Journal · Event Planning
What Should Your Event Run of Show Include?
Your guest agenda might say “9:00: Welcome.” The production crew needs a little more: who's walking on, which microphone they're using, what's on the screen, and what tells everyone it's time to start.
That's what a run of show is for. For a Phoenix company meeting, conference or fundraiser, we'd make it a working document the planner, venue and production team can follow together. You don't need to fill it with technical language. You do need to make the handoffs clear.
Start with the moments people have to coordinate. For each one, write the planned time, the action that starts it, who's responsible and what needs to be ready. Put the guest agenda beside it, then fill in what happens between the items.
Give each moment an owner and a trigger
Time, location, activity and responsibility are a useful starting structure. HUD's sample convening run of show uses those fields, with separate venue and contact details. For a program with microphones, slides or video, we'd also add a cue reference and a clear trigger.
A scheduled time helps everyone plan. A trigger tells the team when to act. “Start opening video at 9:00” leaves a question if the host is still talking. “Start opening video when the host says ‘Let's take a look’” is something you can rehearse. Agree on the wording with the host and production lead.
Give the moment a simple reference, such as V01 for the opening video, and keep it consistent when the schedule moves. Name the person who calls the cue. For a small meeting that might be the planner or production lead; for a more involved program, agree on a dedicated caller. Everyone should know whose instruction they're following.
Write the transition, not just the presentation
“Keynote, 30 minutes” tells us the length of the talk. It doesn't tell us how the speaker gets from the side of the stage to their first slide.
Here's a made-up opening sequence you can adapt:
- 8:55, guest seating: venue lead confirms the doors and seating plan. Audio operator runs the agreed walk-in music; screen operator shows the holding slide. Planner checks that the host is ready.
- 9:00, welcome: caller confirms the host and operators are ready, then gives the agreed start cue. Host walks to the marked position with the assigned microphone. Screen operator keeps the welcome slide up.
- V01, opening video: on the host's agreed introduction, caller cues the screen and audio operators to play
01-opening-approved.mp4. Host stays in the agreed position while it runs. - Keynote handoff: when the video ends, screen operator shows the keynote title slide. Host introduces the speaker. Stage contact confirms the speaker is ready; audio operator follows the agreed microphone handoff.
That sequence isn't a technical prescription. Your team should fill in the actual people, files and actions. The point is to find the gaps before the room is full. Does the video have sound? Does the speaker need a clicker? Who puts the next slide up if the host changes the order?
Include the venue in the same plan
Add the handoffs outside the stage: doors opening, meal service, room changes, breaks and the venue's required finish time. If service is scheduled during a presentation, talk through it with the venue rather than leaving the two teams to discover each other's plans on the day.
Keep useful contact details with the document, including the planner, venue lead and production lead. Cvent's in-person meeting planning guide recommends clarifying team and vendor responsibilities and planning movement through the venue. Those responsibilities should be visible in your working schedule too.
Your load-in and rehearsal schedule can be a separate section or document. Link it clearly so the crew doesn't have to hunt for access times. Our AV load-in timeline guide covers that part; our hotel AV guide helps settle who owns which pieces.
Agree on what can move when you're running late
Mark the hard stops, then choose any flexible sections with the program owner. Can the host shorten an introduction? Is there an optional discussion question? Who can approve a change?
Don't assume a break, a video or someone's speaking time can quietly disappear. Put the agreed options in the notes and have the caller communicate the decision. A crew can respond much more usefully to “skip the optional second question” than to “we need to catch up somehow.”
Rehearse the handoffs and control the version
Walk through the opening, a speaker change, any video playback and the closing with the people who own those moments. Use the approved files and actual cue wording. If you're taking audience questions, rehearse the microphone route too.
Choose one person to maintain the run of show. Put a version and update time at the top, send the revised copy to everyone who needs it, and make the changed items easy to spot. Keep an offline copy available for the show. A shared link is helpful until somebody can't get onto the venue's Wi-Fi.
Use the same filenames in the document and the playback folder. Our slides and video handoff checklist can help with that. For a late change, check that the affected operator has received it and understands what changed.
A short FAQ
Is a run of show the same as a guest agenda?
No. The agenda tells guests what they're attending. The run of show tells the people delivering it how the moments fit together. Keep the two consistent, but give the crew the handoff details guests don't need.
Do we need a special app?
A spreadsheet or a clear document can work. Choose something your team can read, update and keep available offline. Agree on the owner and current version before choosing a more elaborate tool.
How much detail is enough?
Enough that the people responsible can tell what happens next and when to act. If a row leaves two teams guessing about the same handoff, add the missing detail and try it in rehearsal.
Send us the program you're building
SPRK offers event consultation and planning alongside audio and visual production. Send us your venue, guest agenda and draft run of show, even if it's still rough. We can work through the production handoffs with you before you lock the schedule.
Free worksheet: the Show Moment Blueprint
Write down the moments that have to land (the opening, the big reveal, every handoff), then note who is on stage, what cue runs, who owns it and what happens if it doesn’t. Bring it to the planning call and everyone works from the same page.