What the example contains
Both workbooks have two tabs: Run of show, a formatted view, and Original source, the plain input sheet you edit. The Run of show tab is a static formatted snapshot: it does not update automatically when you edit Original source, so after importing your edits into ShowReady, export a fresh formatted version from the Exports tab. The completed example holds five fictional cues for a short conference opening:
| Cue | Start | Duration (seconds) | Shown as | Activity | Speaker | Title | Media | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09:00 | 300 | 5 min | Doors and walk-in | — | — | Walkin_Loop.mp4 | Loop until house lights |
| 2 | 09:05 | 120 | 2 min | Welcome | Alex Rivera | Host | Opening_Film.mp4 | Audio required |
| 3 | 09:07 | 1500 | 25 min | Keynote | Sam Lee | CEO | Keynote_Deck.pptx | — |
| 4 | 09:32 | 600 | 10 min | Panel | Panel guests | — | — | — |
| 5 | 09:42 | 180 | 3 min | Close | Alex Rivera | Host | Outro_Sting.mp4 | — |
The workbook stores durations in seconds. The “Shown as” column is converted here for reading and is not in the file.
Columns explained
- Cue
- A number or short code for each moment, such as 1, 2, 3. Keep it unique.
- Start
- When the cue begins, in 24-hour time (09:05, 14:30).
- Duration
- How long the cue lasts, in seconds (300 = 5 minutes).
- Activity
- What happens: walk-in, welcome, keynote, panel, break.
- Speaker
- Who presents or is on stage. Leave blank if nobody.
- Title
- The speaker's job title or role, such as Host or CEO.
- Media
- The exact filename needed for this cue, including the extension.
- Notes
- Instructions for the crew: loops, audio, lighting, hand-offs.
How to edit the template
- Open the workbook in Excel or another spreadsheet app and go to the Original source tab.
- Put one cue on each row, in show order. Do not merge cells or split one cue across rows.
- Write start times in 24-hour format, such as 09:05 or 14:30.
- Write durations in seconds: 300 for five minutes, 1500 for 25 minutes.
- Type media filenames exactly as the files are named, including the extension, for example
Opening_Film.mp4. - Leave a cell blank when information does not apply, such as a walk-in with no speaker.
The template suits conference sessions, corporate meetings, awards and product launches: any event where timed segments, presenters and playback files need to line up.
Import it into ShowReady
- If you have been invited, sign in or register with your approved email, then create a show.
- On Run of show, upload the spreadsheet on its own or inside a ZIP with your media.
- In the review step, make sure the edited Original source worksheet is selected, and check the schedule preview. If a column was read wrongly, open “Adjust how we read your file” and pick the right column.
- In the same “Adjust how we read your file” section, set “Numbers without a duration unit mean” to Seconds — the template stores durations as plain numbers in seconds (300 = 5 minutes).
- Confirm, then run the preflight check. The workflow page walks through each step.
What these files are and are not
- The example is fictional. The names, times and files are made up.
- No check has been run on either starter workbook. The formatted header follows ShowReady's export layout; it is not evidence that any file was checked.
- ShowReady checks file structure and metadata. It does not certify that media will play on your show system. See supported files and limits.