Run of Show Template for Events

An event run of show is the operating script for anything that happens on a stage or in front of a room: general sessions, keynotes, award dinners, product launches and breakouts with production support. It breaks the program into segments timed to the minute, and gives each one an owner and a set of cues.

It is not the attendee agenda, and it is not the event production schedule. The agenda tells attendees what is on and when. The production schedule covers load-in, builds, rehearsals and strike across days. The run of show zooms into the hours the audience is in the room, and it is written for the people making it happen: the show caller, stage manager, AV crew, speaker handlers and catering.

For the months before the event, use an event timeline template. The run of show picks up where it ends.

Make the duration column authoritative and calculate start times from it. When a segment runs long, you change one number and the rest of the show recalculates, instead of retyping every time below it.

The example below covers the first two hours of a conference general session. Times, roles and cues are illustrative, to show the level of detail rather than to recommend a program.

Notice the small segments. Transitions, walk-ups and housekeeping are where most programs lose minutes, so give each one its own line and its own owner.

Copy this run of show template into a spreadsheet or document. Each line is one segment; add as many as the session needs.

RUN OF SHOW: [EVENT NAME] - [SESSION NAME]
Date: [DATE]   Room: [ROOM]   Version: [V#] updated [TIME]
Show caller: [NAME, PHONE]   Stage manager: [NAME, PHONE]   AV lead: [NAME, PHONE]
Radio: [CHANNEL] production / [CHANNEL] venue

TIME | DUR | SEGMENT | LOCATION | OWNER | TALENT | AUDIO | VIDEO / GRAPHICS | LIGHTING / STAGE | NOTES
[00:00] | [0:00] | Doors open | [ROOM] | [NAME] | - | Walk-in music | Holding slide | House full | [NOTE]
[00:00] | [0:00] | Welcome | [STAGE] | [NAME] | [MC] | Lectern mic | Slides [#-#] | Stage wash | [NOTE]
[00:00] | [0:00] | [SEGMENT] | [LOCATION] | [NAME] | [PRESENTER] | [MIC] | [VIDEO / SLIDES] | [LOOK] | [NOTE]
[00:00] | [0:00] | Transition | [STAGE] | [NAME] | - | Exit music | [SLIDE] | House up | [NOTE]

CONTINGENCIES
If a speaker is late: [PLAN]
If a video or slide file fails: [PLAN]
If we run more than [NUMBER] minutes over: cut [SEGMENT] / shorten [SEGMENT]

SIGN-OFF
Approved by [NAME] on [DATE]

1. 1

   Start From the Agenda

   Lift session titles, rooms and speakers from the final agenda so the two never disagree. Build the program itself in a tool such as a conference agenda builder, and treat the run of show as its production layer.

2. 2

   Break Sessions Into Segments

   Split each session into walk-up, introduction, content, Q&A and exit. Give each part a duration, even if it is one minute.

3. 3

   Assign One Owner per Line

   A line with two owners has none. Name the person who will say go, not the department.

4. 4

   Collect Cues and Assets Early

   Set a deadline for slides, videos and walk-up music well before show day, and record file names in the cue columns so the AV team can load and check them.

5. 5

   Walk Through, Then Rehearse

   Read the document aloud with the crew, then run a technical rehearsal of every transition. Update durations from what actually happened, not what was planned.

6. 6

   Lock and Version It

   Freeze a version the evening before, number it and print it. Every later change gets a new version number and time.

Changes on show day are certain; confusion is optional. Most problems come from two people working from different versions, so the process matters as much as the document.

• One editor: only the show caller or producer changes the master document
• A version stamp at the top of every page, with the time of the last change
• Changes announced on the production radio channel first, then pushed to the shared copy
• Printed copies replaced, not annotated, after any significant change
• A defined cut list: segments that can be shortened or dropped if the program runs over
• A separate, owned channel for attendee-facing changes such as a room move or a delayed start

For recovering when things go off script, see how to handle last-minute event emergencies.

Most run of show problems are visible on paper before the event, if someone looks for them. Review the final version against this list.

• No time allowed for walk-ups, applause, stage resets or room changeovers
• Speaker durations copied from the agenda instead of confirmed with the speaker after rehearsal
• Sponsor commitments, such as a named thank-you or a video roll, missing from the cue columns
• A keynote with no time cards or no agreed signal for wrapping up
• No plan for a missing speaker, a failed video or a fire alarm
• Q&A planned without anyone owning the microphones or the app questions
• The run of show and the published agenda showing different start times
• Only one printed copy, held by the person busiest on show day

After the event, keep the final annotated version. Actual timings, overruns and what was cut are the best starting point for next year's run of show and for briefing speakers on how long they really have.