Run of Show Template for Events, With Two Examples
A free run of show template to copy into Google Sheets or Excel, a gala dinner and conference example, and how to write one and keep it on time.
A run of show is the minute-by-minute script for an event day. It lists every moment in order, from load-in to the last guest leaving, with the start time, how long it runs, who is on stage, who is responsible, and the cues the sound, lighting and video crew need. The producer, the emcee, the AV team and the venue all work from the same sheet, so everyone knows what comes next without asking.
This guide gives you a run of show template you can copy straight into Google Sheets or Excel, two worked examples (a gala dinner and a conference morning), and the steps to write one and keep it on time on the day.
The short answer. A run of show template is a table with one row per moment and eight columns: start time, duration, segment, what happens, who is on, owner, cues, and notes. Fill it in by locking the fixed times first, working backwards from them, and adding a buffer before anything you can't move.
Run of show vs agenda vs timeline
These three documents get mixed up, and they have different readers.
Agenda. What guests see. Session titles and rough times, for example "7.30 pm Dinner, 9.00 pm Awards". No cues, no names of crew.
Production timeline. The weeks and days before the event: venue contract, catering numbers, print deadlines, load-in. It ends when doors open.
Run of show. The event day itself, minute by minute, for the people running it. It covers what the agenda hides: the walk-in music, the slide that goes up before the CEO speaks, who hands the emcee the winners' envelope.
If a guest would never need to see a line, it belongs in the run of show, not the agenda.
The run of show template
Copy this table into Google Sheets or Excel (select it, copy, paste into cell A1). Add one row per moment. The first row is filled in as an example.
Start | Mins | Segment | What happens | Who is on | Owner | Cues (sound, light, screen) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7.30 pm | 5 | Welcome | Emcee opens the evening and runs through the programme | Emcee | Show caller | Walk-in music fades, spot on lectern, slide: event logo | Script page 1 |
What each column is for:
Start. The clock time the segment begins. Use real times, not "+10 minutes", so anyone can glance at a watch and know where you should be.
Mins. How long it runs. Add a formula for the next start time (start plus duration) and the whole sheet updates when one item moves.
Segment. A short name everyone will say on the radio: "Awards", "Lucky draw", "Changeover".
What happens. One sentence on the action, written so a new crew member could follow it.
Who is on. Everyone on stage or at the microphone for that segment.
Owner. The one person responsible for that segment happening. One name per row, never "team".
Cues. What the sound, lighting and screen operators do, and when. "Mic 2 live, house lights to 30%, slide 14."
Notes. Script page, props, the backup plan, anything the owner needs to remember.
For a big production, add a column for each department (audio, lighting, video, stage) instead of one Cues column. For a dinner with one AV person, one column is enough.
Example 1: gala dinner run of show
A corporate gala for 400 guests with reception, dinner, awards and a lucky draw. Doors at 6.30 pm, finish at 10.00 pm, venue out by 11.00 pm.
Things worth copying from this example:
The day starts at load-in, not at doors. Rehearsal and the staff briefing are on the sheet because they are where a gala goes wrong.
Dinner is long and quiet on purpose. Forty-five minutes for three courses gives the kitchen room. Speeches during service compete with plates and cutlery.
Awards come after the main course. Guests have eaten and are still in their seats, so the room listens.
The lucky draw is near the end. It keeps people in the room until the close. Draw only from guests who actually checked in, so a prize never goes to someone who isn't there.
Example 2: conference morning run of show
A one-day conference with a plenary morning and three breakout rooms after the coffee break.
Start | Mins | Segment | What happens | Who is on | Owner | Cues | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7.00 am | 60 | Crew call | AV check in all four rooms, registration desk set | Crew | Production manager | Walk-in loop on all screens | Breakfast for crew 7.30 |
8.00 am | 60 | Registration | Badges and check-in, coffee in foyer | Registration team | Registration lead | Foyer playlist | Report arrivals to show caller at 8.45 |
9.00 am | 5 | Doors close / opening | Emcee welcome, housekeeping, Wi-Fi details | Emcee | Show caller | Opening video, then mic 1 | Start on time even if the room is 80% full |
9.05 am | 30 | Keynote | Keynote presentation | Keynote speaker | Speaker manager | Lapel mic 2, slides from speaker laptop, confidence monitor | Speaker in green room by 8.30 |
9.35 am | 5 | Changeover | Panel chairs on stage | Stage crew | Stage manager | Stage wash, holding slide | |
9.40 am | 40 | Panel | Moderated panel, 10 min audience Q&A | Moderator + 3 panellists | Speaker manager | Handhelds 3 to 6, roving mic for Q&A | Q&A cut first if late |
10.20 am | 30 | Coffee break | Coffee in foyer, sponsors at booths | Venue lead | Sponsor loop on screens | Doors to breakouts open 10.45 | |
10.50 am | 60 | Breakouts | Three tracks in rooms A, B, C | Session speakers | Room hosts | Room AV per track | Count heads per room at 11.00 |
11.50 am | 70 | Lunch | Buffet in hall | Venue lead | Background music |
Each breakout room needs its own short run of show held by its room host. The master sheet only shows that the breakouts happen and when they end.
