Event run sheet template
A free run sheet for Excel and Google Sheets, with a filled-in example for a gig or club night and a contacts tab. Download it, swap in your own times, and share it with your venue, crew and door staff.
No sign-up. For Google Sheets, use File > Import.
What is a run sheet?
A run sheet is the timed plan for the day of your event: every item from bump-in to bump-out, when it happens, who's responsible and where. It's the one document the venue, crew, artists and door staff all work from, so nobody has to ask what's next. In the US it's often called a run of show.
Run sheet example
This is the example in the template, for a gig or club night with doors at 8pm. Change the times and items to suit your event.
| Time | What happens | Who | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00pm | Bump-in: production arrives and unloads | Production manager | Loading dock | Truck access via the back lane |
| 3:00pm | Stage, sound and lighting set-up | Sound and lighting techs | Main room | |
| 5:00pm | Sound check: headliner | Headliner, sound tech | Stage | 45 minutes |
| 5:45pm | Sound check: support | Support act, sound tech | Stage | 30 minutes |
| 6:30pm | Staff arrive and briefing: door, bar, security | Event lead, security lead | Front bar | Capacity, entry policy, ID checks, emergency exits |
| 7:15pm | Door set-up: scanning phones charged and tested, guest list ready | Door lead | Entry | Keep a backup copy of the guest list |
| 8:00pm | Doors open | Door staff, security | Entry | |
| 8:00pm | Opening DJ | DJ 1 | Main room | 8:00 to 9:30pm |
| 9:30pm | Support act | Support act | Stage | 9:30 to 10:30pm |
| 10:30pm | Changeover | Stage manager | Stage | 15 minutes |
| 10:45pm | Headliner | Headliner | Stage | 10:45pm to 12:15am |
| 12:15am | Closing DJ | DJ 2 | Main room | Until curfew |
| 12:30am | Last entry | Door lead | Entry | |
| 1:00am | Music off: curfew | Stage manager | Main room | Check the venue's licence conditions |
| 1:15am | Venue clear | Security | Whole venue | |
| 1:30am | Bump-out | Production manager | Stage, loading dock | |
| 2:30am | Settle up: ticket numbers, bar figures, artist payments | Event lead, venue manager | Office |
The download also has a Done column of checkboxes to tick off on the night (pick ☑ from the dropdown, or tick by hand on a printed copy), blank rows to add your own items, and a second tab for contacts (event lead, venue manager, production, security, door lead, first aid) and key information (address, capacity, curfew, emergency assembly point, nearest hospital).
What to include in a run sheet
Time
When each item starts. Use the actual clock time, not "after the support", so everyone works to the same schedule.
What happens
One action per line: bump-in, sound check, doors, each set, changeovers, last entry, curfew, bump-out, settle up.
Who
The person or team responsible, by name or role, so nobody has to ask.
Where
The room, stage or area, especially at venues with more than one space.
Notes
Durations, access details, cues and anything that could go wrong.
Contacts and key information
A second tab with phone numbers, capacity, curfew, the emergency assembly point and the nearest hospital.
How to make a run sheet
Start a week or two out, once the line-up and venue are confirmed.
- 1
Start from the fixed times
Write down the times you can't move: venue access, doors, curfew and when you have to be out. Everything else fits between them.
- 2
Work backwards from doors
List what has to be done before doors open (bump-in, set-up, sound checks, staff briefing, door set-up) and give each a realistic start time, working back from doors.
- 3
Add the show
Add each set, changeover, speech or performance in order, with start times and lengths. Build in a few minutes of buffer at changeovers.
- 4
Add the end of the night
Last entry, music off, venue clear, bump-out and settling up with the venue and artists. These are the items most often left off.
- 5
Put a name next to every line
Every item needs someone responsible. If a line has no owner, it's the line that won't happen.
- 6
Fill in contacts and key information
Phone numbers for the venue manager, security lead, door lead and first aid, plus the capacity, curfew and emergency details.
- 7
Share it and keep one version
Send the run sheet to the venue, artists, crew and door staff a few days before, print copies for the night, and mark each update with a version number so nobody works from an old one.
A few tips
- Changeovers almost always run long. Give them a line of their own and a few minutes of buffer.
- Put the curfew and last entry on the run sheet, not just in your head. They're usually set by the venue's licence.
- Give your door staff their own short version: doors, last entry, guest list policy and who to call.
- If you need permits or a liquor licence, the approval conditions (capacity, finish time) belong on the run sheet too. See event permits and insurance.
Getting the door ready
The door set-up line is where ticketing meets the run sheet: phones charged, scanning tested and the guest list ready before doors. For the rest of the setup, see how to sell tickets for an event online and the free ticket scanning app.
On Tickify
Door staff scan tickets on their own phones with the free Tickify Launch app, with scanner-only access so they don't need your login, and can search by name to check someone in. Guest lists sit in the same system as paid tickets. It's free for organisers: buyers pay the booking fee, with card processing included, so you keep the full ticket price. See pricing.
Start selling ticketsFrequently asked questions
Get the template
Free, no sign-up. Works in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers.