Far too many programs are nicely designed, have delicious food and a well-thought-out check-in process, then the actual program on stage starts and it appears to be amateur hour. This is the result of having a poorly conceived program outline, resulting in lulls, poor pacing, miscues, and AV delays.
A good program should operate as a TV script in that it is both thought out in its delivery and all participants (talent, stage manager, lighting, sound, video) all know what is expected from them and when. During the actual program, a director (not usually the event manager) follows the cue script and advises (“cues” or “calls”) in advance each element of the program for preparation and at the precise time the cue is to be followed so they are ready to perform their function with no delays or flubs.
This is used not only for entertainment but for convention general sessions, opening and closing ceremonies, sporting events, and has become particularly important with the advent of hybrid events.
This serves an additional function of laying out the whole program in advance so peaks and valleys to the energy level may be reviewed and possibly changed.
Sho-Flo does much of this in its program, but the actual determination of cues and timing remains the director’s decision. The software is particularly helpful as this script tends to change frequently, and right up until showtime; Sho-Flo records this for all, so everyone is on the most current script.
Here is a workbook in which to work out your script cues: Scripting Worksheet.xlsx