A major event needs more than impressive slides
A presentation can look impressive and still leave its audience uncertain about what matters.
That challenge becomes particularly important when the subject is a national pavilion, the audience includes senior leaders, and the content needs to explain both a broad vision and its supporting details.
For Expo 2020 Dubai, Rekarda created a 142-slide interactive presentation for the UAE National Pavilion, intended for leadership briefings and VIP visits. The project combined visual storytelling with navigation through a substantial body of content. You can explore the work in our UAE Pavilion Expo 2020 case study.
Looking back at that project offers a useful starting point for a wider question: how should organisations design presentations that contain more information than a single conversation can reasonably cover?
The following principles apply well beyond exhibitions.
1. Organise the conversation before designing the slides
When a project has many components, the instinct is often to give each one a slide and keep adding until everything is covered.
That creates an inventory. It does not necessarily create a useful presentation.
A better starting point is to separate three things:
- The central message the audience needs to understand.
- The supporting information needed to make that message credible.
- The additional detail that should be available when questions arise.
These layers should not compete for equal attention.
For a corporate presentation, the main message might concern a strategic direction. Supporting material explains the reasoning. Detailed information answers specific questions without taking over the discussion.
Deciding how those layers connect is a content task, not a formatting task.
2. Treat navigation as part of the message
An interactive presentation should help the presenter reach relevant information without losing the audience’s sense of direction.
That requires more than clickable buttons.
Section names should make sense without explanation. Navigation controls should behave consistently. After exploring a detail, the presenter should have an obvious route back to the main discussion.
A useful test is simple: can someone unfamiliar with the file understand where they are, what they can explore, and how to return?
If the answer is no, the presentation needs clearer organisation before it needs more interactivity.
This is particularly valuable when different audiences need different levels of detail. The presentation can support those differences without forcing every meeting through the same sequence.
3. Distinguish the size of the file from the length of the presentation
A large presentation file and a long presentation experience are not necessarily the same thing.
A linear deck asks the audience to follow a fixed sequence. A modular presentation can make additional information available without requiring every section to be shown.
That distinction does not make a large slide count a goal. It changes the editing question.
Instead of asking only, “How many slides are there?”, ask:
- What must this audience see?
- What can remain available for questions?
- Which sections repeat information?
- Can the main argument stand on its own?
A short route through well-organised content can be more useful than a smaller file in which every detail has been squeezed onto the main slides.
For more on making those decisions, see how to shorten a presentation without weakening its message.
4. Give every visual a specific job
Before adding an image, diagram, chart, or video, decide what it needs to help the audience understand.
A photograph can establish context. A diagram can explain a relationship. A chart can support a comparison. A video can demonstrate something that is difficult to communicate through a still image.
Problems begin when the visual is selected first and its purpose is invented afterwards.
Ask what the audience should notice, then remove anything that distracts from that point. Captions, labels, and slide titles should help people interpret the visual rather than merely describe its contents.
The same principle applies to numbers: data storytelling starts with the point the evidence needs to support.
5. Test the presentation as a working tool
Once a presentation contains navigation, media, or several possible routes, reviewing its appearance is not enough.
For similar projects, the review should also test the experience:
- Can the presenter move between sections confidently?
- Do navigation links lead to the correct destinations?
- Do videos play correctly on the intended equipment?
- Are labels and supporting details readable in the room?
- Can the presentation recover smoothly after a question or interruption?
- Is there a clear fallback if interactive features are unavailable?
These are practical checks for future projects, not claims about the specific technical setup used at Expo.
For public-facing events, the screen environment introduces further considerations. Our guide to corporate event presentation design in Dubai explains why stage content needs a different approach from a regular meeting deck.
What this means for your next presentation
The most useful lesson is not to make presentations bigger or more elaborate.
It is to make them easier to use.
Start with the audience’s needs. Establish a clear main argument. Separate essential information from optional depth. Make navigation predictable, visuals purposeful, and delivery practical.
Whether the setting is a pavilion briefing, an executive meeting, or a corporate event, the presentation should help people understand the subject—not make them work to find it.
Rekarda’s event presentation design services support organisations developing presentation content for live audiences.
FAQs
What did Rekarda create for Expo 2020 Dubai?
Rekarda created a 142-slide interactive presentation for leadership briefings and VIP visits at the UAE National Pavilion. The project is documented in the linked case study.
Does an interactive presentation need a large number of slides?
No. Interactivity should serve a navigation or communication need. A smaller presentation can benefit from it, while a straightforward linear deck may be more appropriate for a fixed, tightly timed talk.
Can these principles apply to ordinary business presentations?
Yes. Separating the main message from supporting detail, using clear navigation, and giving visuals a defined purpose can help with sales presentations, executive briefings, and other business communication.
