Build the minute-by-minute run of show that lets an event run without the planner being asked anything — every cue, who owns it, what happens if it slips, and the version each supplier actually needs. Use when asked to write a run of show, event schedule, show flow, or production schedule, or to prepare the day-of timeline for a conference, wedding, launch, or gala. Produces the master timeline with owners and cues, the load-in and load-out schedule, the supplier-specific extracts, the contingency triggers, and the on-the-day contact sheet.
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Use event-run-of-show to build a minute-by-minute run of show, dependency-sequenced load-in/out, supplier extracts, contingencies, cut list, and on-the-day contact sheet for [event brief], using [fixed points and venue constraints] and [suppliers and sole day-of decider].
Required inputs
[event brief]
[fixed points and venue constraints]
[suppliers and sole day-of decider]
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SKILL.md
name: event-run-of-showdescription: "Build the minute-by-minute run of show that lets an event run without the planner being asked anything — every cue, who owns it, what happens if it slips, and the version each supplier actually needs. Use when asked to write a run of show, event schedule, show flow, or production schedule, or to prepare the day-of timeline for a conference, wedding, launch, or gala. Produces the master timeline with owners and cues, the load-in and load-out schedule, the supplier-specific extracts, the contingency triggers, and the on-the-day contact sheet."
Event Run of Show
On the day, the planner becomes a bottleneck the moment anyone has to ask a question. The run of show exists to make the answers findable without you: every cue timed, every cue owned by a named person, and the recovery written for the three things most likely to slip. It is also the document nobody reads in full — so it ships in extracts, one per supplier.
What This Skill Produces
The master timeline — cue by cue, with clock time, duration, owner, and the trigger that starts it
Load-in and load-out schedule — sequenced by dependency, which is where most overruns are actually born
Supplier extracts — the same timeline filtered to what each supplier needs, because nobody reads 14 pages
Contingency triggers — the three or four most likely slips, with the decision rule and who makes the call
The contact sheet — every supplier's on-the-day person and number, not the account manager
The cut list — what gets dropped, in order, if the schedule runs long
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
The event — type, date, venue, headcount, and the format
The fixed points — what cannot move: doors, speeches, a broadcast slot, a licence end time, sunset
The suppliers — who is involved, when they need access, and how long they need
Who decides on the day — the single person who makes the call when something slips
Framework: Fixed Points, Dependencies, Then Everything Else
Place the immovable points first. Doors, the broadcast window, the ceremony, the curfew. Everything else is scheduled around them, not the reverse.
Build load-in backwards from the first fixed point. Rig before lighting focus, focus before sound check, sound check before doors. Sequencing by dependency, not by supplier convenience.
Give every cue an owner and a trigger. Not 'music starts' but 'DJ starts walk-in music on Sarah's cue from the back of house'. A cue with no named owner does not happen.
Build in float where it is cheap. Ten minutes before a fixed point is worth an hour anywhere else.
Write the contingencies before the day. Speaker late, rain, AV failure, over-running speeches — decision rule and decider, agreed in advance.
Publish extracts. Each supplier gets their own rows plus the fixed points. The full document is for the core team only.
Name one decider. Two people empowered to make calls on the day is worse than none.
Output Format
Run of show: [event] · [date] · [venue] · v[n]
Fixed points: [time — what] · [time — what] · Curfew: [time] · Decider on the day: [name, number]
Load-in
Time
Activity
Supplier
Owner
Depends on
Done
Show
Time
Dur
Cue
Trigger
Owner
Notes
[18:30]
[30m]
Doors, walk-in music
[Venue confirms room clear]
[name]
Load-out
Time
Activity
Supplier
Owner
Depends on
Contingencies
If this happens
Trigger point
We do this
Decider
[speaker late]
[5 min before slot]
[swap to next segment]
[name]
Cut list — if running long, drop in this order: 1. [item] 2. [item] 3. [item]
Contacts — [role · name · mobile], on-the-day people only
Supplier extracts issued: [supplier — rows — sent date]
Venue licensing, capacity, curfew and safety requirements are set by the venue and local authority — confirm them directly rather than relying on a schedule. Where an event involves crowd safety, temporary structures, or licensed activity, competent safety advice is required.
Quality Checks
Fixed and immovable points are placed before anything else
Load-in is sequenced by dependency, not by supplier preference
Every cue has a named owner and an explicit trigger
Float exists immediately before each fixed point
Contingencies name the decision rule and the decider in advance
Supplier extracts have been issued, not just the master document
Exactly one person is empowered to make calls on the day
Anti-Patterns
Cues with no owner. 'The music starts' describes a hope.
Scheduling load-in by supplier convenience. Produces four vans and one lift at 8am.
Sending 14 pages to every supplier. Nobody reads it, so nobody follows it.
No float before fixed points. One small slip cascades into the ceremony.
Inventing contingencies on the day. The worst decisions are made under time pressure by whoever is nearest.
Two deciders. Guarantees a stalled decision at the moment one is needed.
Account-manager numbers on the contact sheet. They are not at the venue on a Saturday.
Example Trigger Phrases
"Write a run of show for a 200-person launch event"