What is a Run of Show?

If you’ve been on showsite or collaborated with an event team, you’ve likely heard the term “run of show”, or run sheet, thrown around more times than you can count. However, if you’re new to the technical side of the event planning process, you may not be entirely sure what a run of show is, or how important it is during a live event.

Simply put, a run of show is a step-by-step guide that outlines what is going to happen at every moment of a session, including every technical detail that accompanies it. From what microphones are being used by each presenter to what part of the event space they’ll enter from, when different videos take place, each lighting cue, and more, a run of show contains all of the information to make sure the crew knows exactly what is happening during an event. These detailed overviews become especially important with complex events that include multiple presenters, videos, sound and lighting cues, microphones, and other unique technical situations.

If you’ve never created or directly interacted with one before, you likely have a lot of questions. How does a run of show work? What does it look like? Is it the same thing as an event agenda? (spoiler: it’s not.) How is it used during the event and who is responsible for creating it?

To find out everything you need to know about run of shows, keep reading.

The Difference Between a Run of Show and an Agenda.

An event agenda, which is typically provided by the organization hosting the event, usually includes a list of speakers, the order they are speaking in and how long they plan to present for. An agenda is usually simple, straightforward, and gives the highlights of the event.

A run of show, on the other hand, includes significantly more information. It serves as a cheat sheet for the crew and contains any technical information they’ll need to know. This includes listing what microphone a presenter is using next to their name, what lighting preset will be used during videos or entrances, the anticipated duration of each component of the event, when videos will play, and may even include the script.

What’s On the Run of Show?

Each line of the run of show lists a separate component of the event. It usually shares:

• A description of what is happening during that moment, such as the CEO Address, Video Title, voiceover announcements, usually referred to as a Voice of God (VOG), etc.
• What time the component is anticipated to start.
• The expected duration. This is especially important as events often don’t start on time or another aspect of the event ends up taking more or less time than anticipated. 
• What lighting is being used. This could be stage wash, a video preset, special uplighting colors, or full lights in the room for interactive components, like a Q&A session.
• Audio information, including what microphone numbers will be active onstage, if a Q&A mic will be used, if audio will be coming from video playback, notes about music, or VOG cues.
• Staging notes such as a presenter entering or exiting from a certain side of the stage so a spotlight and the cameras can capture them.
• Featured content on screen and confidence monitors. Will presentations or video playback be featured onscreen during this exact moment? Will live cameras or still store graphics be visible on any ancillary screens? What should be shown onscreen coming out of a video? Does the presenter want to see notes on the confidence monitor?
• Notes. This section may have general notes that all technicians will need to be aware of, or it can be left blank so individual technicians can add information that is specific to their role.

A run of show is intended to do more than tell the crew what is happening throughout the show – it outlines each and every detail of the event, leaving nothing to guesswork.

Who Makes the Run of Show?

While the organization hosting the event is typically responsible for providing the agenda, the event planner and production teams often collaborate on the run of show. With the agenda serving as their base, the event lead will input technical information and details, often asking the client for clarifying information.

While creating the run of show, the event planner and production team will work together to input all of the technical information and iron out event details. In this way, creating the run of show does more than serve as an onsite guide – it creates the perfect opportunity to fine tune every detail of the event, identify any outstanding questions and determine what, if any, complexities there may be and create a plan to handle them during the event.

All of these details also helps the event planners and production team manage the run time of the session. If one of the presenters goes significantly over their allotted time or the session starts much later than expected, the event team can flag their concerns.

How is the Run of Show Used?

A copy of the run of show is distributed to every member of the crew prior to the event so that they are able to review it ahead of time.

During the event, the show caller uses it to communicate each cue to the production team, giving warning so that crew members are able to anticipate each cue and everything happens simultaneously. For example, when a video is ending, the show caller will count down the remaining ten seconds so that the team knows exactly when the lights, audio feed, and onscreen visuals need to be updated to what is on the next line of the show flow.

While the show caller is driving each of these cues, the run of show allows the crew to continue anticipating what will come next and reference specific technical information along the way.

Because a run of show contains so much information, it can look intimidating at first glance! However, the production and AV team are there to guide the creation of the run of show and will use it to ensure each transition during the session is smooth.

Are you ready to start planning your next event? Our team is here to help you design an experience that is unique, memorable, and technically flawless. Reach out to us at [email protected] or (204) 226-5565 to get started!