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Event Seating Chart Maker for Banquets, Galas, and Parties

Most event seating tools are built for venues and priced for venues. If you are seating one banquet, gala, fundraiser, or company dinner, you do not need enterprise floor-plan software: you need your guest list on tables you can rearrange quickly, on a device already in your pocket.

Seat Maker is an event seating chart maker for iPhone and iPad: import guests, mirror the room, assign seats, and hand the venue a chart they can work from.

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How to do it in Seat Maker

  1. Step 1

    Import the guest list

    Bring in attendees from Contacts or CSV. For corporate events, export the RSVP list to CSV first.

  2. Step 2

    Mirror the room

    Add rounds, rectangles, and the head table, and place them like the venue floor plan.

  3. Step 3

    Seat commitments first

    Sponsors, speakers, and VIPs get seats first, locked so they cannot drift.

  4. Step 4

    Fill and fine-tune

    Shuffle remaining guests, then drag to fix anything the shuffle got wrong.

  5. Step 5

    Share with the team

    PDF for the venue, image for the group chat, QR code for check-in staff.

Layouts by event type

Banquets usually run numbered rounds of 8 to 10 with a head table. Galas add sponsor tables near the front, where visibility is part of what sponsors paid for. Corporate dinners mix assigned tables with open seating, and cocktail-style events may only assign a few reserved tables.

In Seat Maker you build each of these from the same pieces: table shapes, labels, and locked seats. Label sponsor tables by sponsor name, not number, so staff seat late arrivals correctly.

Plus-ones, sponsors, and late changes

Event lists churn until the day itself. Because Seat Maker runs on your phone, the person handling check-in can move a no-show's seat or add a surprise plus-one at the door, without calling anyone or opening a laptop.

Lock the seats that are commitments, sponsors and speakers, so quick fixes never break promises.

Handing off to venue and staff

Your caterer needs counts per table, your venue needs the floor layout, and your check-in staff need to find names fast. Export the chart as a PDF or image for the first two, and share a QR code so staff can pull up the live layout on their own phones.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best app for event seating charts?

For a single event, a lightweight mobile app beats enterprise software. Seat Maker covers guest import, drag-and-drop tables, VIP locks, shuffle, and venue-ready export on iPhone and iPad.

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How do I make a seating chart for a banquet?

Count your rounds, seat 8 to 10 per table, place the head table, lock VIPs, and fill the rest. Number every table so staff can execute the plan.

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How do I create a seating chart for a corporate event?

Export RSVPs to CSV, import into Seat Maker, seat leadership and clients first with locks, then shuffle teams across tables to mix departments.

How do event planners share seating charts with venues?

PDF or image export is the standard handoff. Seat Maker also generates a QR code so on-site staff can view the chart on their phones.

Can I make an event seating chart on my iPhone?

Yes. Seat Maker is built for iPhone and iPad, works offline at the venue, and is free to download.

Related guides

Table Seating Chart Maker for Dinners and Banquetstable seating chart makerSeating Chart Software Compared: Desktop, Web, and Mobileseating chart softwareSeating Chart Maker: Plan Any Room in Minutesseating chart makerSeating Plan Generator: From Guest List to Table Plan in Minutesseating plan generator

Seat Maker features used in this guide

Party seating that feels effortlessShare seating by message or imageOffline seating planning for venue days

Ready to build your seating chart?

Free download for iPhone and iPad. No account needed to start.

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