The Operational period is the total time an artist needs for a booking, including work around the performance. It can cover travel, load-in, setup, the show, an overnight stay and the return journey. In an agency booking, set it under Details > General info > Operational period using Period start and Period end.
This article is for booking agents working in an agency account. You need permission to edit the booking. The feature is also called operation period or Einsatzzeitraum; the English application uses Operational period.
What do Period start and Period end mean?
Period start is the beginning of the time needed for this booking. Set the date and, when known, the time when the artist starts the booking-related travel or work.
Period end is the end of that time. Set the date and, when known, the time when the booking-related work or return journey is finished.
Agree these boundaries with the artist or their team. For example, if the artist travels on Friday, performs on Saturday and returns on Sunday, record Friday to Sunday as the operational period. Keep Saturday as the actual show date.
How is the operational period different from the show times?
Field or section | What to enter |
Show: Start date and Start time | When the performance starts. |
Show: End date and End time | When the performance ends. Use the following date if it ends after midnight. |
Duration | The length of the performance, for example 90 min. This is separate from the operational period. |
Doors open | When the audience can enter the venue. |
Operational period | The wider booking-related commitment, including preparation and travel before or after the performance. |
Schedules | Individual activities such as load-in, soundcheck, dinner and stage time. |
Changing the operational period does not replace the show dates or turn one performance into several shows. Create a separate booking for each independent show.
How do I set or change the operational period as an agent?
Open Bookings in your agency account and open the relevant booking. Check the artist and event name.
Choose Details and expand General info if it is collapsed.
Check the dates and times in the Show section. These describe the performance itself.
Under Operational period, click the value next to Period start or Period end. If it is empty, click the empty value area to open the editor.
Enter the start date and time and the end date and time for the wider commitment. Check that the period includes all the booking-related travel and work you want to plan.
Click outside the white editing panel to apply the field changes. Then click Save at the top of the booking.
Reopen the booking and check the saved values. Also check Bookings > Calendar view to see the dates occupied by the operational period.
If Save is still disabled while the editing panel is open: click outside that panel first. Entering values inside the editor and saving the whole booking are separate steps.
Example: Friday travel, Saturday show, Sunday return
For a club show on Saturday 28 November 2026, the artist travels on Friday afternoon and returns on Sunday. A complete example is:
Field | Example value |
Show start | 28 November 2026, 22:00 |
Show end | 28 November 2026, 23:30 |
Duration | 90 min |
Doors open | 28 November, 21:00 |
Period start | 27 November 2026, 16:00 |
Period end | 29 November 2026, 13:00 |
The show remains a Saturday performance. The operational period covers Friday to Sunday so the agent can see the additional commitment around it. The example uses demonstration data.
What happens in the agency calendar?
In Calendar view, the booking can span the dates of the operational period. In the example above, it extends across 27, 28 and 29 November. The show date in the booking remains 28 November.
Use this wider span when checking the artist's availability. Allow enough time for travel, rest and preparation before accepting another show.
Do not treat the operational period as a guarantee that Optune will reject another booking. A new Pending booking can still be created on a day within another Pending booking's operational period. Check overlapping bookings and agree availability with the artist before confirming a commitment.
Do I have to fill in the operational period?
You can create a booking without an operational period. Add it once the wider travel or work commitment is known. Do not invent precise travel times just to fill a field.
When you do enter a period, check both dates as well as the times. A time such as 00:15 refers to the start of its selected calendar date. If work finishes after midnight, choose the following date explicitly.
For example, if the commitment starts on 28 November at 17:30 and ends after the show at 00:15, enter 29 November at 00:15 as Period end.
Does the operational period create a schedule or update documents automatically?
The period describes the outer boundaries of the commitment. Enter the individual activities separately in Schedules. It does not create soundcheck, transfer or other schedule entries for you.
In the document editor, the Data > Booking section provides four separate dynamic fields: Operational period start date, Operational period start time, Operational period end date and Operational period end time. Insert the fields your document needs and check the preview before sharing it.
After changing booking dates or times, review any existing tasks, travel arrangements and documents that depend on them. Do not assume that a document already downloaded or sent has changed.
Why are the dates not what I expected?
A date field is marked invalid after moving the show: review the Show dates together with Period start and Period end. If the old operational end falls before the new show date, the editor can show “End date must be after start date”. Correct the relevant dates before completing the field editor. Moving a show to another day does not update the whole operational period for you.
The calendar spans several days, but the show is on one day: compare the Operational period with the Show section. A wider period can be intentional.
The period ends before the work is finished: check the end date, especially for events that run after midnight.
Your edit disappears: click outside the field editor, click Save and reopen the booking to verify the result.
You cannot edit the booking: ask an agency administrator or a team member with the necessary booking permissions to update it.