Seating arrangements have always had a bad reputation. They take up a lot of time, can be challenging to plan out perfectly, and often end up being a waste of time as people switch places and sit wherever they want to anyways. Luckily, a corporate event organiser can help you plan out the seating arrangements perfectly so they would be effective and useful.
It is important to remember that seating arrangements are still an essential part of any event. They allow your guests to feel relaxed as they know where they will be sitting and with who. Think of it this way. If you board a flight that doesn’t have assigned seats, you will have people cutting in line to get the best seats, family members saving entire rows for their companions to join, and everything being chaotic in general. You surely don’t want to see this mess created in your offline event!
That is why event organiser companies like SevenEvents emphasise the need for seating arrangements. These agencies also help you maximise your seating plans based on the type of event you’re hosting, the different activities planned out, and how long the event will be.
Here are some ways to maximise the seating arrangements for your next offline event!
How to Maximise Seating Arrangements
Choose the Right Kind of Seating Arrangement
The right kind of seating arrangement for any offline event depends on space availability and your event goals. You should clearly define your goals to your corporate event organiser so they can consider all the required factors before choosing a particular seating arrangement.
Allow Flexibility for Mingling and Conversation
No matter what your event goals may be or how serious an event you wish to host, you still need to have room for flexibility. Your event will only be successful if the attendees feel like they learned something new and made good use of their time. To ensure this, ask your event agency to create a conversational vibe that encourages people to mingle with each other.
Remember, offline events are a great opportunity for networking and getting to know other professionals. Your attendees will be expecting the chance to do so. You should encourage them to acquaint themselves with each other and promote higher levels of collaboration and participation among your guests.
Avoid Large Seating Sections
Sitting for long hours is uncomfortable, and soon than later, your guests will stop focusing on whatever is being discussed at the event. The best way to work around this is by creating smaller seating sections instead of a few chunks of larger ones.
These smaller sections allow the guests to move around easily. They can stretch their legs, get up to grab a drink, or even greet someone familiar. With larger chunks of seating, people worry about having to awkwardly weave and shuffle through all of the seated attendees. So, they end up not leaving their seat and experiencing pins and needles in their legs. How unpleasant!
Use Technology for Mapping
Stop making seating arrangements by hand. The days of having a room floor-plan and sketching in who sits where are long over. Event organiser companies now use technology for mapping out the seating arrangements to ensure a successful event.
This technology includes the use of a seating chart generator that makes it exceptionally easy to plan and shift the seating for the hundredth time. This web-based software allows easy collaboration within your event planning team through URL sharing. It also offers you 3D imaging of what your seating arrangements will look like, so you can visualise the entire venue properly before finalising the plans.
Have Relaxation Stations
Everyone needs time to unwind and relax during long events. If you plan for your event to go on for more than an hour, you should keep in mind that the attendees will need a few minutes every now and then to get out of their seating. They will need a change of scene to freshen up their minds and get their focus back.
A great way to accommodate this need is by asking your event agency to create dedicated relaxation stations within the venue. Agencies like SevenEvents are devoted to creating the best experience for your guests and go out of their way to accommodate such requests. You can ask them to add comfortable and unique seating in different spots around the venue for your guests to take a break. It will help them prevent burnout after numerous hours of getting an information overload and allow them to concentrate better when they return to the main event.
Minimise Registration Protocols
Another great way to maximise the seating arrangement and ensure that your venue hosts the maximum number of people is by making the check-in process a breeze. You should implement different tools that make the registration protocols quick and easy. This allows you to decrease the size of the registration area, which can then be used to make space for additional seating.
Minimising the registration protocols also prevents long lines that can make your event look shabby and unorganised. It frees up floor space for other event activities and can ensure cost savings for your event. You should look into cloud-based registration software that allows your event planning team to check-in attendees from any connected device.
Circles over Straight Seating
Lastly, whenever you’re in doubt, be sure to choose circular seating arrangements over straight lines. Using round seating structures promotes conversation and allows people to move around without too much disruption. They also eliminate the risk of complaints from your guests for not being offered a good seat, as all the vantage points across the room are equal.
On the other hand, straight seating arrangements limit conversation as the attendees can only talk to people directly next to them or behind them. They can also make it a hassle to get up and grab a drink or talk to a friend, especially if the straight seating is done in large chunks.
