How to create a run of show

Agenda vs run of show

An agenda tells attendees what happens: “09:05 Welcome, 09:07 Keynote”. A run of show tells the crew how it happens: which walk-in loop plays, when house lights go, which film rolls with audio, who hands over to whom. Start from the agenda, then add the operational detail one row at a time.

Collect the information

• Timing: confirmed start times and agreed slot lengths for every segment.
• People: speaker names spelled correctly, job titles for lower thirds, hosts and walk-on order.
• Media: every deck, film, sting and loop, with who supplies it and when.
• Production: audio needs, microphones, lighting states, stage set changes and anything that must happen between cues.

Number your cues

Give every row a unique cue number and keep it in show order. Simple numbers (1, 2, 3) work well. If you add a cue late, use a point number such as 3.5 rather than renumbering everything the crew has already marked up.

Timings and durations

Use 24-hour start times (09:05, 14:30) so there is no confusion between morning and afternoon. Record each duration in one consistent unit; the ShowReady template uses seconds, so five minutes is 300. Check that each start time plus its duration reaches the next start time. If it does not, either the gap is intended (and noted) or something is wrong.

Transitions and buffer

Walk-ons, applause, panel seating and microphone swaps all take time. Either give transitions their own short cue or build the time into the segment, and say which you chose. Keep a little buffer before fixed moments such as breaks, live links or a hard finish.

Production notes and decisions

Use the notes column for instructions the crew must act on: “Loop until house lights”, “Audio required”, “Hold on title slide until speaker reaches lectern”. When a decision is still open, write who owns it and by when, so it does not get lost.

Media filenames

Write the exact filename each cue needs, including the extension: Opening_Film.mp4, not “opening video”. Agree a naming pattern with suppliers early. Exact names let you, and tools like ShowReady, match files to cues instead of guessing.

Versioning

Keep one current run of show and mark its version and date in the filename or header. When media is updated, replace the file rather than adding final_v2_FINAL next to it, and tell the crew what changed.

Rehearsal

Walk through the run of show in order before the technical rehearsal, then run it on the real show system. Note actual timings and update durations afterwards. Our rehearsal checklist covers what to confirm.

Worked example

The fictional example in our template opens a conference like this:

Each start time plus duration lands on the next cue, every file is named exactly, and the walk-in has no speaker, so that cell stays blank.

Checklist

• One cue per row, numbered, in show order.
• 24-hour start times and one duration unit throughout.
• Start plus duration reaches the next cue, or the gap is noted.
• Speaker names and titles confirmed.
• Exact media filenames, with a supplier and deadline for each.
• Crew instructions and open decisions, with owners, in notes.
• Version and date marked; crew told about changes.
• Walked through, then rehearsed on the real system.