What a run of show is and how to build one: a template, a cue-level example, show-calling roles, rehearsals and the schedule from load-in to strike.
A sample template, a cue-level example, show-calling roles, rehearsals and the load-in to strike schedule behind a live program.
A corporate event run of show is the working document that connects timing, people, content and production cues during the live program. It identifies what happens, who is responsible, what must be ready and how the next moment begins. One designated owner should maintain the current version and communicate approved changes to affected teams.
Key takeaways
- A run of show connects timing, cues, people and dependencies; the agenda and production schedule do different jobs.
- Assign one owner to maintain and version the document, and route every change through them.
- Mark hard times, soft times and hold points so the team knows what can move when the event runs late.
The run of show is useful because it makes dependencies visible. The host's introduction, the video playback, the speaker's entrance and the lighting change may look like one moment to the audience. Behind the scenes, several people need a shared plan.
What is a run of show, and how is it different from an agenda?
The agenda tells attendees what they can expect: registration, keynote, panel, break or dinner. The run of show tells the delivery team how those activities will happen, including what attendees never see: crew calls, standbys, changeovers and the moments when several people act on a single cue.
A production schedule serves another purpose. It includes access, deliveries, installation, testing, rehearsal and breakdown. An event may need all three documents, linked by consistent names and times. Combining every detail into one enormous sheet can make the live program harder to operate.
The documents around a run of show
Agenda
Production schedule
Run of show
Cue sheet
Call sheet
For a small event, the documents may be simpler or partly combined. The requirement is clarity: the person using the document should find the information needed for their job without interpreting vague notes.
What fields should your run of show contain?
Begin with scheduled time, duration, program item, owner and the relevant production instructions. Add cue identifiers, speaker information, content references and dependencies where the program requires them. Larger programs often add the location, who is on stage and on which microphone, and a notes column that records each moment's fallback.
Use names or clearly assigned roles, not "someone from marketing." If a role is not yet staffed, flag it as unresolved before the final review. Distinguish a planned start time from the cue that actually releases the next action.
Include version information and an update owner. A printout or downloaded file should make clear which version it represents. The team also needs a reliable way to receive changes after documents have been distributed.
An illustrative run-of-show template
The following example is a fictional corporate presentation sequence. Its timings demonstrate structure, not a recommended duration or staffing package for every event.
An illustrative run-of-show template
8:30
9:00
9:05
9:08
9:10
9:30
9:40
The operational version would contain the detail relevant to each team, such as exact content filenames, stage entry direction and the person holding the next speaker. Avoid including sensitive personal details that are unnecessary for delivery.
What the cue-level version adds
Technical teams often work from a version with numbered cues for each department. The excerpt below expands the opening minutes of the same fictional sequence; the cue numbers are invented.
Illustrative cue-level excerpt, not a client document
8:55
9:04
9:05
9:08
9:10
LX stands for lighting, A for audio, V for video and G for graphics. Each department's cue sheet holds the detail, and the run of show carries the number so everyone means the same moment. The caller gives a standby before each cue and then the go, and operators act on the go rather than anticipating it. Rows such as positions and standbys never appear on the attendee agenda, yet they are often where a late start begins.
Who writes and maintains the run of show?
The production lead or a designated show team member may build it, using the client's approved program and input from technical, stage, venue and hospitality teams. The client should approve the program decisions it owns.
It usually starts as the agenda and gains detail in passes: first the client's program with clock times; then the moments attendees never see, such as crew calls, doors, changeovers and room resets; then each department's cues and each presenter's microphone and entrance. Check timings in the venue rather than estimating them at a desk.
The important point is ownership. One person should reconcile changes and issue the authoritative version. Multiple people can contribute, but parallel documents need a defined consolidation process. Once the document is locked, number each version and route every later change through its owner.
In a standalone AV engagement, do not assume the AV team owns the whole event document. It may contribute the technical cues while another producer or internal lead maintains the overall program. Agree on that division before rehearsal.
When you hire a production team, ask when you will see the first full draft, when it will be locked, who will call the show and attend rehearsals, and how changes are approved after the lock. In Event Pros LA's process, the run of show is prepared during production planning, alongside floor plans, vendor contracts and staffing schedules.
What does a show caller do?
A show caller coordinates agreed cues so the live sequence progresses coherently. Depending on the production, that may connect lighting, playback, sound, stage movement and the host. The caller needs an accurate document and communication with the people executing those cues.
A stage manager may focus on people and activity around the stage, while technical operators manage their systems. Smaller productions may combine some roles, and the caller is often the producer or the stage manager. A larger or more complex show may need distinct positions:
- Show caller: works from the run of show with a clock and a view of the stage, giving each standby and go.
- Stage manager: runs the stage and backstage, from presenters to set changes, and tells the caller when the stage is clear.
- Technical director: oversees audio, video, lighting and show control, and the operators at each position.
- Producer: makes operational decisions within the agreed authority and escalates the rest to the client lead; the caller carries out the result.
Ask the production company to explain its proposed arrangement. The right structure depends on simultaneous demands and complexity, rather than a rule that every event requires a separate person with every possible title. The conference AV checklist lists the crew roles worth confirming in a technical proposal, and the conferences page shows how show calling runs across a multi-session program.
How do you connect speakers, content and technical cues?
Create a controlled record for each program element. Identify the speaker, approved title, content version, intended duration, introduction and any technical requirements. Use consistent names across the agenda, speaker notes and show files.
