Programme and delivery tools
Event run-of-show builder
One late change to a cue on the day should not quietly move the time a supplier has already agreed.
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The short answer
The builder turns your cues and tasks into a run-of-show in time order, with owner roles, dependencies and cue notes. It flags a cue that starts before something it depends on has finished, and one owner role scheduled in two overlapping cues.
A cue marked as a supplier commitment keeps its agreed time. If its planned time is changed, the change waits as a pending shift, with its effect on other cues shown, until you tick Shift confirmed. Nothing is moved silently.
What to enter
- The event date, then one row per cue or task with a short ID, the planned time, a duration, the owner role and any cue notes.
- In Cannot start until done, the IDs of cues that must finish first.
- For a cue a supplier has agreed, tick Supplier commitment and enter the time agreed with them.
How supplier commitments are protected
The time in force for a supplier commitment is its agreed time. If the planned time differs, the cue shows a pending shift: the proposed time, how many minutes it differs, and what it would do to cues that depend on it.
Only when you have checked the change with the supplier and ticked Shift confirmed does the new time take effect. Cues that are not supplier commitments simply follow their planned time, and no cue moves because another one changed.
What is flagged
- A cue that starts before a cue it depends on is done. This needs a duration on the earlier cue to catch an overlap.
- One owner role in two overlapping cues, when both have a duration.
- A circular dependency, where cues wait for each other.
- A supplier commitment with no agreed time, because a later change could not be detected.
- Cues with no time, listed last.
Limits
Conflicts are flagged for you to resolve and are never fixed by the tool. It does not know how long any task really takes, so the durations and dependencies are only as good as what you enter. To check the programme timings behind the show, see the programme duration checker, and for stage cues and rehearsals use the stage cue sheet builder and the rehearsal schedule builder.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional conference morning
Fictional cues and times, to show pending shifts and conflicts.
A fictional run-of-show has eight cues. The AV supplier agreed 08:30 for the stage check, but the plan now says 08:45. The cue stays at 08:30 and appears as a pending shift of 15 minutes, with no effect on the keynote that depends on it.
Two conflicts are flagged: the caterer is in tea service (10:00 to 10:30) and panel set-up (10:15 to 10:35) at the same time, and the closing remarks at 12:00 are planned to start before the lunch they depend on has finished at 13:30.
| Time | Cue | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | C1 Doors open, registration starts | Supplier commitment held |
| 08:30 | C3 Stage AV check | PENDING SHIFT to 08:45: kept at 08:30 until confirmed |
| 09:00 | C2 Welcome address | - |
| 10:15 | C6 Panel room set-up | Conflict: Caterer in two overlapping cues |
| 12:00 | C8 Closing remarks | Conflict: starts before C7 lunch is done |
Use this yourself
Run-of-show sheet
List every cue in time order. Write the time agreed with the supplier separately from the planned time, and tick a change only after the supplier has confirmed it.
| Time | Duration | ID and cue | Owner role | Cannot start until done | Cue notes | Agreed with supplier? Time agreed | Shift confirmed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pending shifts waiting for confirmation | |||||||
| Conflicts to resolve |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The event is one room and one day, a handful of suppliers have agreed times and one person owns the run-of-show.
- The team can check each supplier commitment before changing it.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many suppliers hold agreed times and a change in one place has to be traced through the rest.
- Several owners edit the show at once and nobody is sure which version is current.
- The day needs someone to hold the run-of-show with the committee and confirm each supplier shift.
Need someone to hold the run-of-show?
A project lead can build the run-of-show with your committee, hold the supplier-agreed times and confirm every shift with the supplier before it is applied. Decisions on content and on-the-day changes stay with you.
Questions organisers ask
What stops a change moving a supplier's agreed time?
A cue marked as a supplier commitment keeps its agreed time. A different planned time becomes a pending shift that applies only when you tick Shift confirmed.
Does changing one cue move the others?
No. Nothing moves automatically. The tool flags conflicts, and you decide what to change.
Why are some conflicts not detected?
Overlaps need durations. A dependency conflict needs a duration on the earlier cue, and two cues for one owner role conflict only when both have durations.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.