Guide · Event orders
Run of show vs BEO: what each one covers
Written by a hotel banquet operations manager ·
A banquet event order (BEO) lists what the hotel provides for one function, with the times the room is set, open and cleared, while a run of show is the minute-by-minute program of what happens during the event. The BEO has the four anchor times; the run of show fills in the middle.
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Side by side
| Aspect | BEO | Run of show |
|---|---|---|
| Question | What does the hotel provide, and when? | What happens, and in what order? |
| Typical content | Room, setup, counts, menu, bars, setup/start/end/strike times | Welcome, speeches, courses, first dance, awards, music cues |
| Often written by | Sales or catering | The client, a planner or an AV or entertainment lead |
| Read by | Kitchen, captain, setup crew, bar | Captain, AV, planner, sometimes the kitchen for course timing |
| Time resolution | Four times for the function | Minute by minute |
Planners and clients may call the run of show a timeline, program or agenda. Hotels often attach it to the BEO or paste its key times into the notes. If your property does neither, ask for it.
Why the captain needs both
The BEO says dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. The run of show says the toast is at 6:40 and the entrée is fired at 6:55. The first tells the crew when to arrive and set; the second tells the captain when to move. A plated course served ten minutes early or late is often a run-of-show problem that the BEO could not show.
What to pull from the run of show onto your own page
- Course times and any cue the kitchen has to hit.
- Speeches, toasts or entertainment that stop service.
- Anything that needs a person posted at a door, a stage or a microphone.
- A cocktail hour that runs into dinner. It changes the bar staffing, and the BEO should say it.
Put these on the captain's line-up page rather than leaving the captain to read a planner's document. See the captain checklist.
What changes the crew, and what does not
| Change | Does it change the headcount? |
|---|---|
| Speech moves 15 minutes | No. It changes the captain's cues |
| Cocktail hour added before dinner | Yes. Bartender ratio changes |
| Dinner start moves | No. Call times move with it |
| Guarantee moves | Yes. Servers, bussers, bartenders follow the count |
Start with the BEO's counts and times for the crew, then adjust for the run of show.
How Hotelwright handles it
Hotelwright reads the BEO: room, setup, start, end and strike times, counts, service style, courses, bars, special meals, notes. It does not read or build a minute-by-minute program. Anything from a run of show that the crew needs (a cue, a posting, a note for the captain) goes in the event's notes (or, on the Team plan, its tasks), where it prints on the Daily Event Sheet (and, on the Team plan, on the line-up card).
- Call times come from your offsets (Team plan). Defaults put servers' call 120 minutes before start; bartenders and barbacks 75; bussers 90. All are settings.
- Cocktail hour is a field. It moves the bartender ratio (default 1 per 100 guests to 1 per 50).
- Changes are kept. When the start time moves, anything printed for that event is marked Stale and kept, and the reprint highlights the change.
FAQ
What banquet managers ask.
What is a run of show?
The minute-by-minute program of an event: what happens, in what order, and who does it.
Is a run of show the same as a BEO?
No. The BEO covers what the hotel provides and the anchor times. The run of show covers the program inside those times.
Who writes the run of show?
Often the client, the planner or the AV or entertainment lead. Some hotels write a simpler version themselves.
Do I staff from the BEO or the run of show?
From the BEO's counts, service style and times; then adjust for cues from the run of show.
Does Hotelwright read a run of show?
No. It reads the BEO. Cues the crew needs can be added to the event's notes.