How to write a run of show, step by step
Start with the fixed times. Doors, dinner service, the keynote's flight, the venue curfew, a VIP who can only stay until 9 pm. These don't move, so everything else fits around them.
List every moment in order. Include the boring ones: crew call, rehearsal, changeovers, the call to dinner. Changeovers that aren't on the sheet are where events lose ten minutes.
Give every item a duration and work backwards. If dinner must start at 7.45 pm and the speeches before it take 15 minutes, the welcome is at 7.30 pm, which means guests must be seated by 7.25 pm.
Add buffers before the things that can't slip. Five minutes before dinner service, five before a hard finish. A buffer is cheaper than a rushed closing.
Name one owner per row. If two people own a segment, nobody does.
Write the cues with the AV team. Sit down with them for one pass through the sheet. They will spot the missing mic and the slide nobody made.
Mark what you would cut. Put "cut first if late" in the notes for the panel Q&A, the second video, the extra speech. Decide this before the day, not on the radio.
Version it and send it once. Put the version number and time in the file name ("ROS v7, 30 Sep 6 pm"). Send the final version to everyone in one message, and print copies for the people who won't have a screen.
Rehearse with it. Walk the show in order with the emcee and the AV team. Every confused question in rehearsal is a line to fix.
Running it on the day
One show caller. One person watches the sheet and calls each cue ("Standby lights, standby video... go"). Everyone else listens on radio or headset.
Start on time, even with a half-full room. Waiting for latecomers punishes the people who arrived on time and pushes every later item.
Know your arrivals before you start. The show caller needs to know how many guests are in before the welcome. A live check-in count beats walking out to ask the registration desk.
If you run late, cut, don't squeeze. Drop the item you marked earlier rather than asking every speaker to rush.
Update the sheet live if it's shared online. If a segment moves, change the start time so every crew member's copy is right.
Keep the printed copy. Venue Wi-Fi fails at the worst moment. A printout with a pen still works.
Where SOURems fits
SOURems doesn't write your run of show: a spreadsheet does that well. It handles the moments the run of show depends on:
Doors and arrivals. Guests check in by QR scan, and a live view shows how many have arrived against how many were expected. The show caller knows the room is ready without leaving the control desk.
Seating. Each guest's table comes up on screen when they're scanned, so the call to dinner doesn't stall at the ballroom door.
Lucky draw from the stage. Draw only from checked-in guests, on a countdown or slot-machine screen, with every result recorded.
Schedule changes. If a session moves, a push notification goes to everyone using the event app.
Multi-room events. Each session or room has its own check-in, so room hosts can count heads per breakout.
See how QR check-in and RSVP tracking work, or how to track attendance across conference sessions.
FAQ
What is a run of show template?
A run of show template is a ready-made table for scripting an event day minute by minute. It has columns for start time, duration, segment, what happens, who is on stage, the person responsible and the technical cues. You fill in one row per moment of the event.
How do you create a run of show?
Lock the fixed times first (doors, dinner, curfew), list every moment in order including changeovers, give each a duration and work backwards from the fixed times, add buffers before items that can't move, name one owner per row, and add the cues with your AV team. Then rehearse with it and fix what confuses people.
Can you give an example of a run of show?
The gala dinner and conference examples above are complete. A short version for a dinner: 6.30 pm reception, 7.15 pm call to ballroom, 7.30 pm welcome, 7.35 pm opening speech, 7.45 pm dinner, 8.40 pm awards, 9.10 pm lucky draw, 9.30 pm close.
What is the difference between a run of show and an agenda?
The agenda is for guests: session titles and rough times. The run of show is for the people running the event: exact times, who is on, who is responsible, and every sound, lighting and screen cue, including the moments guests never see.
What are the 5 C's of an event?
A common way to describe event management is five phases: concept, coordination, control, culmination and closeout. The run of show is written during coordination and used during culmination, the event day itself.
How detailed should a run of show be?
Detailed enough that someone who missed every planning meeting could run their part from it. For most corporate events that means five-minute precision and one line per change on stage. Broadcast and award shows often go to the second.
