Free template
Run of show template for exhibitors and sponsors
An hour-by-hour plan for a sponsored conference: setup, meeting blocks, booth coverage, the customer dinner and the follow-up, each with an owner.
A run of show is the minute-by-minute schedule for an event. Organizers write one for the stage. This one is for the team that sponsors or exhibits: it puts every booth shift, pre-booked meeting, session, dinner and follow-up task on one sheet, each with a named owner and a line saying when it counts as done.
It starts the day before the event, when the booth is built and the team is briefed, and it ends 5 days after, at the debrief. The rows after the event give every conversation a follow-up and an owner.
How to use it
How to build your run of show
01
Copy the days
One block per event day, plus the setup day and the 5 days after. Delete the rows your event does not have.
02
Name an owner per row
Put one person's name on every row, so each task has someone who answers for it.
03
Say when each row is done
Write what has to be true for the row to count as done, such as every capture having an owner by 6 pm.
04
Share it before travel
Send the sheet and the contacts tab to everyone on site 3 days before setup.
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Get it as a spreadsheet
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The template
The run of show, hour by hour
Run of show
Times are an example for a 2-day conference. Replace them with your agenda.
- Setup day
- Time
- 2:00 pm
- Block
- Booth build check
- What happens
- Stand built, power and internet tested, demo stations running, collateral unpacked
- Owner
- Event lead
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- The demo runs offline on every device
- Time
- 4:00 pm
- Block
- Lead capture setup
- What happens
- Capture app installed and signed in on every phone, a test capture sent to the CRM
- Owner
- Ops
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- The test record shows on the event campaign
- Time
- 5:00 pm
- Block
- Team briefing
- What happens
- Target accounts by tier, the meeting schedule, booth roles, capture rules, dinner guest list
- Owner
- Event lead
- Where
- Hotel or booth
- Done when
- Each rep can name the accounts they own
- Day 1
- Time
- 7:30 am
- Block
- Stand-up
- What happens
- Today's meetings, walk-up targets, who covers the booth during sessions
- Owner
- Event lead
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- Booth schedule confirmed for the day
- Time
- 8:30 am
- Block
- Booth opens
- What happens
- Booth coverage schedule starts, with at least one AE on the stand at all times
- Owner
- Booth captain
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- Schedule followed, gaps flagged in the team channel
- Time
- 9:00 am
- Block
- Pre-booked meetings
- What happens
- Meetings from the schedule, each with a briefing line on the account
- Owner
- AEs
- Where
- Meeting room
- Done when
- Notes, owner and next step captured within 10 minutes of each meeting
- Time
- 12:30 pm
- Block
- Lunch breaks
- What happens
- Staggered breaks so the booth is never empty
- Owner
- Booth captain
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- No uncovered slot
- Time
- 2:00 pm
- Block
- Session or panel
- What happens
- Speaker slot or sponsored session, with a follow-up offer at the end
- Owner
- Speaker
- Where
- Session room
- Done when
- Attendee questions logged against their records
- Time
- 5:30 pm
- Block
- Daily debrief
- What happens
- Review the day's captures, route hot conversations to their owner the same day
- Owner
- Event lead
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- Every capture has an owner and a next step
- Time
- 7:30 pm
- Block
- Customer dinner
- What happens
- Hosted dinner for tier 1 accounts and open opportunities
- Owner
- Host AE
- Where
- Restaurant
- Done when
- Attendance and conversations logged that night
- Day 2
- Time
- 7:30 am
- Block
- Stand-up
- What happens
- Yesterday's hot conversations, today's meetings, accounts still not met
- Owner
- Event lead
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- Unmet tier 1 accounts assigned to a rep
- Time
- 9:00 am
- Block
- Pre-booked meetings
- What happens
- Second day of scheduled meetings
- Owner
- AEs
- Where
- Meeting room
- Done when
- Notes, owner and next step captured within 10 minutes
- Time
- 3:00 pm
- Block
- Last-day push
- What happens
- Reps work the unmet tier 1 list in sessions and at partner booths
- Owner
- AEs
- Where
- Venue
- Done when
- Each unmet account has a contact attempt logged
- Time
- 5:00 pm
- Block
- Pack up
- What happens
- Stand packed, shipping labels on, rented devices returned
- Owner
- Ops
- Where
- Booth
- Done when
- Return receipt from exhibitor services
- After the event
- Time
- Day +1
- Block
- Personal follow-up
- What happens
- A written follow-up to every meeting and hot conversation, referencing what was said
- Owner
- AEs
- Where
- Done when
- Sent by the end of the first day back
- Time
- Day +2
- Block
- Triage
- What happens
- Remaining captures sorted by fit and intent, owners assigned, sequences live
- Owner
- SDR lead
- Where
- CRM
- Done when
- No capture without an owner
- Time
- Day +5
- Block
- Debrief
- What happens
- Results against target, what worked, the decision on next year
- Owner
- Event lead
- Where
- Call
- Done when
- Debrief sheet filled in and shared
Contacts
Fill in before travel. The organizer contacts are in the exhibitor manual.
