Promotional use of autoplay PowerPoint or ProShow programs

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2127

Have any of your museums or historical groups tried producing autoplaying PowerPoint or ProShow programs and distributing them for promotion of the organization?

Care to share any comments about your project or the results?

PC

wesp · **Posted:** Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:55 pm

In our old facility we presented "Washington Streetcars: Rediscovered" as an autoplay PowerPoint orientation program in our exhibit hall. The PowerPoint was transcribed from an earlier 35mm slideshow that played using a cassette recording with auto advance. It worked well for about 10 years in a four-seater black box booth. The content of the presentation is now dated and needs revising.

Wesley

calistone · **Posted:** Sat Aug 06, 2016 10:43 pm

I used Pro Show Gold to create a "quick and dirty" program about the ewquipment in our collection for use at other rail oriented events. It's a great program for presenting material in a general interest atmosphere. Not great for a presentation with questions from the audience.

PCook · **Joined:** Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am **Posts:** 2127

Yes, that is exactly the use of ProShow or PowerPoint that I am asking about. Thanks for sharing that with us. If a group has a speaker-presented program already developed about their museum or collections, they are already partway to an autoplaying program, just having to record the narration and set up the slide timing.

With one DVD you can reach an entire group, as opposed to sending many individual brochures or mailers.

An autoplaying program may not be quite as good as a live speaker, but on the other hand it costs two postage stamps to mail a DVD as opposed to travel expenses and time for staff or a volunteer to travel around presenting a program with live narration. And considering that many groups don't do a lot to promote their programs for monthly meetings, a DVD could get just as good a turnout as a live speaker whose presentation has not been announced in advance.

PC

Ed Kapuscinski · **Posted:** Mon Aug 08, 2016 11:30 am

The CRHS carries a big (well, it was big) flat screen TV to events. We have a PPT running on it highlighting our activities, items for sale, upcoming events, etc...

We realized that, while somewhat pricey, it was a far more more flexible solution than having to constantly create fliers, posters, etc...

It's also handy for watching train porn after the crowd dies down.