In-Person Events

Run a KC7 event in a physical room

This covers what's different about running KC7 in a physical room: venue, WiFi, room setup, on-site troubleshooting, and cleanup. For the run-of-show and coaching that apply to any event, see Run event day and Support participants.

Before You Begin

You need an approved event, a confirmed venue, and a rough headcount. If you're still planning, start at Plan your event.

Pick a Venue

A workable venue gives everyone a seat with laptop space, accessible power, reliable WiFi, and a screen visible from anywhere in the room, plus space to walk between participants. Check signage, accessibility, restrooms, and parking or transit.

Classroom or lab

Good for schools and training. Built-in tech and IT support. Watch for network restrictions and after-hours limits.

Conference room

Community space

Hackathon or event space

Manage WiFi

WiFi is the most common failure point. The week before, test it with as many devices as you can, verify roughly 3 Mbps per participant, and confirm the network doesn't block *.kc7cyber.com. On the day, prefer a guest network and keep a mobile hotspot as backup. Display the WiFi name and password where everyone can see it.

School and corporate networks often block cloud services. Test KC7 access in advance and request whitelisting if needed. The bandwidth calculator helps you size the network.

Set up the Room

Pick a layout for your group:

Layout	Group size	Notes
Theater	30+	Rows facing the screen. Easy to present, harder to collaborate.
Clusters	Team events	Groups of 3 to 4 per table. You circulate between groups.
U-shape	10-20	Everyone faces center. You see the whole room.
Open	Flexible	Scattered tables, informal, pick-your-seat.

Test the projector and audio before participants arrive. Keep the screen showing something useful throughout: a welcome slide with WiFi credentials and the participant link, the intro videos during the opening, the scoreboard at key moments.

Arrive 60-90 Minutes Early

• Venue unlocked, tables and chairs in your layout, signage posted

• Projection and audio tested

• WiFi connected, speed verified, credentials displayed

• One participant account walked through end-to-end

• Host dashboard open; participant link tested in two browsers

If you have co-hosts, brief them 30 minutes before: assign each a section of the room, align on when to step in, and confirm their access works.

Facilitate in the Room

The coaching itself (hints not answers, the Socratic move, handling different skill levels, individual vs team play) is the same for any event and lives in Support participants. What a physical room changes:

• Circulate constantly. Walk a full perimeter every 10-15 minutes, vary your route, and position yourself where you can see most of the room. Pause near anyone who looks stuck without hovering.

• Use the room's energy. Call out wins out loud ("Several people just cleared Challenge 3"). Read body language: frustrated energy means a reminder about hints, low energy means call a break, widespread confusion means address it to the whole room.

• Handle struggles privately. Check in with struggling participants one-on-one, never publicly. Mix skill levels at tables so peers help each other.

Troubleshoot on Site

Generic issues (KC7 won't load, lost progress) are in the Troubleshooting guide. The on-site-specific ones:

"I can't connect to WiFi." Verify credentials, forget and rejoin the network, then fall back to a hotspot. If it's widespread, get IT involved.

Power and hardware. If laptops start dying, point people to outlets and share power strips. For projector failures, share the participant link verbally and let participants work on their own screens. Bring more power strips and extension cords than you think you need.

Technical meltdown. Stay calm, since participants follow your lead. Acknowledge the issue out loud, switch to your backup plan, and keep the room engaged.

What to Bring

Essential. Power strips and extension cords, displayed WiFi credentials and participant link, a host device with dashboard access, and a mobile hotspot backup.

Nice to have. Name tags, prizes, snacks, a printed troubleshooting guide, and a backup activity in case of an outage.

Close the Event

For the closing flow (final scoreboard, recognition, next steps), see Wrap up your event. In a physical venue, also reset the room:

• Furniture back to original layout

• Equipment and materials packed, feedback forms collected

• Equipment off, lights off, doors locked

Related Pages

Run event day

The day-of guide.

Run a virtual event

Run online instead.