Logistics and On-Site Operations
The run-sheet is the operating system
On-site operations are governed by the run-sheet (production schedule): who does what, where, and when, with named owners and contact numbers. It should cover build-up, show days, and breakdown, including supplier arrivals, rehearsals, session changeovers, catering timings, and speaker briefings. A frequent exam trap is a question that assumes the programme schedule is the run-sheet; the programme is for attendees, the run-sheet is for the delivery team and includes all the invisible work around the programme.
Space, flow, and capacity
Venue logistics includes room capacities and set-up types (theatre, cabaret, classroom, standing), sightlines, accessibility routes, and crowd flow at pinch points such as registration desks, catering, and session exits. Registration should be sized by peak arrival rate, not total attendance. Signage, wayfinding, and staffing should be planned for first-time visitors under time pressure.
Supplier and technical management
Brief suppliers in writing, confirm delivery windows and access restrictions, and hold a technical rehearsal for audio-visual, streaming, and lighting cues. Have redundancy for critical systems: backup microphones, batteries, presentation copies, internet, and power. Briefing and debriefing staff each day catches drift early.
Traps to expect
Underestimating build-up and breakdown time; forgetting load-in access, freight lifts, and parking permits; assuming venue staff will handle tasks not in the contract; and treating the run-sheet as fixed - it needs version control and a clear change-approval route.
Worked example
Rule of thumb: size registration desks by peak rate. If 600 attendees arrive with 70% in the busiest 45 minutes, that is 420 people in 45 minutes, about 9.3 per minute; at 2 minutes per check-in and 80% staffing efficiency, you need roughly 24 staffed positions, so plan queue management accordingly.