Run Of Show – A Vital Component Of Successful Events
This technical term is something that event planners and anyone hiring an event team must be familiar with to ensure optimal success. We want to educate you about this term today so you can take a proactive approach. With a proper run of show, your vendors will have a detailed, big-picture view of what to expect.
Planning is crucial! We can’t control everything, but we need to anticipate as much as possible to make sure your event is as awesome as your initial concept.
What Is A Run Of Show?
The term run of show refers to a very detailed roadmap of everything that you’ve scheduled for your event. It walks all the vendors and fellow planners through your vision.
It’s a sequence of events within your event and you share this document to make sure everyone is on the same page. You might also hear this called a ‘rundown,’ ‘show flow,’ ‘cue sheet,’ or ‘event rundown.’
The terms are interchangeable.
Your cue sheet or rundown must detail everything happening both on and off stage. That means it includes the behind the scenes stuff as well as what your guests will see specifically.
Why Do You Need A Rundown?
It’s probably fairly obvious why you need one of these event maps. It leaves very little to chance. It removes any assumptions between you and your team and, instead, clearly defines expectations.
It helps vendors prepare and deliver the appropriate gear, plan out their staffing needs, and also helps planners visualize how the event will progress. It’s good for you and your team.
Having a run of show doesn’t guarantee that nothing will go wrong, but it does put you in the best position to avoid problems. It particularly protects against accidental omissions or miscommunications.
Creating A Run Of Show
Your event vendors might have a run of show template that they like to use, so ask them if they want to provide a framework for you. If you want to create the document yourself, you can use whatever format feels natural to you.
This might be something created in a spreadsheet, something that looks like a flow chart, or a simple table that lists times in one column and activities in another beside it.
Check out an example at UNCC.edu. A Google image search or regular search for ‘run of show template’ will also provide more visuals and even templates for you to work with.
As you fill out your rundown, mentally experience your event. Visualize the experience first from your perspective and then from a guest’s point of view. This will help you catch any things you may have missed.
It’s a great idea to go over your cue sheet with your vendors in a meeting if possible. This way, you can talk about any issues they see or clarify things as needed.
Here’s To A Smooth Event!
This little piece of the event planner’s toolkit will help anyone who is hosting an event. You want to crush this and deliver the best experience possible to your company, your guests, and yourself.
We hope this helped you in your journey toward great future events.
