^{Picture: Phil Wilkinson}

I didn't know this picture was being taken. If I had, I'd probably have tilted my head slightly to try to hide the bald patch. To be fair, it's been there for years and hasn't grown much - and I definitely don't want to go down the route of the mature professional male who went to his hairdresser to have his bare bits sprayed over every morning before he went to work.

Anyhow, bald patch aside, I like this picture. It was taken this week by the excellent Phil Wilkinson as I prepared to present an awards ceremony.

I don't much like the run-up to events, particularly the last hour - that stressful period when your brain works overtime on what might go wrong. However, I was actually quite relaxed before this event, as the organisers had pretty much nailed it - but extra time running over a script and checking and re-checking is always time well-spent.

At any event, there are always people to thank - sponsors, speakers, organisers, venue staff, etc - and it's so important to remember everyone. People who have poured their heart and soul into pulling together an event, or preparing a brilliant presentation, might not want gushing praise, but a thank you for work well done is always appreciated. And if you miss someone out, or get a name wrong, all your preparation can go down the drain - and the 99.9% of things you get right are forgotten, and the 0.1% is what sticks.

Sometimes, a last run through allows you to add an up-to-date news reference or a funny line - although I was told in no uncertain terms by one of my organising colleagues to "cut the dad jokes" for this event after one in particular fell flat last year. Fair play; take the feedback and move on.

It's good to have a green room to prepare; this wasn't really a green room, just an overspill for the networking session which I was using before guests arrived. And even when you do have a green room, it isn't always green (obvs).

I always wonder why it's called the green room and then remember why I've forgotten; no-one really knows. Is it a corruption of the 'scene room', where the scenery and props were kept? Is it where the understudies (the green actors) waited in case the stars were incapacitated? Does it refer to the grassed area where actors waited back in the days of outdoor theatre in the round?

Recently, I had the fun experience of hosting the seminar stage at the In-Drinks conference in Glasgow, which had a white green room. It was really helpful having a comfy couch to sit on and prepare for each session, especially as this was a sector where I don't have a lot of hosting experience. Again, those few minutes spent running over things before each session were invaluable for me.

Just before In-Drinks, at the SEC, I was in a very different setting, the Churchill Room at the Houses of Parliament, hosting the launch of a policy paper by The National Robotarium (based in Edinburgh) - the beautifully-alliterative Reaping The Rewards of the Robotics Revolution. It was a great event, with lots of short, sharp presentations before a panel discussion.

It looked slick, and it was - but again, only because everyone was clear of their role and because I took my role as host, MC, facilitator, link man (call it what you will) very seriously. There was no green room, so my last run-through was in the parliament privvy along the corridor. Sometimes, you just have to improvise…

But on a serious point - make that time, and find that place, to prepare, to make sure you're ready. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, is a hackneyed and overused old phrase, but has truth at its heart. Ultimately, it's just about doing your job thoroughly and properly and always being as well-prepared as possible - whether that's in the green room or in a loo with Lords.