between 5:30 and 5:45.

3) Tell a story, don't just click screens - A great reminder to add some personality and storytelling.

4) Never let them see you sweat - Two tips to note here. One, have a backup plan in case something happens during your demo that you don't anticipate (like the network goes down). Second, we have a thespian among us (our very own Michael Kennedy, President of ZigMail), so hats off to him for asking Rob about the stage lighting and whether powder is recommended. Rob said it's a good idea to have some handy.

5) Plan your attire - Good reminder from Rob to avoid stripes (they dance on camera). This is something I also coach execs on for broadcast segments and videotaped speaking engagements.

6) Repeat tip #1.

Technical review complete. We got a thumbs-up from Rob on our script and are pretty comfortable with our game plan for launching our super Top Secret new product on stage. We wish all the other demonstrators the best of luck as they prepare.

The countdown continues. 97 to go!

Image from Flickr user The Demo Conference.