In-person events
Run a KC7 event in a physical room
This guide 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 participant coaching that apply to any event, see Run event day and Support participants.
In-person events trade some logistical overhead for immediacy. You can read body language, hear side conversations, and announce one fix instead of typing it twenty times. WiFi, power, room layout, and circulation all become your problem.
Before you begin
You need an approved event with a host dashboard and participant link, a confirmed venue, and a sense of how many people are coming. If you're still planning, start at Plan your event.
Pick a venue
A workable venue gives every participant a seat with laptop space, accessible power, reliable WiFi, and a screen visible from anywhere in the room. You also need room to walk between participants without climbing over chairs.
Beyond the room, check signage to find it, accessibility for all participants, parking or transit nearby, restrooms, and ideally a separate area for breaks or food.
Common venue types
Good for school events and training programs. Built-in tech, IT support, and a familiar setting for students. Watch for network restrictions and after-hours access limits.
Good for corporate events and professional training. Reliable infrastructure and good AV. Seating tends to be formal and refreshment space is often tight.
Good for public workshops. Flexible layout and low cost. WiFi and equipment vary, and you may own setup and teardown.
Good for large competitions and multi-day events. Designed for tech crowds with strong WiFi, at higher cost and longer booking lead time.
Manage WiFi
WiFi is the single most common failure point.
The week before, test it with as many devices as you can muster, verify roughly 3 Mbps per participant, and check that the network doesn't block *.kc7cyber.com. Test from several spots in the room.
The day before, confirm credentials still work, run a speed test during the time of day your event will run, and grab the IT contact's number.
On the day, use a guest network when possible since it usually has fewer restrictions. For larger events, ask about a dedicated network. Always have a mobile hotspot or two on hand as backup.
Display the WiFi name and password somewhere everyone can see from their seat. A whiteboard, large printout, or welcome slide all work. Say it out loud during the intro too.
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
Theater
30+
Rows facing the screen. Easy to present, harder for collaboration.
Clusters
Team events
Groups of 3-4 per table. Good for teamwork. You circulate between groups.
U-shape
10-20
Everyone faces the center. You see the whole room. Discussion flows.
Open
Flexible
Scattered tables, informal feel, participants choose seats.
Test projection and audio
Test the projector before participants arrive. Keep the screen showing useful information throughout. Use a welcome slide with WiFi credentials, the participant link, the KC7 intro videos during the opening, and the live scoreboard at key moments. A timer helps if you're working to a hard stop.
Run an audio check too. Confirm video playback volume, test any microphone, and listen for echo or feedback.
Run the event day
Arrive 60-90 minutes early
Physical setup
Technical
Materials
Brief volunteers 30 minutes before
If you have co-hosts, walk them through their roles. Assign each one a section of the room, align on when to step in versus when to let participants work through it, and confirm their devices and access work before doors open.
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") to build momentum. 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, fall back to printouts, 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.
Bring physical materials
Must have
Nice to have
Emergency kit
Close the event
For the closing flow (final scoreboard, recognition, group reflection, next steps), see Close your event. In a physical venue, you also need to reset the room.
Venue cleanup
Related pages
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