The first week on a new tour sets the pattern for every week after it. A tour manager who starts with clear documents spends the run answering questions quickly. One who starts with scattered emails spends it searching. This guide covers the core documents to set up early, what goes in each, and how they connect, whether you're running a long tour or a short run of dates.
Why documents come first
A tour has dozens of moving parts: venues, promoters, hotels, flights, vehicles, vendors, crew, and the band. Each one produces information, and most of it arrives by email in no particular order. The tour manager's job is to turn that stream into a small set of documents everyone can trust.
Good documents do three things:
- They answer questions before they're asked. If the day sheet says where to park, nobody has to call you.
- They show what's confirmed and what isn't. A clear advance tracker tells you where to chase.
- They survive handover. If you're sick or delayed, someone else can pick up the tour.
1. The contact sheet
Start here, because everything else refers to it. The contact sheet lists everyone involved in the tour:
- Touring party: name, role, phone, email, and any dietary or access needs
- Management and agency: the artist's manager, booking agent, and business manager
- Per-show contacts: promoter rep, venue production manager, and day-of contacts
- Vendors: backline, transport, lighting, merchandise, and anyone else supplying the tour
- Travel: travel agent, airline booking references, and hotel contacts
Keep it in one place, keep it current, and share a version with the touring party that leaves out anything private. Per-show contacts can live on the advance tracker and be copied to each day sheet.
2. The itinerary
The itinerary is the master schedule for the whole tour. For each date, it shows:
- City and venue
- Travel for the day: flights, drives, departure times
- Hotel and check-in details
- Show times: load-in, soundcheck, doors, set time, curfew
- Days off and travel days
Early in the tour planning, the itinerary will have gaps. That's fine. Mark unconfirmed items clearly, so nobody books travel around a time that might change.
3. The advance tracker
The advance tracker is a summary of where each show stands. One row per show, with columns for:
- Venue advance: started, waiting, confirmed
- Promoter advance
- Backline and other vendors
- Hotel and travel
- Outstanding questions
- Date of last contact
This is the document that tells you what to chase today. A quick glance should show which shows are fully advanced and which need work. For how to advance each show, see how to advance a show and the show advance checklist.
4. The budget
Even if the business manager owns the overall tour budget, the tour manager usually tracks spending on the road. Set up a simple budget with:
- Expected costs by category: travel, hotels, per diems, backline, crew, production, and incidentals
- Actual costs as they come in
- Notes on anything over or under the estimate
The point isn't accounting perfection. It's knowing early if costs are drifting. Our tour budget guide walks through the structure in more detail.
5. Day sheets
The day sheet is the one document the band and crew actually read every day. It's a short summary of that day, drawn from the itinerary and the advance sheet:
- Date, city, and venue address
- Schedule for the day
- Hotel details
- Key contacts for the day
- Notes, such as parking, curfew, or a meet-and-greet
Keep it short. A day sheet that runs to several pages won't be read. See day sheets people actually read for a format that works.
6. Settlement records
Each show ends with settlement, where the promoter and tour manager agree on the night's numbers. Set up a simple record for each show:
- Contract terms for the date
- The settlement sheet from the promoter
- Any expenses deducted, with receipts
- Final figures and payment method
- Notes on anything disputed or pending
Store them together. When the business manager asks about a show weeks later, you'll have the answer. Our settlement night checklist covers what to check.
How the documents fit together
Think of the documents in layers:
- The contact sheet and itinerary describe the whole tour
- The advance tracker shows where each show stands
- Each show's advance sheet holds every confirmed detail
- The day sheet is a short extract for the touring party
- The budget and settlement records track the money
Information flows downward. When something changes, update the higher document first, then everything that draws from it. If a set time moves, change the advance sheet, then the itinerary, then the day sheet.
Your first week, day by day
There's no single right order, but a practical first week often looks like this:
- Day one: gather every contract, rider, and email you've inherited. Build the contact sheet.
- Day two: build the itinerary, marking confirmed and unconfirmed items.
- Day three: set up the advance tracker and start the advance for the earliest shows.
- Day four: set up the budget, using the estimates you have.
- Day five: contact vendors for the first run of shows, including backline if the band needs rentals.
- End of the week: review what's still open, and send the touring party a first version of the itinerary.
Shows that are close need attention first. Dates further out can wait until the near ones are advanced.
Backline on a new tour
If the band is renting gear rather than carrying it, start early. Write one clear backline list that works for every city, and send it to vendors in each market. Ask about substitutions up front, so the band knows what to expect. Our guides to writing a backline rider and sourcing backline on a fly-in tour explain how. In Los Angeles, you can browse backline rental companies and send one request to several at once.
Tools
You don't need specialized software to start. Shared spreadsheets and documents work well, as long as:
- Everyone who needs access has it
- There's one current version of each document
- Old versions are clearly marked or removed
Many tour managers later move to dedicated tour management tools. Whatever you use, the structure above still applies.
Common first-week mistakes
- Starting with the day sheets. Without the itinerary and advance underneath, day sheets are guesses.
- Keeping information in your inbox. If it's only in an email, nobody else can find it.
- Not marking what's unconfirmed. A time that looks final gets treated as final.
- Advancing every show at once. Work on the nearest dates first.
- Sharing private contact details too widely. Give the touring party what they need, not everything.
Handing the tour over
At some point you may need to hand the tour to someone else, even for a day. Good documents make that possible. Before any handover:
- Make sure every document is current
- Note anything waiting on a reply
- List the key contacts for the next few days
- Share access to everything
If a colleague can pick up your documents and run the next show, your first week was a success.
Frequently asked questions
What documents should a tour manager set up first?
Start with a contact sheet and itinerary, then an advance tracker, a simple budget, day sheets, and settlement records. Each one builds on the ones before it.
What's the difference between an itinerary and a day sheet?
The itinerary covers the whole tour, with every date's travel, hotel, and show times. The day sheet is a short summary of a single day for the band and crew.
Do tour managers need special software?
Not to start. Shared spreadsheets and documents work, as long as everyone has access and there's one current version of each document.