I’ve been to a number of conferences and would like to share some basic tips on conference lighting. First off, don’t treat the speaker like he’s a performer. For example, don’t put the speaker in a spotlight, or strong lights.  It will make them more nervous, and more prone to sweating simply from the heat of the light.  Lighting should be pretty even between the speaker and the audience in my humble opinion.  In a question and answer session, you have an open dialogue, and the speaker will want to see the face of the person asking the question.  Overall, even lighting makes the event more friendly and puts less pressure on the speaker.