A conference run sheet is one timed document that says what happens, when, where, and who owns it. The version below is built for a Fiji one-day conference with a gala dinner, and includes the two columns most run sheets leave out: the crew call and the supplier arrival window. Copy it and change the times.
Every time in this template is illustrative. The structure is the point.
What must a conference run sheet contain?
Six columns, and no more than six, or nobody reads it on the day.
- Time — in 5- or 15-minute increments, never "morning".
- Item — one action per line.
- Owner — a named person, not a company.
- Location — the specific room or door, not the property.
- Crew call — who must already be in position, and since when.
- Notes — the one thing that goes wrong if this line slips.
A seventh column for radio channel is worth adding once you are above 200 delegates.
The conference day run sheet
| Time | Item | Owner | Location | Crew call | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05:30 | Venue access, ballroom unlocked | Venue duty manager | Ballroom | AV crew on site 05:30 | Confirm access time in the contract, not by email |
| 05:30 | Final AV check, mics, comms test | AV lead | Ballroom | Full AV crew | Test every lapel, not a sample |
| 06:30 | Registration desk build, signage out | Registration lead | Foyer | 2 staff | Power and wifi at the desk confirmed |
| 07:00 | Breakfast opens for crew | Catering manager | Staff area | — | Crew eat before delegates arrive, not with them |
| 07:15 | Coach 1 departs airport hotel | Transport coordinator | Hotel porte-cochère | Marshal in position 07:00 | Manifest printed, not on a phone |
| 07:40 | Coach 1 arrives, marshalling begins | Transport coordinator | Set-down point | 2 marshals | One marshal per door, always |
| 07:45 | Registration opens | Registration lead | Foyer | 4 staff | Queue flow rehearsed yesterday |
| 08:00 | Doors open, holding music, walk-in loop | AV lead | Ballroom | — | Lights to 70% |
| 08:25 | Speaker briefing, mics fitted | Stage manager | Green room | Stage manager + AV | Brief every speaker, including the one who says they don't need it |
| 08:30 | Welcome and opening | MC | Ballroom | Full crew | Cue sheet in the MC's hand on paper |
| 08:40 | Traditional welcome / sevusevu | Cultural liaison | Ballroom | Performers on site 08:00 | Protocol confirmed with the performing group in advance |
| 09:00 | Keynote | Stage manager | Ballroom | — | Countdown clock visible to the speaker only |
| 10:00 | Morning break | Catering manager | Foyer | Catering 09:45 | Stations open before the room empties |
| 10:30 | Breakouts begin | Session leads | Rooms 1–3 | 1 tech per room | Signage and a human at every door |
| 12:30 | Lunch | Catering manager | Terrace | Catering 12:00 | Wet-weather call made at 10:00, not 12:00 |
| 13:30 | Afternoon plenary | Stage manager | Ballroom | — | Lighting state reset from breakouts |
| 15:30 | Close, delegate departures | MC | Ballroom | Marshals 15:15 | Coaches staged, engines off |
| 15:45 | Ballroom turnaround to gala set | Production lead | Ballroom | Full crew + venue staff | This is the tightest window of the day |
| 17:30 | Gala room ready, lighting check | Production lead | Ballroom | AV + venue | Walk the room with the client |
| 18:30 | Pre-dinner drinks | Catering manager | Lawn | Bar staff 18:00 | Second wet-weather call at 16:30 |
| 19:15 | Guests seated | MC | Ballroom | Full crew | Seating plan at every door |
| 19:30 | Entrée service, welcome speech | Catering + MC | Ballroom | — | Speeches between courses, never during |
| 21:00 | Entertainment | Stage manager | Ballroom | Performers 20:00 | Sound check done before guests seated |
| 23:00 | Carriages, first coaches depart | Transport coordinator | Set-down point | Marshals 22:30 | Last coach 00:30, published to delegates |
| 23:30 | Bump-out begins | Production lead | Ballroom | Full crew | Confirm bump-out window in the contract |
What are the supplier arrival windows?
The run sheet above assumes these are already agreed in writing. Agreeing them late is how a Fiji event goes wrong.
| Supplier | Arrival window | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| AV and staging freight | 48 hours before, minimum | Customs clearance and inter-island transport sit upstream of this |
| AV crew | Day before, for bump-in | Same-day bump-in on a conference of any size is not a plan |
| Marquee and hire | Day before | Ground conditions can change overnight |
| Catering | 45 minutes before each service | Stations open before the room empties, not after |
| Cultural performers | 30 minutes before, briefed | Protocol and payment agreed in advance, always |
| Coaches | 15 minutes before scheduled departure, engines off | A coach that arrives on time has already failed |
| Photographer | With the first delegate | The registration queue is the shot nobody gets |
Equipment coming into the country has its own lead time — see bringing event equipment into Fiji: customs and carnets and staging, rigging and set build in Fiji.
The four lines Fiji run sheets usually miss
The wet-weather call, with a named decider and a time. Not "if it rains". Write the time the call is made, who makes it, and what happens on each answer. Our guide to wet-weather contingency planning for outdoor programmes has the decision tree.
Coach marshalling, not coach arrival. A coach arriving is not delegates boarding. One marshal per door, a printed manifest, and a named person who counts heads before the door closes. Building a transport plan for a Fiji conference covers the mechanics, and operators such as Tourist Transport Fiji and Pacific Transport Limited have the fleet.
The cultural welcome as a booking, not a backdrop. Performers and chiefs are contracted, briefed, credited and paid like any other supplier. Fijian warriors, meke and choirs: booking performers respectfully sets out how.
Power. Ask the venue, in writing, what happens when the mains drop and how long the changeover takes. Power reliability and generator backup explains what to ask for.
How to distribute it
Print it. Three versions: the full sheet for the core team, a one-page crew call sheet for suppliers, and a delegate-facing programme with no crew detail on it at all. Then put a named person on a radio at every location on the sheet.
If your group is arriving into Nadi and staying at an airport-area hotel such as the Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort & Spa or on Denarau at the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort, start with airport meet and greet for conference groups and the venue's own published capacities on the capacity chart. An inbound operator such as Rosie Holidays can own the ground portion of this sheet end to end. The full planning sequence is in the business events in Fiji guide.
