What is a Venue Diary?

A venue diary (also called the venue calendar or simply the diary) is a venue's master calendar of every confirmed booking, provisional hold, event and maintenance day, used by the whole team to see what is happening when. It is the single source of truth for which rooms are free, which dates are pencilled and which are confirmed. An out-of-date diary is one of the most common causes of double bookings.

How a venue diary works

A diary is kept accurate through a simple routine:

  1. Add holds: enquiries and offers are added as provisional holds with expiry dates.
  2. Confirm: once a contract and deposit are in, the hold becomes a confirmed booking.
  3. Add detail: get-in, show and get-out times, rooms and key contacts are added for each event.
  4. Block time: maintenance, rehearsals and staff training are blocked so they are not double-booked.
  5. Review: the team checks the diary weekly, releasing expired holds.

A shared diary that updates for everyone avoids double bookings, which is why many venues run theirs as a booking calendar in Crescat.

Venue diary vs event schedule

The venue diary shows what is booked across days, weeks and months. An event schedule, such as a day sheet or running order, shows what happens hour by hour on a single day.

What a venue diary usually holds

  • Confirmed shows, hires and private events
  • Provisional holds and their expiry dates
  • Rooms or spaces booked
  • Get-in, show and get-out times
  • Rehearsals and technical days
  • Maintenance, closures and staff training
  • Notes on the key contact for each booking

Frequently asked questions

Who manages the venue diary?

Usually one person or a small team, such as the programmer, bookings manager or venue manager. Others can view it, but only a few people should be able to confirm dates.

What is a first hold in a venue diary?

The highest-ranked provisional hold on a date. If the first hold confirms, later holds on the same date are released. See holds for how ranking works.

Why do venues still talk about "the diary"?

The term comes from the paper diaries venues used before software. Many still call their booking calendar "the diary", even though it is now digital and shared.

Related terms