Public Speaking Equipment Failures

I was at a CLE workshop today. It was a big room with lots of people. The subject matter was interesting, and everyone seemed into the material. And then the microphone quit working. You could not hear the speaker. I felt sorry for me. She is like me and has a soft voice. She tried to talk as loud as she could, but it did not carry well. I can empathize. It is hard for me to talk loud. It is almost impossible for me,and I am not sure why. They didn't have a backup microphone either, which would have been a smart idea. It was wireless, which is convenient, but when they quit working, they quit working. The man sitting next to me said he thought there were some websites, including guitarcenter.com, where you could find such items. I hope whoever plans those CLEs, which take backup equipment into consideration next time! Those classes are not cheap, and it is annoying to not be able to hear.