Test transitions that involve more than one person or system. A speaker may need to know whether to enter during applause or after a video. A playback operator needs to know which file is approved. The host needs to know how the program continues if the next speaker is not ready.
Technical cues should be precise enough for the team operating the show. Public-facing copy can remain simple; the working instructions should remove uncertainty at the moment action is required.
Where do hospitality and guest movement belong?
Include the moments when guest operations affect the program. Registration readiness, opening doors, meal service, audience movement and room changes should connect to the live schedule.
For a gala, the service team needs to know which program moments require attention from the room and how that affects its work. For a conference, the floor team needs to know when breakouts begin and where attendees should go. A stage-only document can miss these dependencies.
Assign an owner for communicating live timing changes beyond the technical team. If the keynote runs long, catering and registration may need an update even if they are not listening to the show communications channel.
How should rehearsal use the document?
Rehearsal tests the plan with the people and systems that will deliver it. Walk through entrances, introductions, content, timing, cues and transitions. Identify which moments need a full run and which can be reviewed through a focused technical check.
Rehearsals usually happen in this order:
- Technical rehearsal: the crew alone, moving cue to cue from one transition to the next until each change works.
- Presenter rehearsals: each main-stage presenter with their slides, microphone and clicker, including the walk on and off.
- Key sequences in full: the opening, any reveal or awards sequence and the close, in real time.
Give transitions the most attention. A presentation can be practiced anywhere; a stage reset in low light can only be practiced on the stage.
Capture what changed. If the host shortens an introduction or a video moves to a different point, update the document and notify everyone affected. Do not rely on a verbal agreement heard by only part of the team.
Event Pros LA describes a final client timeline review as part of its production process. For your project, agree which participants attend, what they approve and when the team will issue the working version for show day.
How does the run of show connect to load-in and strike?
The run of show covers the live program. The production schedule covers the days around it, and the two should use the same times and names.
From load-in to venue handback
Advance
Load-in
Focus and checks
Rehearsal and show
Strike
Handback
Load-in and strike, also called load-out, run to windows in the venue contract, and some venues require their own or union crews for rigging, power or freight. Suppliers usually carry out most of the breakdown, so agree in the scope who supervises it and who attends the handback walkthrough.
Los Angeles note
The city's noise rules restrict loading, unloading and the use of carts, dollies or other wheeled equipment that causes impulsive, raucous or unnecessary noise within 200 feet of a residential building between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. (Municipal Code section 114.03). Near housing, plan loading outside those hours; the Los Angeles event permits guide summarizes the noise rules and their official source.
What happens when the event runs late?
Decide in advance which elements are fixed and where there is flexibility. A venue deadline, transport departure or required speaker appearance may constrain the options. Other elements may be shortened or moved with the right approval. It helps to label them in the run of show:
- Hard times cannot move: a livestream start, a meal once service has begun, transport departures or a venue curfew.
- Soft times can flex: questions, walk-in music or a break that can lose a few minutes.
- Hold points are named buffers, often before a meal or the close, that absorb an overrun without touching a hard time.
Create an escalation path: who assesses the effect, who decides and who communicates the adjustment. A show caller should not have to guess whether a sponsor commitment or executive segment can be removed. If a segment drops out entirely, such as a speaker delayed in traffic, its fallback should already be in the notes.
For example, an illustrative recovery plan might preserve the keynote and transport departure while shortening an optional discussion. That is only workable if the client has agreed to the priority and all affected teams receive the change. Treat the plan as a decision framework, not a guarantee that the original schedule can always be recovered.
How do you keep the document useful during the show?
Use a readable format suited to the people operating it. Keep essential cues visible and avoid burying them in long prose. Provide relevant views for different teams if that improves clarity, while maintaining one authoritative underlying schedule. Keep printed copies available in case a tablet or network fails.
Confirm communications before doors open. People need to know how to reach the production lead, report readiness and escalate an issue. The best document cannot compensate for an unstaffed role or a team that has not been briefed.
Afterward, retain the version actually used and note meaningful changes. That record helps the team evaluate what should be adjusted for the next production without relying entirely on memory.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a run of show template we can start from?
Any spreadsheet can work: one row per moment, with columns for time, duration, moment, location, people on stage, cues, owner and notes. The sample above shows the core structure. One owner and one current version matter more than the choice of template.
What do load-in and load-out mean?
Load-in is the period when equipment and materials arrive and are installed: rigging, screens, lighting, staging and décor. Load-out, often called strike, is the breakdown and removal afterward. Both run to windows in the venue contract and belong in the production schedule rather than the run of show.
Do small corporate events need a run of show?
They often benefit from a simple version when several people must coordinate. A short document may be enough for introductions, presentations, service and departure. Match the detail to the program rather than creating complexity for its own sake.
Who can authorize changes during the event?
Agree that before the show. The production lead may handle routine adjustments within the approved scope, while the client retains decisions affecting budget, key messages or major commitments. Record the escalation contact and authority boundaries.
Is the run of show the same as an emergency plan?
No. The run of show coordinates the program. Site-specific safety and emergency procedures require the appropriate venue, security and specialist input. The show team should understand how those procedures take priority when necessary.
Connect the program to the people delivering it
Event Pros LA can discuss show management within corporate event production and technical support through a defined AV production scope. Share your program, including the moments that need careful coordination and the responsibilities your team will retain.
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