If you are playing in a venue with assigned seating, you want visitors to have their own seats and ensure that no two people ever share the same seat. You arrange this with a seating plan. In this article, you will learn how to create a seating plan, what to look out for, and how to let visitors choose their seats.
When do you need a seating plan?
A seating plan is useful whenever the seats in your venue are not equivalent or fixed. Think of a theatre performance , a concert in a hall, a performance by your drama group or choir, or a church performance. If the seats are not fixed, or if everyone is allowed to sit wherever they want, then you sell tickets with unreserved seating and do not need a seating plan.
A seating plan solves three questions at once: which seats are available, how much each seat costs, and which seats are still free. Visitors no longer need to call or email to reserve a seat, and you don't have to keep a list.
Step 1: Determine your zones and prices
Don't start drawing, but with categorization. Which sections of the hall have a different price? For example, Stalls and Balcony, or Rank 1, Rank 2, and Box. In Kaartjie such a zone is simply a ticket type with its own name and price. You choose the names yourself. The fewer zones, the clearer it is for your visitors.
Step 2: Draw your room
Select the number of rows and the number of seats per row. Add an aisle if necessary and paint the seats in the correct zone with a click or drag motion. A few things to keep in mind:
- Poor visibility: you block seats with a pillar in front or limited visibility. They will then not be sold.
- Row designation: rows can be designated with letters or numbers. Letters (row A, B, C) are often clearest for visitors.
- Podium: you can show the stage on the floor plan so that visitors see their seating position relative to the stage.
- Wheelchair spaces: mark chairs as wheelchair spaces. If you want a seat to always remain free for an accompanying person at such a space, turn on that option and the adjacent seat will be automatically reserved as well.
Are there tables in your venue, for example for a dinner or a party? Then you choose a seating plan (read creating a seating plan for a dinner or party ). You place round or long tables, set the number of chairs per table, and choose whether guests purchase individual seats or the table only as a whole.
Step 3: reuse your layout
If you perform in the same venue frequently, you do not need to redraw the layout. For a new event, you simply transfer the layout from a previous event. You link the zones to the ticket types of the new event, make adjustments if necessary, and save. This way, your second performance will be online in just a few minutes.
Step 4: Put the sale online
If you create an event with numbered seats, it is initially ready as a draft. As soon as you save the seating plan, it goes online. This means you never accidentally sell tickets without a seat.
How do visitors choose their spot?
Your visitor indicates how many people they are coming with. Kaartjie suggests the best available seats, preferably next to each other and not at the very front or back. If a seat is not to their liking, the visitor clicks on another available seat in the seating plan. The visitor does not need to create an account and pays with iDEAL.
The row and seat number are listed on the e-ticket and in the confirmation email. At the entrance, the free scanner displays the same spot, so your volunteers can quickly direct visitors to their seats.
Keep an eye on the room during the sale.
In your event sales section, you will find a floor plan of your seating or table plan. For each seat, you can see whether it is available, sold, in an ongoing order, or currently being selected by a visitor. If you click on a sold seat, you will see who the buyer is and which order it belongs to. This way, you know at all times how full the venue is and can specifically promote the seats that are still available, for example with your own sales page and ticket link .
How much does it cost?
You pay €0.80 per ticket sold, including VAT and transaction fees. There is no subscription and no setup costs. All rates are listed on the rates page , and you can read how selling tickets online works in its entirety on the overview page.
Ready to design your venue?
See how the seating plan works for your performance, or try out the example.
Ticket system with seating plan Create an event