A festival with several stages and hundreds of competitions cannot be scheduled by hand without clashes: the same child in two places at once, a stage that is full, a dance that was never allowed on the small stage. eTalenter can build the programme for you with the Automate Schedule page, and it tells you which competitions did not fit and why. This guide shows how to set up the time sections, tell the software which stage can host which competition, and fix the competitions that fail to schedule. Screenshots are from the read-only live demo.
Step 1: See where you are on the Schedule Table
Open Time Management → Schedule Table. The page is called Competition Schedule Management (“Manage competition schedules, stages, and time slots”). It has a Default view and a Table view (marker 1). In Default, switch between By Stage and By Competition (marker 2). The stage list (marker 3) shows each stage with the number of competitions scheduled on it, for example “25 competitions scheduled”. Select a stage to see its competitions. Print Schedule (marker 4) prints the programme. The Table view lists every scheduled competition with its order, stage and start time, and has Add Schedule and Bulk Create for manual work.
Step 2: Describe your time sections
Open Time Management → Automate Schedule. Choose Automated (marker 1); Manual is the other mode. Under Schedule Sections Configuration click Add Section (marker 2) for each block of time you have, for example “Day 1 Morning”. A section has a Date, a Section (Whole Day, Early Morning, Morning, Afternoon, Evening or Night) and a Start Time and End Time (marker 3). Load from Schedule fills the sections from a schedule you already have. Then set the Time Gap (mins) between competitions and the Min Participants (marker 4).
Step 3: Tell the software which stage can host what
Open Stage Preferences (marker 5 in the screenshot above). Each stage has its own list of competitions (marker 1 below). Tick the competitions that stage may host (marker 2). A competition that is not ticked for any stage cannot be placed, so tick every competition at least once. Each stage also has Not Allowed Times, where you add a window in which nothing may be scheduled on that stage, and the Section-Stage Competition Assignment panel below lets you limit which competitions run in which time section.
Step 4: Generate, then deal with what failed
Use Save Preferences, then Generate Schedule. The result can be viewed as a Timeline View, a Stage Schedule View or a Table View. Competitions that could not be placed are listed under Failed to Schedule Due to Restrictions with a count (marker 1), for example 30 in the demo. The panel explains that they could not be scheduled because of stage preferences, section-stage assignments or participant conflicts (marker 2). Each failed competition shows its type, how many participants it has and how long it runs, plus the possible reasons (marker 3):
- All preferred stages are fully booked.
- A section-stage restriction limits the available slots.
- Participants clash with other competitions.
- The competition was not selected in any stage preferences.
When you are happy, Save To Schedule writes the result into the Schedule Table. You can also Export to Excel, get a Sheetwise Excel, print the Program Schedule, or print on A3 in portrait or landscape. Clear Preferences starts the preferences again.
Fixing a failed competition
| Reason shown | What to change |
|---|---|
| All preferred stages are fully booked | Add another section or more time to an existing one, tick the competition on another stage, or reduce the Time Gap. |
| A section-stage restriction limits the slots | Open Section-Stage Competition Assignment and allow the competition in more sections. |
| Participants clash with other competitions | Spread the clashing competitions over different sections, or move one to another day. The same child cannot be in two places in the same slot. |
| Not selected in stage preferences | Tick the competition on at least one stage in Stage Preferences. |
Edge cases
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A stage is not available at some time | Add a Not Allowed window to that stage in Stage Preferences. |
| Competitions with very few entries | Check the Min Participants setting before you generate. It starts at 0 in the demo, so set it on purpose. |
| You want to place a few competitions by hand | Use Manual mode, or Add Schedule on the Schedule Table, after saving the automated result. |
| A competition was already scheduled | Load from Schedule brings the existing schedule into the sections so you can build on it. |
| The programme must be printed for the stage managers | Use Print Schedule on the Schedule Table, or the A3 and Program Schedule print options on Automate Schedule. |
| Group items with many participants | Check their length and participant count in the failed list. Long group items need a long free slot on a stage that allows them. |
Frequently asked questions
Can eTalenter schedule competitions automatically?
Yes. Describe the time sections and the stage preferences on Automate Schedule and click Generate Schedule. Competitions that cannot be placed are listed with the possible reasons.
How do I avoid a participant being in two places at once?
The automatic schedule reports participant clashes as a reason for a failed competition. Spread the clashing competitions over different sections or days.
Can I print the programme?
Yes. Use Print Schedule, or the Program Schedule and A3 print options on Automate Schedule.
Scheduling a multi-stage event on eTalenter? Open the read-only live demo and look at the Schedule Table and Automate Schedule as a demo coordinator, no sign-up needed. For help with the software, message us on WhatsApp (WhatsApp only, no phone calls) or email support@etalenter.com. Related: arts fest event day checklist and tokens and call sheets.
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