How to Build a Run Sheet for a Robot Activation
Published
A robot appearance works best when everyone knows its purpose and its cue. Before adding Rocco to an event schedule, decide what a guest should do next: meet your team, watch a product reveal, take a photograph or join a presentation.
This guide helps organisers plan corporate activations and trade show appearances. The example below is illustrative. It does not promise a particular routine, duration or operating capacity; the team confirms those details for your booking.
Start with One Audience Action
Choose a main outcome that your event team can support. At an exhibition stand, it might be a conversation with a product specialist. At a launch, it might be attention on a scheduled reveal. At a staff event, it might be an optional photo with colleagues.
Write the intended guest journey in one sentence. For example: “Guests watch the greeting, take a photo if they wish, then speak with our team about the demonstration.” This makes the handover clear and avoids asking the robot to do every job at once.
Assign Roles Before Writing the Script
- Event contact: approves timing changes and communicates with the venue.
- Robot operator: manages the robot, the agreed interaction and operational decisions.
- Host or stand staff: welcomes guests, explains what happens next and keeps queues within the approved area.
- Product or sales team: answers detailed questions and handles any enquiry or lead collection.
- Photographer or content lead: plans the shot and checks the event's photography arrangements.
One person may cover more than one event role. Confirm responsibilities explicitly; do not assume the robot operator also runs the sales desk or manages the whole audience.
An Illustrative Run-Sheet Template
Replace each placeholder with an agreed time or cue. Confirm the operating area using the venue checklist before finalising the sequence.
| Event phase | Proposed activity | Cue and responsibility | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before guest access | Equipment arrival, setup and checks | Event contact meets the operator at the agreed access point | Loading route, access window and venue approval |
| Ready to open | Final briefing with staff | Operator confirms readiness; event contact approves the start | Guest route, agreed interaction boundaries and any changes |
| Arrival or scheduled session | Robot greeting or introduction | Host introduces the appearance on the agreed cue | Exact wording, audio needs and approved movement |
| Guest interaction | Supervised photographs or a scoped demonstration | Operator manages the robot; staff guide guests | Room for waiting guests and an accessible route past the activity |
| Brand handover | Staff invite interested guests to the next step | Named team member starts the conversation | Demonstration, product information or your own enquiry process |
| Pause | Robot activity stops for a speech, service or operational break | Event contact and operator coordinate | Holding area and the cue for any return |
| Close | Final guest interaction and pack-down | Event contact confirms the finish | Clear load-out route and venue departure requirements |
Setup, active interaction, pauses and pack-down are separate parts of the schedule. Ask the team to confirm each part rather than treating time on site as continuous performance time.
Keep the Message Easy to Approve
Prepare a short script with the event name, names and pronunciations, key message and intended next step. Identify who signs it off and when the operator needs the final version.
Confirm custom dialogue, gestures, object handling and stage movement before adding them to the public program. A simple approved greeting is easier to coordinate than an unplanned product pitch in a noisy room.
Plan the Handover and Measure It
Attention alone does not tell you whether an activation met its goal. Decide in advance what your team can record: conversations, completed demonstrations, consented enquiries or feedback from the organiser.
Use your own staff and agreed systems for lead capture. Confirm consent, messaging and ownership of follow-up with the organiser. Compare results with your event objective; do not assume photos or a crowd translate into sales.
Leave Room for Change
Agree what happens when a speech runs late, the stand becomes crowded or an operating area is unavailable. Name the person who can change the schedule and keep the robot operator informed. A shorter or repositioned interaction may suit the room better than forcing the original sequence.
See Rocco's ASX listing appearance and our other event case studies for real examples of different event roles. For a local brief, view robot hire in Sydney.
Send your draft run sheet with the event date, venue and intended guest action. The team can discuss which interactions fit the brief.