A run-of-show app for teams putting on live events, replacing multiple work flows with a much simpler process that removed friction.
It was adopted across teams, and runs of show went from taking days to receive to minutes.
Case study
Loop
*Renamed for this portfolio — it was an internal tool.
The story
The Problem
These are examples of the types of documents typically used for event support.
| Start | Duration | Segment | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 PM | 0:05:00 | Introduction | Host | |
| 6:05 PM | 0:10:00 | Welcome | Chair | |
| 6:15 PM | 0:15:00 | Goals for the evening | Chair + Deputy | |
| 6:30 PM | 0:30:00 | First item | Lead | |
| 7:00 PM | 0:30:00 | Second item | Lead | |
| 7:30 PM | 0:10:00 | Break | ||
| 7:40 PM | 0:20:00 | Third item | Lead | Keep to time |
In the org, there were a number of show documents floating around: the one we used, the one preferred by a specific team, the one sent by an outside agency. While we had some success in using our form for a handful of the larger internal events, there was still a lot of friction in getting our process to be the standardized one. My guess was that it was too manual, too slow, and didn’t account for the natural workflow of teams.
The Solution
Create an app that honored the current flow of cross-functional work while still establishing an easily adoptable standard. A structured run-of-show with the ability to drop in a doc, a body of text, or a screenshot and let it populate itself. Shareable links, per-user event views, and archived templates for recurring shows.
How It Works
One event, five stages, from create to share:
- Create
Create a new event, or reuse a template from an archived event.
- Import
Type it in, every field by hand; drag and drop a document or screenshot; or copy and paste into the Import field.
- Autofill
Autofill populates the event name, POC, location, date and time, schedule, speakers (in-person or remote), the title of each section, session lengths, AV needs (mics, demos, presentations, etc.), the AV engineer, and additional notes.
- Preview
Preview to ensure all info is correct. If it isn’t, go back and fix it.
- Share
Share to everyone, all at once: a live link with view/edit permissions, physical copies to print, or a PDF to share as an attachment.
Create a new event
Reuse a templatefrom an archived event
Type it inevery field, by hand
Drag and dropa document or screenshot
Copy and pasteinto the Import field
Autofill
Populates
- Event name
- Event POC
- Event location
- Date and time
- Schedule
- Speakers (in-person/
remote) - Title of each section
- Session lengths
- AV needs (mics, demos, presentations, etc.)
- AV engineer
- Additional notes
Previewensure all info is correct
Shareto everyone, all at once
Printphysical copies
Live linkwith view/edit permissions
PDFto share as attachment
Create a new event
Reuse a templatefrom an archived event
Type it inevery field, by hand
Drag and dropa document or screenshot
Copy and pasteinto the Import field
Autofill
Populates
- Event name
- Event POC
- Event location
- Date and time
- Schedule
- Speakers (in-person/
remote) - Title of each section
- Session lengths
- AV needs (mics, demos, presentations, etc.)
- AV engineer
- Additional notes
Previewensure all info is correct
Shareto everyone, all at once
Printphysical copies
Live linkwith view/edit permissions
PDFto share as attachment
What Went Wrong
Issue:
The first version didn’t handle imports well and struggled with parsing non-standard event information (i.e. a screenshot paragraph discussing a finalized schedule). This resulted in the user having to enter what Autofill missed and fix what it got wrong.
What I did about it:
I spent time finetuning the in-app agent to better recognize event terminology and how to interpret nuanced text for strict form fields.
The Outcome
The app was adopted across teams. Runs of show went from taking days to receive to minutes.