People in the entertainment industry know all about the term, “run of show.” The ones most familiar with this term are the ones in charge of preparing the venue of an event or a show. They use the event schedule template as a tool to simplify the essential information for running a live show. The run-of-show is a document that outlines the program, content, and timing for each part of the event to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Although the big moments in any event are important, the small transitions and moments between them are important too. You need the run-of-show to gain a clearer understanding of your event.
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Run of Show Templates
What is a run of show template?
The run-of-show or event details template is a cue-by-cue detail of a production. You and your production team will use this document as a guide to learn about the flow of the entire show and the technical production cues for all of the several videos, lights, and audio as the show progresses.
A production schedule is one of the most common tools used for organizing shows. It contains an hourly breakdown of what the production teams will work on while the show goes on. This document takes the “show” and provides details in a comprehensive view so you can focus on the cues at any given time.
Typically, you would lay this document out in a grid, landscape layout with the most important items, and the department columns on the right side. Most run-of-show documents have columns for the time which show the starting time and duration of each item. This information clearly specifies when an item should start and how long it should last.
The document also has a column for “Item #” where you designate unique item numbers for each item. Your team would use this as an identifier for each of the cues in your show. It makes things easier for them allowing them to communicate with each other easily. When a presenter comes up on stage, the sound, video, and lights cues are simultaneously used to tell the story.
Event Schedule Templates
What should be in a run of show document?
For an event to succeed, you need proper planning. But making this is only half the battle because making a run-of-show or event outline template is also important. This tool is an item-by-item sequence of everything that occur throughout an event. You shouldn’t confuse this with a published agenda or program that the attendees would receive. You would use a program to identify the order in which people speak or perform while the run-of-show is more of a detailed outline that identifies what each person and department involved in the event need to do and at what time.
You can consider it as the master document that explains everything that happens behind the scenes from start to finish. When creating the document, there are some important things you should consider. By taking care of these details in advance, you will have peace of mind that helps you present a smooth and flawless show:
- Contact list
This is one of the first things that you need to include before creating the document. It should contain the phone numbers of all the people involved in the show including the speakers or presenters, the AV crew members, the audiovisual company, the catering company, and so on.
Having this list will help you get in touch with people who don’t show up on time to find out where they are. It’s also recommended to create a backup list with these details. For example, if your guest speaker’s flight got delayed, you need to have someone who can take their place. Having the list of contacts in your run-of-show allows you to prepare for such situations.
- Program flow
Having the document on hand helps you establish coherence in the order of the proceedings. Take a corporate meeting, for instance. You don’t want your sales department discussing the results of their marketing strategies, then have someone from the marketing department come in to present the elements of their campaign.
In the show itself, if a presenter delivers a solemn message and a hilarious stand-up comedian follows. You must first have a good transition from one person to another. When arranging the flow, answer these questions:
- Who will present first, second, third, fourth, and so on?
- Who will end the show?
- Will there be intermissions or breaks between each presenter?
- If someone isn’t present when it’s their turn, will you modify the arrangement of the people who will present?
These are just some of the questions that you should address in your document.
- Timings
You need to share with the speakers and presenters the timeframe they have for their part of your event. Ideally, they should strictly follow your schedule. A speaker or presenter who goes off-topic or talks for too long could cause the audience to lose interest. It could even throw off the whole event. It forces the next speakers to cut their times short. This is why providing timings is essential for your show to run smoothly.
- Technical details
Nowadays, we cannot do without the technical aspects of running a show. The run-of-show document should include elements like audiovisual checks to make sure that lighting and sound are all set before the guests’ arrival. During your event, you should also detail the technical cues on the agenda.
Other AV elements like videos, music, and slideshows need to be well-organized and ready to go at the right times. One of the most challenging things that can happen to a presenter is to take the center stage only to find out that their audiovisual presentations are either incorrect or not ready.
- Details about setting up and tearing down
You should also provide the specific times to set up and tear down everything needed for the show along with everything these actions entail.
