Playbook · Event operations
The ReadySet Event Planning Checklist
A practical framework for planning smoother multiplayer experiences, from participant onboarding to gameplay pacing and event-day execution.
- Use Case
- Event Operations
- Audience
- Organizers · Agencies · Producers
- Format
- Checklist + Framework
- Group Size
- Any
- Duration
- 2–6 Weeks Pre-Event
- Effort to Run
- Medium
Why this playbook exists
Great multiplayer experiences rarely happen by accident.
The smoothest ReadySet events balance gameplay, logistics, onboarding, pacing, collaboration, and participant communication. Miss one and the event still works. Miss two and the floor team feels it. Miss three and the room can tell.
This is the editorial version of the framework — the why, the shape, and the decisions worth making early. The full operational checklist is embedded below — the same one we hand to producers on the day.
The planning framework
Six decisions that quietly carry the event.
Make these early and the rest of planning gets faster. Skip them and you'll redo them under pressure.
Define the experience goal
Team building, networking, onboarding, exploration, branded activation, or competition. Clear objectives shape every gameplay decision downstream.
Plan the gameplay area
Walkability, public access, safe zones, checkpoint spacing, pacing, and accessibility. Use ReadySet's AI-assisted checkpoint generation, then walk it.
Build a balanced experience
Mix trivia, creative missions, photo challenges, and team moments. Variety carries energy past the halfway mark.
Prepare participants
App download comms, event codes, multiplayer setup, expectations, charging, and onboarding clarity. The first three minutes do most of the work.
Configure gameplay settings
Multiplayer vs. single-player, leaderboard on or off, duration, scoring, and pacing. Defaults are fine; deliberate choices are better.
Test everything
Preview codes, route walks, gameplay flow, timing, and checkpoint verification. Studio shows what works in theory — your feet show what works on the day.
The checklist
Work the plan, not your memory.
This is the same four-phase checklist our production team uses before every ReadySet event. Check items off as you go — progress is saved on this device, so you can return to it across sessions.
The ReadySet playbook
The full event planning checklist
Four phases, every fundamental. Tick as you go — progress is saved locally so you can come back to it across the planning cycle.
Phase 1
2–4 weeks out · Design the experience
Lock the shape of the event before you open Studio. Most pacing and engagement problems are decided here, not on event day.
Phase 2
Week of · Test, publish, prepare
The week before the event is for catching problems while you can still fix them, and getting participants ready to play, not to install.
Phase 3
Event day · Brief, launch, monitor
Once you're on-site, your job is to remove friction and amplify energy. A confident briefing and an open Support Chat carry most events.
Phase 4
After the event · Debrief, report, improve
Insights are most actionable within 24 hours. The team that runs three great events in a row is the team that closes the loop on every one.
Format-specific guidance
What changes for your event type
The phases above apply to every event. These are the extra reminders that matter most for specific formats.
Conferences
- Lean toward Pick Up & Play so attendees can join between sessions.
- Test GPS inside the actual venue, convention centers have thick walls that degrade signal.
- Use Support Chat broadcasts as a session-signal tool ('Talk starts in 5 min, head to Main Hall').
- Project the leaderboard in a hallway or lounge screen to keep the experience visible between talks.
Team offsites
- Swap generic trivia for company-specific questions, it's where most of the laughter comes from.
- Pre-assign teams deliberately to mix departments, not by who arrived together.
- Encourage teams to stay physically together between checkpoints, scoring is multiplayer, solo sprints hurt the team.
- Share final standings in the all-hands or company Slack as a post-event moment.
City-scale activations
- Walk the full route or at least spot-check 3–4 checkpoints for GPS and public accessibility.
- Use Pick Up & Play with an extended window for multi-hour or multi-day formats.
- Assign area marshals at key geographic zones, one central Support Chat can't cover a whole city.
- Cross-compare insights across days or zones to see which areas drove the most engagement.
The five-question shape
- 01
Set the goal and KPIs
Define the single outcome the event must produce, connection, learning, brand recall, or revenue, and the two or three indicators you'll measure against.
- 02
Pick the gameplay area
Walk the venue or the streets. Mark the play boundary, safety hazards, sponsor moments, and the natural energy peaks where progression should land.
- 03
Design the journey
Choose the gameplay mode (live, pick-up-and-play, hybrid), the pacing, and the on-ramp. The first three minutes do most of the work.
- 04
Brief the floor team
One owner per zone, one rallying signal, one fallback for every failure mode. Print the runbook even if the comms app is excellent.
- 05
Land the close
Plan the leaderboard reveal, the photo moment, and the post-event survey trigger before doors open. Don't improvise the ending.
Event day
A short list, scannable from a clipboard.
By the time doors open, all of this should already be true. The floor team's job is to amplify energy, not chase setup.
- Participants informed and joined
- Event code shared and projected
- Gameplay tested end-to-end
- Routes and checkpoints verified
- Devices charged, backup phone ready
- Teams assigned and confirmed
- Support contact and chat live
- Closing signal and photo moment planned
After the event
Close the loop within 24 hours.
Insights are most actionable while the context is still warm. The best organizers run a tight debrief and let the data shape the next run.
Review the analytics
Event, Teams, and Checkpoints tabs surface pacing, hot zones, and the activities that need a rework.
Collect participant feedback
Read every comment, not just the star ratings — qualitative signal is where the next iteration hides.
Share the recap
Send the final leaderboard, top photos, and a thank-you. The closing moment is half of why the event mattered.
Final takeaways
The few things worth remembering.
- Clear onboarding reduces friction more than any clever activity ever will.
- Balanced pacing — not maximum density — is what keeps energy alive.
- Testing in the venue prevents almost every operational surprise.
- Multiplayer interaction is the participation multiplier; protect it.
- Publishing 24–48 hours early turns event day into a calm hand-off.
Bring it together
Plan your next ReadySet experience.
Talk through your event with our team, or jump straight into the operational checklist and start ticking.