6 Tips When Preparing Your Next Event Run Sheet
An event run sheet is one of those documents that looks simple until you're standing onsite at 6am realising half your team doesn't know what it means. Weeks or months of planning need to be distilled into a document that anyone on the ground can pick up and follow, under pressure, without you standing over their shoulder explaining it.
Here are six practical tips for building an event run sheet that actually holds up on the day.
1. Start With a Proper Contact List
Before times and tasks, your run sheet needs a clear contact list, and not just attendees. Think security, AV and production crew, catering, traffic management, hire companies and sponsor contacts. When something goes wrong onsite, this is the section people reach for first, so it needs to be complete and easy to scan. Tip: It’s way easier for your team to check the contacts list on your run-sheet than it is to bug you asking for a contact. When you’re already doing a million tiny tasks and consistently answering your phone, these tasks can become very annoying!
2. Keep It Chronological, With Consistent Columns
A run sheet works best laid out in chronological order with clear, consistent columns: time, location, activity, person or team responsible, and notes. Start times should always take priority over finish times, since that's what most of your team will be working off throughout the day.
3. Avoid Abbreviations and Insider Shorthand
It's tempting to shorthand things once you know an event inside out, but not everyone reading the run sheet will. Avoid codes or abbreviations unless there's a clear key on the document itself. The goal is for someone unfamiliar with the event to be able to follow it without needing an explanation. Tip: You should also not shy away from repetitiveness. Who cares if you say the same things over and over. Remember some people may only work certain days/shifts.
4. Use the Notes Section Properly
The notes column is often left blank or filled with outdated information, which defeats the purpose. Treat it as a quick-reference safety net: dietary requirements, specific technical details, salutations for VIPs, or anything your team might need in the moment without digging through another document. The more info you can put in the notes section, the less your team will come looking for you to find the answers.
5. Share It Early, and Share It Widely
A run sheet is only useful if the right people actually have it. Share it with your full team and key stakeholders well ahead of the event, not the morning of. The more people who understand what's happening behind the scenes, the smoother the day tends to run.
6. Keep It Live and Updated in Real Time
Events change on the day, timings shift, talent runs late, weather intervenes. A run sheet in a static PDF becomes outdated fast. Where possible, keep it on a live, shared platform so updates are visible to everyone in real time, not just the person who made the change.
Why an Event Run Sheet Matters
A good event planning checklist covers what needs to happen before the event. A run sheet covers what happens on the day itself, and it's arguably the document your event lives or dies by. No run sheet is ever flawless, there will always be a hurdle to work around, but a well-built one gives your team the structure to handle it calmly instead of scrambling.
How Brandid Media Approaches Event Run Sheets
At Brandid, run sheets are built as working documents from day one, shared early, updated live, and structured so anyone on the ground, from sponsors to volunteers, can follow them without confusion. It's part of how we approach event operations and onsite delivery more broadly, planning for what's likely to shift, not just what's meant to happen.
FAQS
What's the difference between an event run sheet and an event planning checklist? A planning checklist covers everything that needs to happen in the lead-up to an event. A run sheet is specific to the event day itself, laying out the timeline, responsibilities and notes needed to execute it.
Who should have access to the run sheet on the day? As many key stakeholders as practical, including production, AV, catering, security and sponsor contacts. The more people working from the same document, the fewer things fall through the cracks.
Should a run sheet be a static document or live? Live where possible. Events shift on the day, and a run sheet that updates in real time keeps everyone working from the same information.
Planning an Event and Want a Hand With the Details?
If you're deep in the planning stage and want an experienced team across your run sheet, sponsorship and onsite delivery, we'd love a genuine, no-pressure chat.
