Understanding the details, advantages, and misconceptions about dual line ceremonies is crucial for a successful ceremony. While dual line ceremonies do not expedite the crossing of graduates across the stage compared to single line ceremonies, they do offer specific operational benefits. Below are key tips to optimize your dual line ceremony.

Set your ceremony software to Automatic Advance Mode to maintain a swift pace for stage-crossing and avoid the confusion that can be caused by manually advancing both sides of the stage simultaneously. This option can be found in the Settings menu. 

If your ceremony utilizes ProNounce and you have added graduates with no audio recorded (like a late addition grad using a gold blank card), the software will quickly display slides with no audio before moving on to the next graduate in the queue. When reading a graduate’s name live it is best to ensure their card is scanned one at a time without building a queue of names behind it in the software.

Use the QR Scanner Programming Guide to program your scanners for their respective sides of the stage. Then clearly label each scanner so your event staff knows where to set them up.  See page 2 of the Scanner Programming Guide for Dual Line settings.

Position your scanning team just off-camera on either side of the stage so that when a card or GradPass is scanned, the graduate walks into the frame smoothly as their name is being displayed and announced.

Work with your camera operators and stage crew to mark the stage so it’s clear where graduates should cross so that they are framed nicely in the camera shot. Be aware of extra clutter in the shot and avoid including the next/previous graduate in the shot, if possible. 

Clearly mark the graduate stage crossing path, camera positions, handshake/diploma distribution spots, etc. with bright tape. This will make things safe and efficient.

Assign stage managers for both sides of  the stage to direct graduates through their mark and off the stage in an efficient and safe manner. 

Make sure your scanning personnel are trained for the stage crossing. Hold a rehearsal ahead of time and make sure they understand the advance mode you’ll be using, what to do if there’s a pause, what to do if there’s a late added graduate in the line, etc. Recruit several individuals to serve as “graduates” during your rehearsal.  It can take a few scans to find a rhythm. Each person using the scanner should be paying attention to their line and the other side of the stage too.

It is a common misconception that a dual line ceremony is automatically faster than a single line ceremony. This is not the case. While a dual line ceremony may give the impression that the graduates are crossing the stage at twice the pace of a single ceremony, the fastest recommended frequency of names for both formats is similar (about 2.5-3 seconds per graduate). However, the dual line format does allow you to maximize space in your venue by processing two lines instead of only one. 

Whether you are having a single line, dual line or both at your ceremony, MarchingOrder can include different stage crossing modes upon request. Talk to your CSM about your stage crossing needs and how to seamlessly switch between single and dual line displays in your MarchingOrder Director software.