8 Tips for No-Fuss Seating Charts


seating charts

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There are many decisions that go into seating charts, especially regarding C-level executives and VIPs.

Designing a seating chart is no easy matter. You have to take multiple factors into account, such as guest role, seniority, gender, as well as (depending on the event) partners and families.

And then there are those people who cancel at the last minute, which can tear apart the best laid seating plans.

Here are 8 tips for designing a seating chart:

  1. Create opportunities for people to meet.

Think of seating arrangements as a chance to introduce people. Consider what could be natural conversation starters for people who haven’t met, such as shared business interests or projects or geographical locations, and place people next to each other based on that. This will create an opening for conversation to start organically.

Color code guests by role, seniority or other factors. This will help you to see if you have the right mix.

  1. Be Inclusive

A seating plan should accommodate guests with special requirements, such as wheelchairs or scooters, by seating them near the aisles. Also, consider elderly attendees with walkers, and place them near the entrances.

  1. Mix It Up

Consider assigning your guests to tables, but not seats, so everyone gets to choose who they sit next to. Then switch up table members at the following meals, so everyone gets to meet new people.

  1. Ensure That Sponsors and Buyers Can Meet

It’s not easy to separate attendees from their friends, but an event’s sponsors have paid for access to buyers and it’s the planner’s job to provide it. A couple of techniques to get the two to mingle include designating alternating seats or handing out tickets as people enter the room that will place them together.

  1. Strategically Position Your VIPs  

At business events, VIP guests (such as C-level execs or sponsors) will typically be placed one per table as 'table captains,' and the remaining guests will be assigned around them. Government and military events often have formal protocols that are quite different from business events.

  1. Involve Your Senior Execs Up Front

Often, a senior executive will ask to sit down before the event to review seating at the most important tables—so it's better to reach out to them first. Ask for some rules of engagement, such as who the VIP guests are, which table they should be seated at, and what factors should be used to seat the remaining guests.  

      7. If Possible, Don't Share Info in Advance

If you tell people ahead of time where they will be sitting, they might ask to change their seats. That just makes your life harder.  

      8. Consider Using Software

While the old-fashioned method of using different-colored Post-It notes still works fine, there are several software tools that can make creating seating charts easier, among them Social Tables, PerfectTablePlan, and Prismm (formerly AllSeated). Your venue might also be able to assist you with their own software programs.

"Did you know there are more ways to seat just 60 guests in 60 seats than there are atoms in the observable universe?" said Andy Brice, founder of PerfectTablePlan. "Combinatorial problems are hard, even for a computer."

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