Event Run Sheet Builder.

A run sheet, also called a run of show, is a minute-by-minute timeline of an event that lists every segment with its start time, end time and who is responsible. It keeps the AV crew, MC, performers and venue staff working off one shared timeline, so doors, speeches, breaks and the main act all hit on cue. This tool builds one by chaining each segment off the one before it, so the times always add up.

Set your fixed start time (usually doors or kick-off), then give every segment a realistic duration in minutes and let the times cascade, so each item begins the moment the previous one ends. Always build in changeover and buffer time between segments, since live events drift; a common rule of thumb is to add a few minutes of contingency for every hour of programme. Working backwards from a hard finish time, such as a venue curfew, is a good way to sanity-check that everything fits.

A run sheet is about time: it tells the crew what happens when and in what order. A stage plot is about space: it shows where everything sits on stage, including band positions, microphones, monitors, DI boxes and power. Most productions need both, with the run sheet driving the timeline and the stage plot driving the technical setup and patch.

Changeover time depends on how much has to move, but as a rough guide a simple speech-to-speech swap needs only a minute or two, while a full band changeover with new microphones and a monitor check often needs 15 to 30 minutes. The bigger the technical change between segments, the more buffer you should schedule, and it is safer to over-estimate than to run late. Listing the changeover as its own line on the run sheet, with the responsible crew noted, keeps the timeline honest.

Everyone with a cue should have the same version: the show caller or stage manager, the audio and lighting operators, the MC or host, key performers, and the venue or front-of-house staff. Sharing one agreed run sheet, rather than several conflicting ones, is what keeps an event on time. Once your timeline is built here you can copy it straight into an email or print it for the crew brief.