Keep what works
Import your agenda from the spreadsheet you already have, and keep taking files on USB at the desk with the import wizard.
Most events still run on a tracking spreadsheet, a pile of USB sticks and a shared folder. It works until a file is renamed, a stick goes missing or the venue wifi drops. Here is the same workflow, side by side.
| Step | Spreadsheet + USB + shared drive | With Tribuna |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting files | Email attachments, USB sticks and a shared drive. Someone tracks deliveries in a spreadsheet. | Speakers upload against their session; the ready room sees who is missing files. |
| Late revisions | A new file name like "final_v3_REAL". Operators guess which one is current. | Each replacement is a new version of the same file. The room gets the newest one. |
| Getting files to rooms | Someone walks a USB stick to each room, or each machine downloads from the shared drive. | Files are copied to each room machine ahead of time over the local network. |
| Running order | A printed programme and a folder sorted by file name. | Each room machine shows its own queue in running order. |
| Opening on cue | The operator browses folders while the speaker waits. | One click opens the next talk in PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF or video. |
| Venue internet drops | Shared drive unreachable; files that were not copied are stuck. | Machines keep syncing with each other on the LAN. |
| Timing | Hand signals and a phone stopwatch. | Speaker timer and confidence monitor controlled from the desk. |
| Who changed what | Unknown, or reconstructed from email. | Audit trail with user and time for every upload and change. |
| Access control | Anyone with the drive link or the USB stick. | Role-based access and kiosk mode on room machines. |
A generic comparison of workflows, not of any specific product.
Import your agenda from the spreadsheet you already have, and keep taking files on USB at the desk with the import wizard.
Use the ROI estimate to see how much staff time file handling takes on your events.
Try Tribuna on a single event before you change how the whole season runs.
See Tribuna on your own agenda. We will set up a workspace and walk your team through a real run of show.