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Seating Plan Generator: From Guest List to Table Plan in Minutes

A seating plan generator should get you from a list of names to a working table plan in one sitting. The recipe: guests in, tables set, generate, then adjust the handful of placements the generator could not know about.

Seat Maker runs that recipe on iPhone and iPad: import the guest list, lay out the tables, shuffle to generate, lock what must not move, and export the finished table plan.

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How to do it in Seat Maker

  1. Step 1

    Guests in

    Import from Contacts or CSV, grouped by household or party.

  2. Step 2

    Tables set

    Add the table shapes and counts your venue actually has.

  3. Step 3

    Lock anchors

    Top table, parents, special requests: seat and lock them first.

  4. Step 4

    Generate

    Shuffle fills every unlocked seat. Re-generate until the shape is right.

  5. Step 5

    Adjust and export

    Drag the last few fixes, then export PDF, image, or QR for display.

Seating plan or seating chart? (Same job, different words)

British English says table plan and seating plan; American English says seating chart. Venues, planners, and stationers use them interchangeably. Whatever you call it, the artifact is the same: which guest sits at which table, presented so guests and staff can find it fast.

From generated to final

Generators produce a draft, not a decision. The workflow that works: lock your anchors (top table, family, anyone with a request), generate, then walk each table asking one question: does anyone here make this table worse? Drag the exceptions, leave the rest.

Expect two or three generate-and-adjust rounds. That is still an order of magnitude faster than hand-placing a hundred guests.

Displaying the plan at the venue

Guests find seats two ways: an alphabetical list (fastest for guests) or a by-table list (prettier, slower at scale). For more than 80 guests, alphabetical saves a queue at the door. Export both from the same Seat Maker plan, and give staff the QR code version for their phones.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an app that generates a seating plan for you?

Yes. Seat Maker generates arrangements with shuffle while locked seats stay fixed, then you fine-tune with drag and drop. Free on iPhone and iPad.

What is the difference between a seating plan and a seating chart?

Nothing but dialect: seating plan and table plan are the British terms, seating chart the American one. Every tool on this site makes both.

How do I make a table plan for a wedding?

Group guests by household, lock the top table and parents, generate the rest, and export an alphabetical list for the entrance display.

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Can I generate a seating plan from a spreadsheet of guests?

Yes. Export the spreadsheet as CSV, import it into Seat Maker, and generate from there.

How do I display a seating plan at the venue?

Alphabetical lists find seats fastest for large events; by-table lists read better for small ones. Export either as an image or PDF, plus a QR code for staff phones.

Related guides

Seating Chart Generator: Auto-Arrange Guests in One Tapseating chart generatorTable Seating Chart Maker for Dinners and Banquetstable seating chart makerWedding Seating Chart Maker for iPhone and iPadwedding seating chart makerHow to Make a Seating Chart, Step by Stephow to make a seating chart

Seat Maker features used in this guide

Shuffle guests while locking VIP seatsGuest list import that saves setup time

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