Run of show, agenda, running order and run sheet: one name for each document.

Ask three people for the running order and you may receive three documents. The terms overlap. Choose one meaning for each, write it in the brief and use it consistently.

The terms

• Agenda. The public promise. It shows the shape of the evening. Name the award, not the recipient.
• Running order. The team's plan for the night. Some teams call it a run of show. In this article, both terms mean the same document. Choose one and use it.
• Cue sheet. Instructions for running sound, lighting and video.
• Run sheet. The name some teams use for the team plan, or for notes made afterwards. Do not use it for two documents at once.

One meaning per term

Different people need different things from the same night. When one term means two documents, the team has to discuss which one is correct. A shared vocabulary ends that discussion before it starts. It also helps a volunteer, host or supplier understand the plan in the first conversation.

Use the terms your team already knows, if they work. The aim is not a new vocabulary. It is one meaning per term, shared before the night.

The agenda does not include the award recipient's name

The agenda is public and may be printed. Guests read it weeks in advance. An award recipient's name on this page ruins the reveal. Name the award. Save the person's name for the room.

One name per document is not enough when there are two versions

Choosing the name resolves the discussion within the team. It does not solve the problem in the room. If the agenda prints one title and the screen shows another, the issue is no longer vocabulary.

When the agenda, script, screens and lists come from the same record, there is one version for each job and one source for all of them. The agenda remains public and does not include award recipients' names. The script remains internal. Both match what the room sees. This is what Eventblox® does in Prepare.

Write down the terms the team uses. Choose one name for each role. State in the brief which document each person holds. Agree which document is authoritative when two differ.

Next: running order for an awards ceremony and screens and script.