A running order earns its place when the people working at an event can pick it up and understand what they need to do next. Keep it clear enough to use while the day is moving around them.

Start with the whole working day. Include access, deliveries, setup, team briefings and closing arrangements as well as the public programme. An activity that starts at noon may depend on several jobs being completed much earlier.

For each item, record the time, location and person responsible. Add a short note where something needs a cue, an announcement or a handover. Names and roles are easier to act on than a general instruction for “someone” to check a detail.

Make one person responsible for the current version. If timings change, the MC, organisers and relevant team members need the same update. A beautifully formatted schedule is little help if several different versions are circulating.

Leave time for people to move between activities, reset equipment and speak to one another. Walk through the programme with the people delivering it and ask where a delay is most likely to occur.

DMevents offers MC and compère services alongside practical planning and event support. If you would like help bringing your programme together, contact Sam with your event outline, location and the parts of the day you need support with.