These are some of the considerations you should think about when you start writing your document. Also, remember that if one of your presenters exceeds the given timeframe, it could lead to paying more for the venue because you need more time to use it.
Event Details Templates
Why do you need this document?
One of the factors that contributes to the success of your event is the creation of a well-drafted run-of-show or virtual event run of show template. Sharing this with everyone involved ensures that your event proceeds without any issues that you can’t deal with. It’s crucial for you to take time to draft the document as it relieves much of the anxiety and stress associated with the production of an event. Providing all of the people involved with this document gives them:
- Clear expectations of their roles in your event.
- Timings of each part of your event.
- The functions and locations of the media involved in your event.
You can also include other details that you think are important to your event. Not creating this document when planning your event could result in confusion around the execution and timing along with situations like when presenters arrive late or don’t come prepared. Whatever platform you use for your event, you should have a clear plan that contains an outline of what should happen and at what times. This is why you need the document as it lays out the schedule before and during the event. You will distribute it to your team and the presenters, hosts, moderators, and speakers involved.
Having this document for your event ensures that you keep track of your team. It also ensures that you keep your audiences engaged while easing the stress levels felt by everyone involved. You can download a template that is highly detailed with minute-by-minute schedules and the assets and roles clearly identified or something more flexible that you can customize.
Event Outline Templates
How do you make an event schedule?
Many planners of events consider the run-of-show document as the most important tool to use on the day of the event. This is because it provide an outline of everything that your team needs to do including the event volunteers, your production crew, and the event contractors.
Having the document makes sure there are no random happenings, just a clear sequence of the steps needed to run the event from the start to the end. Each action taken includes the location, responsibility, time, and date. You can think of the template as your roadmap for the whole event. Here are the steps to follow when you create this document:
- Start with the date
You can consider this the easiest item in your document. You need to indicate the day a specific activity will occur. For a small and simple event, you can probably set it up and bring everything down in one day.
A more complex and bigger event might need a couple of days to set up and tear down. If there are many items in your run sheet, you should assign each of these to the specific day when it will happen. Remember to write down the days in chronological order so that you and your team know which comes first until the day of the event.
- Come up with a timeframe
The next step is to get more specific in terms of what will happen each day. Specifically, focus on the time each activity occurs. For example, you might have set booking times for equipment needed for your event or for your event staff to arrive.
When creating this section, you should list the starting times for each item. For bigger and more complex events or those with very limited setup times, you should also include the finishing times so that you know exactly what will happen and at what time.
- Specify the locations
In this section, you list where each item will take place. For bigger events that consist of different spaces or several areas, this section is essential. You need to know where all of the activities will happen in each part of your event. This way, you can make sure your team is in the right areas at the right times. This section is essential in the development of the delivery plan for your event because it clearly explains where you need to set up or deliver everything and at what times.
- Provide explanations of each activity
You would include the most significant bits of information in this section. This section is what your document is all about. You use each line here to describe each activity required to set up your event. Make sure that you don’t combine different activities or actions in one line because there might be a tendency to overlook an item if you list it with another item. Use each of the lines to explain one item or activity only.
- List the people responsible for each item
This section is about the entity that will be in charge of completing a certain item or activity. They could also have the responsibility of overseeing the activity or supplying the equipment or service needed and more. You can list a team or the name of the team member who will lead the team. Decide what is best for you and your show.
- Include the contact details
There might be situations where you get a different contact person for the delivery of equipment or anything else needed for your event. Therefore, it’s important to have contact details listed next to their assigned roles or actions. This comes in handy when you’re in the middle of your event space. You can easily and quickly contact your suppliers and presenters to ask why they’re running late.
- Add a section for notes
This section can be useful if you need to write down any specific reminders, clarifications, details, or notes about your event.
- Completed
There’s nothing more satisfying than ticking off your to-do list and that is what you can do with your run-of-show document when you add this section. Take some time during your event to pause and tick off all the items you have completed. Do this to feel better after accomplishing each item.
