How to Stay Organized and On Track When Managing Complex Events
When it comes to staying organized and on track when you are handling complex events with plenty of moving parts, there are a lot of things that you want to have already in place from your event checklist, like this one from Zkipster. There’s a difference when you go from having a checklist to making sure that everything is on track. This can be very difficult, but it is a necessary attitude shift.
What you need to keep in mind is that the change from the checklist to running the event is that you are going to need to focus on the run of show and not the checklist. The last moment that you pay attention to the checklist is when you are going through everything before the clock hits the time your event starts. Let’s walk through a run of show and some suggestions that can help you keep on track and stay organized.
What is a Run of Show?
To put it in basic terms, a run of show is how you and your team are going to approach an event and all of the details that go along with that approach. There are several details that you keep on a run of show or RoS that helps your team and stakeholders know what is going on during the event.
This is not to be mixed up with an agenda. An agenda tells you the time and event, and that’s probably about it. A run of show tells you how, who, what, where, when, and sometimes why. If you could turn your event into an Excel sheet story, then this is what it would be. You are essentially telling the story of your event and how it is going to happen on a sheet of paper (or a file) that everyone should have access to.
How Do I Make a Run of Show?
While not the easiest thing in the world, it really does help you keep track of everything that is going to happen. One of the handiest things about a run of show is that you are also going to see where there is an overlap between team members and where you need to make sure extra staff are available.
To make a run of show, I highly suggest being versed in some sort of electronic spreadsheet program, such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. You can do a run of show in other applications, such as Canva. I have found spreadsheet programs to be more efficient.
After you choose your program, block out separate times for each element of the event and make sure you include all of the information that the team needs to know. If you have a color scheme for each team, make sure that you are using their color in each cell that you put information into, so at a glance, everyone knows where they are going and what they are doing.
What you will want to keep in mind is the continuity of your run of show. Consistent text, consistent information, color coordination, and so much more are needed for a fully fleshed-out run of show.
Punch Sheet
This is more so something to help you on the side of everything else, to help you keep track of future changes and additions that you want to make to your events. A punch sheet is essentially a change list where you and your team can make notes as to what worked and what didn’t work. You can use this during your event debrief at the end of the event or on another day once everyone has had time to process and recover from the event.
Time to Run the Show
Now that you know what you need to stay organized, it is time to put it all into practice! Take the run of show that you made, don’t be afraid to look up templates, and get ready to stay organized. One additional thing that can be suggested is the use of sticky notes or a notebook for additional notes or commentary from your team. It would work much like a punch sheet, but it would allow your team more space to write out their commentary. It’s all up to you! You’ve got this, and now that you have a well-coordinated run of show, your event is going to go off without a hitch!