How to Set Up Your First Event in CueDeck (Step-by-Step)

You've signed up for CueDeck and you're staring at an empty console. Now what?

This guide walks you through setting up your first event from scratch. By the end, you'll have sessions scheduled, operators invited, and a signage display ready to launch.

Step 1: Create Your Event

Click the + button next to the event selector in the top-right corner. Fill in:

Event name — Something your team will recognize (e.g., "Annual Conference 2026")

Date — The event day

Timezone — CueDeck syncs all operators to the same clock, so this matters

Start and end times — These set the boundaries for your session schedule

Hit save. Your event is live.

Step 2: Add Sessions

Sessions are the building blocks of your run of show. For each session, you'll set:

Title — "Opening Keynote," "Panel: Future of AI," "Coffee Break"

Speaker — Name and company (or leave blank for breaks)

Room — Where it's happening. CueDeck uses rooms to filter views for stage managers and signage

Type — Keynote, Panel, Workshop, Break, etc. These become filterable tags

Planned start and end — The scheduled times on your run sheet

Add as many sessions as you need. They'll appear in chronological order on the console, and every operator will see them filtered by their role.

Tip: Add your breaks as sessions too. This lets you use CueDeck's "Break Screen" signage mode and track your full timeline.

Step 3: Invite Your Team

Go to the Operators panel (top-right) and click Invite Operator. Enter their email, name, and assign a role:

Director — Full control over everything

Stage — Session transitions (ARM, CALL, GO LIVE, HOLD)

AV — Can hold sessions for technical issues

Interpreter — Read-only view with language assignments

Registration — Read-only desk view

Signage — Display management and sponsor library

Your operator receives an email invitation and can sign in immediately with their assigned role. No approval step needed.

Step 4: Set Up Signage

Switch to the Signage role tab and click Add Display. Configure:

Display name — "Lobby Screen," "Room A Door," "Registration Desk"

Content mode — Choose from 10 modes: Schedule, Wayfinding, Sponsors, Break, WiFi, Recall, Custom, Agenda, Programme List, or Day Grid

Orientation — Landscape or portrait

Room filter — Optional: limit the display to sessions in a specific room

Click Launch to open the display URL in a new tab. Copy that URL to any browser — a TV in the lobby, a tablet at the door, a monitor backstage.

The display connects to your console in real time. When you push a global override (like "Break Screen" during coffee), every display updates instantly.

Step 5: Go Live

On event day, your workflow is simple:

1. Open the console on your laptop

2. Operators sign in on their devices

3. Mark sessions as READY when speakers arrive

4. Hit GO LIVE when it's time

5. Use the broadcast bar to send messages to the team

6. Push signage overrides for breaks, recalls, and sponsor reels

Everything updates in real time. No radios needed.

What's Next

You're set up. For deeper dives into specific workflows, read:

The Director's Workflow — Managing the full production

Stage Manager's Guide — The ARM to GO LIVE flow

Managing Delays — What to do when things run late

Or explore the full CueDeck documentation for detailed feature guides.

Start your free trial and set up your first event today.