IDS / EVENT PLANNING GUIDES

Technical Rehearsal Checklist for Event Organisers

A technical rehearsal should test the moments where people, content and equipment need to work together. Walking through the programme with the actual files is more useful than checking each item in isolation.

Agree who calls the show

Identify the person who gives cues and the people responsible for slides, audio, lighting and other agreed systems. Confirm how they communicate. Programme changes should reach the relevant operators through a clear channel rather than several conflicting instructions.

Use the actual running order

Walk through the opening, speaker introductions, videos, panels and closing sequence. Include transitions and pauses. Mark which cues are automatic and which need an instruction. Keep one current running order available to everyone responsible for the technical delivery.

Test approved content

Use the final slides and videos where available. Check video sound, slide order and any embedded media on the intended playback system. If a file is still missing, record who will provide it and when it must be checked. Do not silently treat an untested replacement as approved.

Rehearse presenter changes

Check how presenters reach the stage, receive microphones and move between sessions. Test audience questions and any remote contributions in the agreed scope. Give presenters an opportunity to understand their controls and the signal for starting or finishing.

Record decisions and remaining issues

Keep a short list of changes, with an owner and deadline for each. Confirm which files and programme version are approved at the end of rehearsal. Make late amendments explicit so the team knows what changed after the test.

Brief IDS before rehearsal

Share your programme, content list, presenter arrangements and available rehearsal window with IDS. Confirm the required technical support in the proposal. A rehearsal is most useful when it has a clear purpose, the right people present and time reserved to resolve the issues it reveals.