Your seating chart is a map of your venue.
That's why every chart belongs to a venue: build it once, and you can reuse it for every show you run there. Most promoters can build a chart for a small or mid-size venue in minutes.
Before you start, have these to hand:
A floor plan of your venue's seating layout, if you have one. A PDF or image works perfectly.
Your row and seat numbering, so your chart matches the tickets on the door.
A rough idea of your price bands, for example Front Stalls, Rear Stalls and Balcony.
🗺️ Step 1: Open Seating charts and choose your venue
In the Promotion Centre, go to Manage > Seating charts.
Click Create seating chart.
Choose the venue this chart is for. If your venue isn't listed yet, create it first under Manage, then come back.
💡 Please note: your chart will be linked to the venue you pick here, so make sure it's the right one. It's the chart you'll see when you create events at this venue.
🧩 Step 2: Choose your chart type
The designer will ask what kind of chart you want.
Simple is right for most promoters. Use it for rooms up to around 1,000 seats: theatres, comedy clubs, cabaret and dinner layouts.
Sections and floors is for big venues with lots of distinct areas or several levels, like concert halls and arenas. You draw the outline of each section first, then add seats inside it.
Not sure which to choose? We recommend Simple for most events. You can show a balcony or circle on a Simple chart as a bird's-eye view.
🖼️ Step 3: Start from a floor plan, or from scratch
If you have a floor plan, upload it as a reference image. The designer can scan it and place seats for you, or you can trace over it by hand. Scanning works best with a sharp, high-resolution image where every seat is a clear circle or square.
If you don't, click Skip and draw your layout freehand.
✏️ Step 4: Draw your seats
Pick the Row tool and click and drag to draw a row of seats.
Use Multiple rows to draw a whole block in one go, for example 10 rows of 12 seats.
Venue symmetrical? Draw one side, select it, then use Duplicate and Mirror to create the other side. Drag it across to leave space for your aisle.
🔢 Step 5: Number your rows and seats
Customers and your door staff rely on these labels, so match what's printed on the seats in your venue.
Use the Select tool to select a block of rows.
In the panel on the right, set the Row labels (A, B, C or 1, 2, 3).
Set the Seat labels and the direction they count in.
Repeat for each block until every row and seat has a label.
🏷️ Step 6: Add your seat categories
Categories decide which price band each seat belongs to, and what colour it shows on the chart. Every seat needs one.
Click on an empty part of the canvas so nothing is selected.
Next to Categories, click Manage, then create a category for each price band.
Select a group of seats and choose its category from the panel on the right. The seats will change colour.
One price for every seat? Just create a single category, like "Standard". See Seat categories and pricing for more.
🎭 Step 7: Add your stage and finishing touches
Use the Shape and Text tools to mark your stage, bar, entrances and toilets. It helps customers picture the view from their seat, and makes your chart feel like your venue.
👀 Step 8: Preview, check and save
Click the eye icon to preview your chart exactly as customers will see it above your ticket box.
Check the panel on the right for warnings in red, for example seats without a label or a category. Make sure these are all fixed before you finish.
Name your chart (for example "Main Hall, cabaret layout") and save it.
That's it! Your chart is now saved against your venue and ready to use. Next, read Adding seated tickets to your event.
💡 Top tip: Run different layouts in the same room? Create a separate chart for each one, like "Theatre style" and "Cabaret tables", and pick the right one per event.
Please note: we’re rolling out Self Seating charts gradually. To get access, speak to your Account Manager or contact our Account Support team at promoters@skiddle.com