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Presidential or camera teleprompter: which one does your event need?

Use a presidential teleprompter when the speaker is addressing a room from a lectern. Use a camera teleprompter when the speaker is addressing a lens. Use confidence monitors when the speaker moves around the stage.

By Michael Caswell, Teleprompters BC. Updated October 2026.

See the difference

Presidential: the speaker looks at the room

Presidential teleprompter layout, seen from above A speaker stands at a lectern facing the audience. Two angled glass panels sit to the front left and front right. The speaker's sightlines pass through each panel to the audience. The operator sits at the side of the stage. Audience Stage edge Glass panel Glass panel Lectern Speaker Operator, side of stage
Seen from above. The speaker turns between the two panels and takes in the whole room. From the seats, the glass is clear.

Presidential teleprompter rental, from $950 for a half day.

Camera: the speaker looks at the lens

Camera teleprompter, seen from the side A speaker faces a camera. An angled sheet of glass in front of the lens reflects the script from a monitor below it, so the speaker reads while looking into the lens. Eyes on the lens Glass Monitor with the script Camera
Seen from the side. The glass reflects the script toward the speaker and is invisible to the camera behind it.

Camera teleprompter rental, from $700 for a half day.

The three options side by side

TypeHow it worksBest forHalf day from
PresidentialTwo clear glass panels beside the lectern reflect the script from monitors on the floor.Speeches, AGMs, galas and award shows where the speaker stays at a lectern.$950
CameraAngled glass in front of the lens reflects the script, so the speaker reads while looking at the camera.Corporate video, training, announcements and livestream hosts.$700
Confidence monitorsScreens at the stage edge or the back of the room show the script, run by an operator.Keynote speakers and hosts who walk the stage. Needs monitors from your AV supplier.$450

Vancouver prices in Canadian dollars before GST, as of October 2026, operator included.

How to choose

Start with where the speaker's eyes should go. If the answer is the people in the room, choose presidential glass or confidence monitors. If the answer is the people watching a screen, choose a camera prompter.

Then ask whether the speaker stays put. Presidential glass only works from the lectern. A speaker who paces needs monitors they can see from anywhere on stage.

Hybrid events

When a session is delivered to a room and streamed at the same time, the room usually wins: the speaker uses presidential glass and the cameras shoot from the audience's point of view. For a segment addressed directly to remote viewers, a camera prompter is added for that segment.

What every option has in common

The equipment only shows the words. An operator is what keeps them in step with the speaker, which is why every package here includes one. See whether you need an operator for the detail.

Get a quote

Send the date, the venue and roughly how many speakers. You get a fixed price and confirmed availability within one business day.

Faster by phone: (604) 671-4096
Or email hello@telepromptersbc.com