Opening your crew link
You've been sent a link to your run of show on 1pm by a planner (event planner). This article walks through opening it for the first time, what to expect on the page, and a few things worth doing before you put your phone away.
Where the link came from
Your planner generated a personal link for you (the URL has /v/ in the path) and either emailed it to you or pasted it into a message. The link is specific to you on this event. Two different photographers on the same wedding will each have their own link with their own items highlighted and their own requests to answer.
If you're not sure whether the link is for you specifically or for the event in general, check the URL. A link with /v/ followed by a long string is your personal crew link. A link with /r/ followed by a long string is the public shareable runsheet, which is read-only and meant for venue staff, the couple, or anyone who needs to see the schedule but isn't doing the work.
You probably want the /v/ link if you're crew.
First-time loading
Tap the link. It opens in your default browser. The first load fetches the page from the server, which takes a second or two. After that first load, the page caches itself on your device so it'll keep working even if the venue Wi-Fi drops on the day.
If the page shows "Link not active" instead of the run sheet, the planner has either revoked the link or sent a stale one. Reply to them and ask for a fresh one. Old links can't be reactivated; the planner has to generate a new URL.
What you'll see on the page
From top to bottom on a phone:
A logo at the top, if the planner has applied event branding to this event. If not, no logo.
The event header: event name, date, status, venue or space, and PAX (number of attendees) if filled in.
A live countdown to the next item on the timeline.
A small connection pill showing Online, Offline, or Syncing.
If you have items assigned to you, an All / Mine toggle so you can filter the timeline.
Any event-wide attachments (floor plans, briefs, parking instructions).
Notes from the planner.
A Requests card if the planner has asked you for documents or information.
A "Your notes" panel if the planner has written notes specifically for you on this event.
The timeline itself, in chronological order.
The crew view is mobile-first, so a phone screen is the assumed size. It still scales up cleanly on a tablet or laptop if that's what you've got handy.
Open it once before you head to the venue
The most important thing to do with the link is open it once on Wi-Fi or strong mobile data before you leave for the venue. Doing this caches the page on your device, which means the run sheet keeps working at the venue even if the Wi-Fi is patchy or the function room's a Faraday cage.
A few specifics:
Open it on the same phone you'll have at the venue. The cache is per-device.
Don't use private browsing or incognito mode. Those modes refuse to install the offline cache.
If you're switching phones between now and the event, open the link on the new phone too.
If you only open the link for the first time when you arrive at the venue and the Wi-Fi is already gone, you may not be able to load it at all. The fix is to open it from home or somewhere with good signal at least once before the day.
Save it where you can find it
You don't want to be hunting through your inbox at 6am on event day looking for the link. Three patterns that work:
Add it to your home screen. On iOS, tap the share icon and choose Add to Home Screen. On Android, tap the menu and choose Add to home screen. The link becomes an icon you can tap like an app.
Bookmark the page. Use your browser's bookmark function and put it somewhere you can find it.
Email it to yourself with a clear subject. The planner's email probably has a subject you'll forget. A fresh email to yourself titled with the event name and date is searchable on the day.
There's a separate article on saving the link to your phone if you want the step-by-step.
If the link doesn't work
The most common reasons:
You're looking at an old link from before the planner rotated it. Ask for the current URL.
The planner has revoked the link. Ask why and whether you should get a new one.
You're trying to load it offline before it's ever been cached. Get back into Wi-Fi range and try again.
The browser is in private mode and didn't cache it properly. Open the link in normal browsing mode.
If none of those apply, tell the planner. They can see whether the link is live on their end.
