For Planners
Run of show templates for a gala, a wedding and a holiday party.
If you've ever put together a run of show, you know the band usually gets one row that says band plays, and the details get filled in by email the week of the event. We've worked those details out here for the three kinds of events we see most. You're welcome to use them, change the times and delete whatever doesn't apply.
How to read these templates
The cue column is the most important one to get right. Someone needs to give the band the go-ahead for each moment of your event. What usually goes wrong is that two people each assume the other one will signal the band, or nobody knows who decides when the speeches are running long.
We'll go over that column at sound check with whoever is holding the master document. Our bandleader takes their cues from that one person.
A corporate gala
This example has 400 guests, a quartet with a DJ and an 11:30pm curfew. Many awards dinners and fundraisers run this way.
| Time | What happens | The band | Who cues it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:30pm | Load-in and setup | Vehicles at the dock | Venue |
| 5:00pm | Sound check complete | Cue column settled with you | Bandleader |
| 6:00pm | Doors, cocktails | Trio, 63 dBA | Venue opens |
| 7:00pm | Call to dinner | Plays guests in, then turns down | You |
| 7:15pm | Dinner service | Trio, 63 dBA | No cue needed |
| 8:00pm | Remarks from leadership | Silent. Announcement mic live | You, two minutes out |
| 8:20pm | Awards | Silent. Short walk-on music if you'd like | You |
| 8:40pm | Video package | Sound system handed to the AV team | AV lead |
| 8:50pm | Auction | Silent | Auctioneer |
| 9:15pm | Changeover | DJ covers the gap | Bandleader |
| 9:30pm | Dancing, first set | Quartet, 90 dBA | You |
| 10:30pm | Break | DJ, continuous | No cue needed |
| 10:45pm | Dancing, second set | Quartet, at full energy | Bandleader |
| 11:30pm | Last song, curfew | Times the last song to end at curfew | Bandleader |
Two of those rows are worth a second look. A clear 7:00pm call to dinner is a great way to get 400 people from the bar to their seats, and the band can play them in. At the 9:15pm changeover, the quartet can't move from its dinner setup to its dance setup silently, so the DJ plays through that gap.
A wedding, from ceremony to late night
Here we have 180 guests in one venue, with a duo for the ceremony and a quartet for the dance floor. We can put the whole event on one contract.
| Time | What happens | The band | Who cues it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00pm | Load-in, both setups | Ceremony and reception at once | Venue |
| 4:00pm | Sound check complete | Before any guest is on site | Bandleader |
| 4:30pm | Guests arrive | Duo, prelude, 60 dBA | No cue needed |
| 5:00pm | Processional | Duo. Plays your chosen song | Planner or officiant |
| 5:25pm | Recessional | Duo, up and loud | Officiant |
| 5:30pm | Cocktails | Trio, 63 dBA | No cue needed |
| 6:30pm | Guests seated, entrances | Band up for the walk-in | Planner |
| 6:45pm | First dance | Quartet. Your song, arranged to the right length | Planner |
| 6:50pm | Dinner service | Trio, 63 dBA | No cue needed |
| 7:45pm | Toasts | Silent. Announcement mic live | Planner |
| 8:15pm | Parent dances | Quartet | Planner |
| 8:30pm | Dancing, first set | Quartet, 90 dBA | Bandleader |
| 9:30pm | Break | DJ, continuous | No cue needed |
| 9:45pm | Dancing, second set | Quartet, at full energy | Bandleader |
| 10:45pm | Last song | Quartet | Bandleader |
| 11:00pm | Late night | DJ alone | No cue needed |
The row people move most often is 6:45pm. We like to put the first dance right after the entrances, while everyone is already in their seats. If you hold it until after dinner, some guests may have stepped outside or be busy with coffee.
A company holiday party
This one is for 200 staff in a hotel ballroom, with a quartet and an 11:00pm finish. It's shorter and looser, and it's the one where the program is smallest and the dance floor matters most.
| Time | What happens | The band | Who cues it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:30pm | Load-in and setup | Before the space is decorated, if possible | Venue |
| 6:00pm | Sound check complete | Space handed back to you | Bandleader |
| 6:30pm | Doors, drinks | Duo, 63 dBA | Venue opens |
| 7:15pm | Dinner or stations open | Duo, 63 dBA | No cue needed |
| 8:00pm | Remarks and service awards | Silent. Announcement mic live | You, two minutes out |
| 8:30pm | Full band up, first set | Quartet, 88 dBA | You |
| 9:30pm | Break | DJ, continuous | No cue needed |
| 9:45pm | Second set | Quartet, at full energy | Bandleader |
| 10:45pm | Last song | Quartet | Bandleader |
| 11:00pm | Guests out, strike | No gear moves until guests are out | No cue needed |
The row to watch at this party is 8:00pm. In our experience, remarks at a holiday party can start late and run long, and by then your guests have usually been at the bar for a while. We'd suggest putting a hard end time in the document and giving it to your speakers ahead of time. We can bring the band back up on time either way.
Want your staff up singing with the band? Check out our live band karaoke.
Send us your run of show.
Don't worry if it's still a rough draft. We'll fill in the band’s rows and send it back, whether or not you've booked us.
Still working out the venue side? Take a look at what we need from your venue and our full question list.