The Tools
Nowadays a presentation may involve a number of audio-visual equipment, from a PC and a projector to sophisticated audio systems to cater for large audiences. Whatever the case maybe, the success of the presentation depends on the reliability of the equipment you will use as well as your ability to handle any technical issues. In essence, it is important to have a backup plan for anything that might go wrong!
Audio-Visual Equipment
Have a copy of your slide presentation saved on a cloud-based file management service like OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox. It will be your backup in case you forget your USB/CD-Rom or if something goes wrong with it.
Make sure that the slide projector is properly adjusted to the screen.
Ensure that there is a second projector at the venue as backup.
Handouts
Handouts should be given at the end of your presentation. If you give them at the beginning, most probably you will distract your audience as they will be flipping through to the very end.
A handout is not a hard copy of your slide presentation. The slides should be the visual support for your presentation, they should not substitute it. Therefore, the handout should be a well written and presented document that will contain the information in your presentation. The preparation of such a document requires time and effort and you should take this into consideration when you make your planning.
The handout does not have to be in printed form, you can always have it available in electronic form to be sent or downloaded.