The keynote walks on. The screen says "No Signal." The room goes quiet in the wrong way.
That failure almost always had a rehearsal slot that got cut for "we don't have time." Rehearsal is the cheapest insurance on the schedule.
Three useful kinds
- Tech check: Inputs, clickers, playback, wireless mics, confidence monitors — advance every slide once
- Cue-to-cue: Walk the timed moments (walk-in music out, mic handoff, video roll, lights up)
- Dress / full run: Speakers on their feet with the real clock, even if you only run the critical segments
What to protect on the run-of-show
Block time and treat it like load-in: non-negotiable. A short cue-to-cue beats a vague "we'll test in the morning" that collides with floral and catering.
Mistakes we still see
- Rehearsing on a different laptop than show day
- Skipping the first-slide and last-slide checks
- No mic handoff practice between host and speakers
- Videos untested with the house audio path
By event type
Wedding: Ceremony mics and processional levels. Gala: Ask video and spotlight cues. Conference: Switcher rehearsal between breakouts and plenary.
If something is going to break, you want it to break at 14:00 with an empty house — not at 19:12 with donors in their seats.
Want rehearsal built into the plan?
We'll protect time on the run-of-show and run the room like show day.
Start a project
