Run of Show Builder
A run of show is not an agenda — it is the minute-by-minute cue sheet your MC, AV desk, and stage crew all run from. Set doors, add your segments, and get a numbered rundown where every transition has a time.
min | |||
min | |||
min | |||
min | |||
min | |||
min | |||
min | |||
min |
Reorder by dragging, save versions, invite vendors, and export branded PDFs in the full app — see all features.
A run of show is written in cues, not hours
An agenda tells attendees what happens; a run of show tells the crew what to do. The unit is the cue: a numbered line with a time, an action, and an owner — "19:05, roll opening video, house to dark, AV." The MC, the sound desk, the lighting operator, and the stage manager all follow the same numbered sheet, which is what lets someone say "we are at cue 5" and have four people instantly synchronized. This builder produces that structure: every row is a cue with a computed time, and when one segment stretches, every subsequent cue restamps itself instead of drifting into fiction.
More on Categories & Icons →Transitions are the show
Segments almost never fail — a speech is a speech, a video plays. Shows fail between segments: the mic that was not handed over, the presenter walking to a dark lectern, the four silent seconds of a wrong slide. That is why the technical run-through is the first cue on this rundown and why it walks transitions rather than content. It is also why the opening video earns its own numbered cue: a dark room with sound is the one transition that reliably silences three hundred people, and it buys the MC ten covered seconds to reach position. Rehearse the seams and the segments look after themselves.
More on Sharing & Participants →Eight minutes per award is a law of nature
Award segments are the most predictable overrun in live events, and the math is always the same: a one-minute intro, a walk from the far table that takes longer than anyone budgets, an acceptance speech that was "just a few words" until the microphone arrived, and the photographer asking everyone to hold still. Eight minutes per award — enforced by cued walk-up music and a stated speech limit communicated in advance — is the honest number this builder uses. Multiply it by your award count and watch the total: a twelve-award gala is ninety-six minutes of ceremony before anyone eats, which is usually the moment organizers discover they want six awards, not twelve.
More on Exports →Common questions
Is this run of show builder free?
Yes — build, edit, and print your cue sheet here with no signup. For live sharing with the AV desk and crew, reusable show templates, and branded exports, open it in the full Chronolio app.
What is the difference between a run of show and an agenda?
The audience sees the agenda; the crew runs the show from the run of show. It is cue-level: times, actions, lighting and sound states, and owners for every transition — the document that keeps the MC, AV, and stage crew synchronized.
How long should award presentations take?
Budget eight minutes per award: intro, walk-up, acceptance, and photo. That holds only with cued walk-up music and a speech limit told to winners in advance. The builder multiplies it out so you can see the true cost of your award count.
Can the crew see live changes on the night?
This free builder prints a fixed rundown. In the full Chronolio app you share a live link instead — when a segment moves, every phone at the AV desk shows the updated cue times immediately.
Do more than build a schedule
Save versions, generate with AI, coordinate vendors, and export branded PDFs — free 7-day trial, cancel anytime.