- Role
- Event lead
- Name
- _____
- Phone
- _____
- Responsible for
- The run of show, the daily stand-up and debrief, every decision on site
- Role
- Booth captain
- Name
- _____
- Phone
- _____
- Responsible for
- The coverage schedule, booth standards, lunch breaks
- Role
- Meeting owner
- Name
- _____
- Phone
- _____
- Responsible for
- The meeting schedule, the meeting room booking, last-minute changes
- Role
- Ops and shipping
- Name
- _____
- Phone
- _____
- Responsible for
- Freight, exhibitor services orders, lead capture devices
- Role
- Dinner host
- Name
- _____
- Phone
- _____
- Responsible for
- The guest list, the restaurant booking, seating
- Role
- Exhibitor services (organizer)
- Name
- _____
- Phone
- _____
- Responsible for
- Power, internet, furniture, badge scanners
- Role
- Venue AV
- Name
- _____
- Phone
- _____
- Responsible for
- Screens and sound for any session or booth demo
Get more from it
Make sure the follow-up rows get done
Put follow-up on the sheet
The 3 rows after the event sit on the same sheet as the booth shifts, so they get an owner before anyone travels.
Write captures into the plan
A meeting row is done when notes, an owner and a next step are captured, so the debrief works from records.
Keep one copy
Share the sheet as a link and change times there. A forwarded attachment goes out of date with the first change.
With Luminik, your meetings and booth conversations reach Salesforce or HubSpot with an owner and a next step, so you fill this sheet from CRM records. See how it works.
Questions about running the show
What is a run of show?
A run of show is the time-by-time schedule for an event, listing what happens, when, where and who owns it. Organizers use it for the stage. Exhibitors and sponsors use it for booth shifts, meetings, sessions, dinners and follow-up.
What should a run of show for an exhibitor include?
Setup and lead capture testing, a daily stand-up and debrief, the booth coverage schedule, pre-booked meeting blocks, any speaking slot, side events and dinners, packing up, and the follow-up and triage tasks for the days after the event. Each row needs an owner and a line saying when it counts as done.
How far ahead should I build the run of show?
Draft it 3 to 4 weeks out, when meetings start booking, and share the final version 3 days before setup. The meeting rows fill in as outreach replies arrive.
Keep going
What to use before and after this one
Event planning checklist for exhibitors
A week-by-week plan for sponsoring or exhibiting at a B2B event, built around who you need to meet and when your outreach goes live.
Event debrief template
One workbook for the meeting 5 days after the event: results against target, every target account and its next step, and the decision on next year.
The Event ROI Business Case
Turn the budget and the results into break-even and the one slide a CFO reads.
Event ROI calculator
Model expected closed-won revenue from your conversion rates.
See your next event's attendee list, meetings and CRM records
Bring the event you are planning. In 20 minutes we show who is attending, which accounts match your ICP, and how meetings reach Salesforce or HubSpot.
I take every walkthrough myself. Bring the next event on your calendar.