Event Run Sheet Template (Word + PDF)

Event run sheet to fill in: header with event, venue, guest count and contacts, plus time, programme item, owner, room, tech, catering note and status – as a Word file and PDF.

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Event run sheet template: structure, example, download

A run sheet – also called an event schedule or running order – is the one document everyone holds on the day: kitchen, service, tech, venue and the client. This template is a ready-made event run sheet as a Word file (DOCX) in landscape format, plus a PDF to view. It is built for caterers, event venues and agencies and contains a fully planned sample evening: an anniversary party for 120 guests, from the delivery at noon to the final clean-up after midnight.

What belongs in a run sheet

Header. Event, date, venue, guest count, client contact, internal contact, event lead on site and a date with version number. Without a version, the kitchen works from version 2 while service works from version 3.

Schedule table. One row per programme item, with seven columns:

  • Time: start and end, not just the start – otherwise nobody sees where it gets tight.
  • Programme item: what happens, in words a temp understands too.
  • Owner: exactly one person or team per row.
  • Room / area: where it happens, essential with several rooms.
  • Tech / material: microphones, projector, bar tables, cooling, power.
  • Catering note: what kitchen and service do at that moment – refills, clearing, special meals.
  • Status: open, confirmed, done.

Emergency and contacts. Emergency number, tech supplier, venue facilities and notes such as delivery windows or noise limits.

How to use the template

  1. Replace the fields in [square brackets] with your details.
  2. Adapt the 14 sample rows to your event, delete or copy rows.
  3. Remove the grey note box at the top.
  4. Save with date and version and share it with your team, suppliers and client.

Plan buffers between programme items, especially before speeches and before the buffet opens: both almost always slip by ten to fifteen minutes.

From a Word file to a run sheet that updates itself

A template has one catch: every change has to be carried into every version you sent. In Univents the run sheet lives on the event itself. You create it from your own run-sheet templates, see it as a timeline or in the calendar, share it with your team and partners, and your client always sees the current version in the client portal. More on the client portal page.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a run sheet and an event schedule?
In events both mean the same thing: the minute-by-minute plan for the day with time, programme item and owner. “Run sheet” and “running order” are common with production teams, “schedule” with caterers and venues. The template covers both.
Which format do I get?
An editable Word file (DOCX) in landscape format to fill in and a PDF to view. Both download directly without sign-up and also work in LibreOffice, Pages and Google Docs.
How detailed should an event run sheet be?
Detailed enough that everyone on the day finds their next task without asking: start and end per item, exactly one owner, the room and the material needed. Set-up, briefing and breakdown belong in it just as much as the guest programme.
Who gets the run sheet?
Everyone working on the day: kitchen, service, tech, venue and external suppliers – and the client, usually without internal columns such as catering notes. Print it with date and version number so everyone works from the same plan.

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