WST FAQs

At WST, we do things differently—on purpose. While many vendors focus on flashy gear or generic service packages, we’ve built our entire model around one goal: making it radically easier to deliver high-quality, content-forward conferences. Our tools, systems, and people are optimized to reduce friction, preserve presentation integrity, and make planners look like heroes. Whether it’s speaker-ready workflows, seamless content capture, or better ways to deliver session recordings, we focus on what matters—and we do it smarter.

What’s different and why is this valuable?

  • Traditional AV providers are generalists — focused on staging, lighting, exhibits, sound, and hardware. Session content is an afterthought, which is why they only offer a rigid, Windows-only solution. If a speaker shows up with anything else, they’re forced into time-consuming file conversions that break fonts, styles, and videos, wasting time in speaker-ready rooms and adding unnecessary stress.

    WST is different. It’s purpose-built and 100% focused on delivering your conference content. Our solution combines unique software, resilient hardware, and proven processes supported by an on-site expert team. Every slide is displayed exactly as the speaker intended, regardless of format, while eliminating schedule delays, glitches, and hidden fees. Simply put: AV companies can’t match the precision and focus that WST brings to your event.

  • Your attendees are the heart of your event. They invest their time, money, and energy to be there — and their experience determines whether they return, recommend your conference, and engage with your organization long after the event ends. With WST, attendees will experience flawless presentations exactly as each speaker intended, no blank videos, broken formats, or weird fonts, no session delays due to tech failures or confused speakers, and they get immediate access to missed session recordings. Your attendees will further benefit when speakers aren’t stuck in speaker-ready rooms and they’re available to connect. That face-to-face interaction makes attendees feel their time was well spent. 

    Bottom line: Happy attendees return, recommend, and invest more. When their experience is seamless, your event’s value — and your organization’s reputation — multiplies.

  • Your speakers are more than presenters — they are the reason attendees register, travel, and dedicate time to your event. A seamless speaker experience directly translates into a better conference for everyone. Here’s why it matters:

    Speakers are the main draw.
    Attendees register and travel because of the speaker lineup. If speakers have a bad experience, it directly impacts the quality of content delivery — and the reputation of the event.

    Speaker confidence = stronger presentations.
    A speaker who feels supported and comfortable with the technology delivers more engaging, polished sessions. Nervous or frustrated speakers, on the other hand, struggle to connect with the audience.

    First impressions ripple through the event.
    If speakers encounter problems, word spreads quickly. A few poor experiences can make a well-organized event feel unprofessional.

    Better speaker experience improves attendee satisfaction.
    Smooth, confident presentations keep audiences engaged and satisfied — which boosts feedback scores, retention, and loyalty for future events.

    It protects the event’s reputation.
    High-profile or keynote speakers are often influencers in their field. If they leave frustrated, they’re less likely to return, which may discourage others from participating.

    It maximizes networking opportunities.
    Speakers stuck troubleshooting slides in a speaker-ready room lose valuable face time with attendees. More networking increases perceived value for both groups.

    Content is king — and speakers create it.
    The learning experience your attendees paid for depends on content being delivered as intended. If a speaker’s videos don’t play, or fonts break, the value of their content drops dramatically.

    It reduces staff and AV firefighting.
    A speaker-friendly process means fewer last-minute crises, tech glitches, or room delays. That reduces costs and stress for organizers.

    It drives speaker loyalty.
    A positive, seamless speaking experience makes presenters eager to return year after year and recommend your event to peers.

    It impacts revenue.
    Happy speakers attract bigger audiences, boost attendee retention, and make sponsors more willing to invest in future events.

Who do you work with?

  • Yes. WST is built to work seamlessly with any AV provider. Your AV team still handles what they do best — sound, lighting, staging, design, exhibits, etc. WST enhances the speaker-ready and session room experience by supplying dedicated lectern and rehearsal devices that deliver flawless presentations in any file format. Plus, our built-in networking connects every kiosk and session room to the WST server, eliminating the need for costly third-party VLANs. This benefit alone can lead to tens of thousands of dollars in budget savings. 

  • PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, Canva, Prezi, Google Presentation and more — all displayed exactly as your speaker designed them, without error-prone conversions or extra session room hardware.

  • Yes. WST is designed to scale — whether your audience or speaker is in the room, online, or both.

  • Yes!  Event Planning tools like Cvent or Cadmium are great at planning and collecting event specific data but they have to work with AV companies and therefore have the same limitations. Conference content and presentation delivery management is a specialty that should be handled by content specialists like WST. As good as your dentist may be, you wouldn’t ask them to perform heart surgery, right? Of course not! But that’s exactly what you’re doing when you’re asking an AV vendor or event planning company to manage your content and presentation delivery.

How does this save time?

  • WST can cut hours from the speaker-ready process by eliminating conversions and last-minute formatting checks. That means less staff time supporting speakers; less time speakers spend behind a screen and more time networking with attendees.  

  • Yes. Speakers can upload or adjust their presentations at any time — even minutes before their talk. No rigid deadlines due to tech or AV imposed limitations and no stressful speaker-ready check-in or out waits.

So it saves me money?

  • We offer straightforward pricing — with no extra networking or “floating tech” charges. Our price model is based on: number of session rooms and presentations, event duration and estimated number of attendees.  Compared to typical AV solutions, the WST solution can save you money and improve your attendee and speaker experiences.  Use the Contact page and ask for a free quote. If you’re considering speaker ready, you already have WST built into your budget.

  • No! In fact, if you're using your AV company to provide presentation management then you already have the budget for this.  If you’re already allocating a budget for lectern hardware, speaker ready room, and support, then you’ve already allocated more than enough budget for WST. In fact, many of our clients discover significant savings by using the WST Solution. 

  • WST includes the necessary networking to run our solution, saving you thousands in extra third-party speaker network networking fees (U.S. events only, location dependent).

  • No.  Session rooms are remotely monitored in real time by our on-site control team and the speaker ready room is monitored in-person. That means no extra “floater” staff costs and no fumbling techs disrupting session rooms or attendees.

What about deliverables and onsite details?

  • Our “Instant Access” recordings are accessible within minutes of the session ending.  Attendees will have near instant access to each recorded session via a branded online content library.

    In addition, WST delivers polished, individually edited session recordings within a few days, so you can share, sell, or post them to your LMS shortly after your conference ends.

  • You’ll have a highly experienced, dedicated WST team monitoring the speaker ready room and every session in real time, ready to assist instantly if needed.

  • 1-3 months prior to the event:
    WST provides a branded website for speakers to upload their presentations when they are finalized. Of course, they can access or upload their presentations in the speaker ready room after they arrive.  A link to a branded content library is provided to you and should be shared with your attendees once they arrive and check in to the conference.

    1 or 2 days before the event (depends on when speaker ready room is open):
    The WST team arrives and sets up the speaker ready room kiosks with monitors, places lectern devices in each session room, configures a secure network that will connect all WST devices to the WST presentation management server and tests everything. Setup is quick and integrates seamlessly with your AV provider’s audio/visual equipment. No special infrastructure required.

    Day 1 – end of the event:
    WST opens the speaker ready room and sessions begin and are recorded.  As soon as each session ends, the session recordings are accessible to attendees via the content library.  The WST team monitors everything in real-time.

    End of event:
    WST deactivates the content library (unless the customer requests that it remains open).

    3 days after the event: Polished, edited session recordings for each individual talk is provided.

  • No.  Session rooms are remotely monitored in real time by our on-site control team and the speaker ready room is monitored in-person. That means no extra “floater” staff costs and no fumbling techs disrupting session rooms or attendees.