Showing aisles and other features on the seating chart requires creativity. Every venue will be different.

In the example below there are two aisles one either side of the center section. The floor can be divided into three sections. A Left, Center, and Right section. As described in the article “Creating a Theater Seating Chart in Excel,” each section is visualized as a grid with the number of columns determined by the maximum number of seats or spaces in a row.

Looking at the Center section first, there are 15 columns needed since Row H contains seats 107 through 121. The grid would be built to depict the Center Section with 8 rows and 15 columns. Since each space needs to have a Section, Row and Seat number, those aisle spaces on either side of rows A through G can be given a unique numbering sequence. There are no seat numbers using the 800 series, so we can number the aisle spaces with that convention as shown below.

Next the Left and Right Sections are created using a similar scheme to depict the aisle spaces. This is just one of many options available to depict this map. You are free to create the seating chart as you would like, as long as you use a grid format.

The seats are entered into the spreadsheet from left to right starting with the first row, then proceeding to the next row and so on.  If the map is divided into sections, you can enter all the rows and seats in each section before entering the next section.  Note that it is extremely important to enter the seats in order as shown on the map. Any errors will result in very time-consuming rework once it has been uploaded to an event.

In this example, the seat number in the 800s or 700s would also be identified as Aisle in the Info tab for easy sorting when using this chart for an event. You can use the Location column to identify categories, like premium or subscription only seating, as well to help with batch updates for pricing and subscription status.

When the spreadsheet is ready to upload, go to Events > Seating Charts. Click on +New and select Import Seating Chart.

Select your file or drag and drop your file into the popup window to begin the import. Once complete, the file will be imported with the name “Imported Seating Chart.” You can rename the chart and assign handicap seats by selecting the new file and click on View/Edit.

You can edit the Seating Chart name and click on the green Save button to save the changes. You can also identify seats as handicap accessible. If you have identified those seats using the info column, you can quickly filter the list to find those seats. Click on the Edit icon on the left side of the row to edit the seat information. Switch Handicap to YES. Those seats will now be shown in blue on the Event Page to quickly identify them for the purchaser. Click the green Save button when all of your edits are complete.

The seating chart is now ready to be used for an Event Page. In this example, this is how the seating chart for the Center and Left Sections would appear on the Event Page. To learn more about assigning pricing and availability on seating, see the article “Using Seating Charts for Events.”