A well-planned running order is the difference between an event that flows naturally and one that lurches from one delay to the next. Your running order is not just a list of who goes on when. It is an operational document that coordinates sound, lighting, stage management, artist movements, and audience expectations into a single timeline.
Getting it right takes thought, experience, and a willingness to build in the margins that keep everything on track.
Start with your fixed points
Every running order has fixed points that cannot move. Identify these first and build the rest around them:
- Doors open -- The time your audience is admitted. This is driven by your ticketing and marketing (you have told people doors are at 6pm, so doors are at 6pm)
- Curfew -- The time by which all amplified music must stop, as specified in your premises licence or temporary event notice. This is non-negotiable. Breaching your noise curfew can result in a review of your licence
- Headline act -- Your main draw usually has a contracted set time and duration. This is the anchor around which the rest of the schedule is built
- Interval or breaks -- Conferences need comfort breaks. Multi-act events may schedule a break for bar and food service
- Sunrise and sunset -- For outdoor events, the transition from daylight to darkness affects lighting requirements, audience experience, and sometimes programming choices
Working backwards from the curfew
The most reliable way to build a running order is to work backwards from your hard end time. If your curfew is 11pm and your headliner needs a 90-minute set, their latest start time is 9:30pm. If the changeover before them takes 30 minutes, the previous act must finish by 9pm. And so on.
This approach ensures you never accidentally schedule more content than your time window allows. It is a common mistake to start filling time from doors open and discover too late that the schedule overruns the curfew.
Allocating set lengths
Set lengths should reflect the act's position on the bill and the overall shape of the event. General guidelines for music events:
- Opening acts -- 20 to 30 minutes. They warm up the audience and set the tone, but the room is still filling up
- Middle of the bill -- 30 to 45 minutes. Enough time to deliver a solid performance and build momentum
- Direct support -- 40 to 60 minutes. The act immediately before the headliner, performing to the fullest room
- Headline act -- 60 to 120 minutes depending on the event and the artist's expectations. Contractually agreed in advance
For conferences, allocate speaking slots based on content needs. A keynote might be 45 to 60 minutes. Panel discussions work well at 30 to 45 minutes. Workshop sessions are typically 60 to 90 minutes. Build in 10 to 15 minutes between sessions for room transitions and comfort breaks.
Changeover times
Changeovers are the hidden schedule killers. Underestimating changeover times is the single most common cause of running orders falling behind. Be realistic:
- DJ to DJ -- 5 to 10 minutes (essentially just swapping USB sticks or connecting a laptop)
- Acoustic act to acoustic act -- 10 to 15 minutes
- Full band changeover, shared backline -- 20 to 30 minutes
- Full band changeover, full backline swap -- 30 to 45 minutes
- Complex production changeover -- 45 to 60 minutes or more
If in doubt, add time. An audience waiting an extra five minutes between acts barely notices. An act starting ten minutes late and finishing ten minutes late pushes every subsequent act back, and those delays compound through the evening.
Programming shape
A good running order has a shape. It builds energy through the event, with strategic moments of calm to give the audience (and your production team) breathing space.
For a music event, a common shape is:
- Doors open with background music or a low-key DJ set while the audience arrives
- First act is upbeat and accessible, warming the room
- Energy builds through the middle acts
- Direct support raises the energy further or provides a contrast
- Headliner delivers the peak
- Post-show music as the audience exits
For a conference:
- Opening keynote sets the theme and energy
- Morning sessions cover the most demanding content (audiences are freshest in the morning)
- Post-lunch sessions are lighter or more interactive (the "graveyard slot" after lunch is real)
- Closing session is inspiring or forward-looking
The running order document
Your running order should be a single, clear document that everyone on the production team can reference. Include:
- Time (start and end for each item)
- What is happening (act name, session title, changeover)
- Stage or room (if multiple)
- Technical notes (any special requirements for that slot)
- Contact (who is responsible for that item: stage manager, session chair)
Distribute the running order to all production staff, stage managers, sound engineers, lighting operators, artist liaison, and security. Print large-format copies for backstage and the production office. Everyone should be looking at the same document.
Keeping to time on the day
The running order is a plan, not a guarantee. Keeping to time requires active management throughout the event.
- Stage manager owns the clock -- The stage manager is responsible for starting and ending each item on time. They give time warnings to performers (typically at 15 minutes, 5 minutes, and 1 minute before the end of a set)
- Do not let acts overrun -- This requires diplomatic but firm communication. If a band is scheduled for 30 minutes and they play 40, every subsequent act is affected. Agree set lengths in advance and enforce them
- Absorb small delays -- If a changeover takes five minutes longer than planned, you can sometimes absorb this by slightly shortening the next changeover or starting the next act at the originally scheduled time despite the delay. Do not cascade the delay forward if you can avoid it
- Communicate changes -- If the schedule does shift, update everyone immediately via radio. An artist who thinks they are on at 8pm but is now on at 8:15pm needs to know
Contingency planning
Build contingency into your running order:
- Filler content -- A DJ or playlist that can cover unexpected gaps. Better than silence or a dark stage
- Flexible slots -- A slot in the schedule that can expand or contract: a DJ set between acts that is scheduled for 30 minutes but could be 15 or 45 depending on need
- Cancellation plan -- If an act cancels on the day, what happens? Can you move another act into their slot? Can remaining acts extend their sets?
The best running orders look simple from the audience's perspective. One act finishes, a brief pause, the next act starts. That apparent simplicity is the result of detailed planning, realistic time allocations, and a stage management team that keeps the whole machine running on schedule.
