Event master run-of-show
Three people hold three different versions of the day, and each one is sure theirs is the latest.
The short answer
A master run-of-show is one timed document for the whole event day, from load-in to pack-down. Each row has a time, an action, an owner and a cue or dependency.
One version is in circulation, with a version number and a lock time. Everyone else, including the venue, the technical suppliers and the emcee, works from a part of that version.
What goes in, and what stays out
Include everything that has to happen at a set time or in a set order: access times, rehearsals, doors, sessions, breaks, cues, deadlines for speakers to be ready and the point at which the venue must be cleared.
Keep detailed technical specifications, seating plans and speaker biographies in their own documents. The run-of-show points to them.
Build it in layers
- Start from the programme and check the total with the programme duration checker so breaks, transitions and slack are visible.
- Add venue access, load-in and rehearsal times from the venue and suppliers, not from assumption.
- Add one row per cue, with the owner named by role. See the cue sheet builder.
- Add dependencies: what must be finished before a row can start.
- Add buffers at the points where delay is most likely, and write who may spend each buffer.
- Freeze version one, then use the run-of-show builder to see which rows move when something changes.
Columns that earn their place
| Column | What it holds | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Time and duration | Start time and planned length | Lets anyone see the effect of overrun |
| Item | What happens, in plain words | Everyone reads the same line |
| Owner | Role responsible, with a named person elsewhere | Avoids two people owning one item |
| Cue or trigger | The event that starts the row | Show caller can call it |
| Depends on | Row numbers that must finish first | Shows knock-on effects |
| Notes and fallback | Asset version, fallback if it fails | Speeds up decisions in the moment |
Keep one version alive
- Put the version number and the date in the header of every page.
- Agree who may change the document, and how a change is announced.
- Mark any row linked to a supplier commitment, so a shift is confirmed with that supplier first.
- Print the current version for the show caller and stage manager, and remove old printouts.
Worked example · Fictional example
One-day annual general meeting and conference
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
Persatuan Akauntan Fiktif has a one-day programme from 8:30 to 17:30 with about 300 members.
The secretariat builds the run-of-show in three passes: programme and breaks, venue and supplier times, then cues. The first draft shows two rows needing the same person at the same time, and a lunch break with no buffer. The team moves one cue owner and adds ten minutes of slack after the AGM vote. The final version carries version number 4 and a lock time two days before the event.
Use this yourself
Master run-of-show template
Copy this into a spreadsheet and fill one row per item. Number the version in the header.
- Time
- Duration
- Item
- Owner (role)
- Cue or trigger
- Depends on
- Notes and fallback
| Time | Duration | Item | Owner | Cue | Depends on | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A single-room event with one main supplier and a short programme.
- One person owns the document and the team is used to the format.
- The venue provides its own timeline you can build on.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several rooms, several suppliers, awards or VIP arrivals and changes still coming.
- Different teams keep their own timetables and they have drifted apart.
- You need one person to merge inputs, chase confirmations and keep the document current.
Want one run-of-show everyone trusts?
A conference project lead can pull together the programme, venue times and supplier cues into one master run-of-show, keep it current through rehearsals and brief the show caller. Technical operation and safety planning stay with the qualified suppliers and the venue.
Questions organisers ask
How detailed should a run-of-show be?
Detailed enough that someone who was not in the planning meetings can run their part. Keep technical specifications in separate documents.
Is a run-of-show the same as a programme?
No. The programme is for delegates. The run-of-show is the working document for the team, with cues, owners and times behind the scenes.
Who should own it?
One named person, usually the project lead or the event manager. Others can propose changes through that person.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.