One step ahead with these plugins

Youtube
Account
Vollstart Logo

Event Tickets Seating Plan

Get Free Plugin
Get Premium Plugin

Table of Contents

Overview

Seating Plans allow you to:
  • Create visual venue layouts with drag & drop
  • Let customers select their seats during checkout
  • Automatically block seats while customers complete their purchase
  • Display seat information on PDF tickets and in emails
  • See seat assignments in the ticket scanner
 

Creating a Seating Plan

Step 1: Navigate to Seating Plans

  1. Go to WordPress Admin → Event Tickets
  2. Click on the Seating Plans tab

Step 2: Add New Seating Plan

  1. Click Add New Seating Plan
  2. Enter a Name for your seating plan (e.g., “Main Hall”, “Theater Room”)
  3. Optionally add a Description
  4. Choose the Layout Type:
    1. Simple – Basic list of seats (no visual layout)
    2. Visual – Interactive drag & drop designer

Simple vs Visual Mode

Simple Mode

Best for:
  • Small venues with few seats
  • Quick setup
  • When visual layout isn’t needed
In Simple Mode, you define seats as a list:

| Identifier | Category | Description |
|————|———-|————-|
| A-1 | Standard | Row A, Seat 1 |
| A-2 | Standard | Row A, Seat 2 |
| VIP-1 | VIP | VIP Box 1 |

Visual Mode

Best for:
  • Complex venue layouts
  • When customers need to see the actual arrangement
  • Events where seat location matters (concerts, theaters)
Visual Mode provides a full drag & drop designer to create your venue layout.

Visual Designer

The Visual Designer allows you to create an interactive seating plan.

Toolbar

| Tool | Description |
|——|————-|
| Select | Select and move elements |
| Rectangle | Add rectangular seat or decoration |
| Circle | Add circular seat or decoration |
| Line | Add lines for aisles, walls, boundaries |
| Text | Add text labels |
| Delete | Remove selected element |

Adding Seats

  1. Select Rectangle or Circle tool
  2. Click on the canvas to place the element
  3. In the Properties panel:
    1. Check “Is Seat” to make it bookable
    2. Enter Identifier (e.g., “A-1”)
    3. Select Category (for pricing tiers)
    4. Add optional Description

Adding Decorations

For non-bookable elements (stage, aisles, labels):
  1. Add a shape or text
  2. Leave “Is Seat” unchecked
  3. Style as needed (color, size)

Background Image

Upload a venue floor plan as background:
  1. Click Background Settings
  2. Upload image from Media Library
  3. Adjust canvas size to match

Bulk Add Seats

For rows of seats:
  1. Click Bulk Add
  2. Choose pattern (Row, Grid)
  3. Set starting identifier (e.g., “A-1”)
  4. Set count and spacing

Draft / Published Workflow

The designer uses a draft/publish workflow to protect live events:

  • Draft: Your working version (not visible to customers)
  • Published: What customers see
Important: Changes only become visible after clicking Publish. This allows you to edit seating plans safely while tickets are being sold.

Assigning Seating Plans to Products

Step 1: Edit WooCommerce Product

  1. Go to Products → Edit your ticket product
  2. Scroll to Product Data section
  3. Click the Event Tickets tab

Step 2: Enable Seating Plan

  1. Check “Enable Seating Plan”
  2. Select your seating plan from the dropdown
  3. Save the product

Options

| Option | Description |
|——–|————-|
| Seating Plan | Select which plan to use |
| Required | Customer must select a seat |
| Show on Product Page | Display seat selector on product detail |
| Show on Shop Page | Display seat selector on archive/shop pages |

Customer Experience

On Product Page

When a customer views a product with seating:
  1. They see the seating plan visualization
  2. Available seats are shown in green
  3. Booked/reserved seats are shown in red/yellow
  4. Clicking a seat selects it (shown in blue)
Customer view of seat selection on product page

Seat Blocking

When a customer selects a seat:
  1. Seat is temporarily blocked (reserved)
  2. Block lasts for configurable time (default: 15 minutes)
  3. If customer doesn’t complete purchase, seat becomes available again
  4. Block is confirmed when order is placed

On Checkout

Product: Concert Ticket
Seat: Row A, Seat 5 (Standard)
Price: CHF 50.00

In Emails

Order confirmation emails include seat information:
Your Ticket Details:
- Ticket Number: ABC-12345
- Event: Concert 2026
- Seat: Row A, Seat 5

On PDF Ticket

The PDF ticket displays:
  • Seat identifier (e.g., “A-5”)
  • Category (e.g., “VIP”, “Standard”)
  • Optional: Seat description

Ticket Scanner Integration

When scanning tickets, the seat information is displayed:

Scanner Display

✓ VALID TICKET

Ticket: ABC-12345
Product: Concert VIP Pass
Seat: VIP-3 (VIP Area)
Customer: John Doe

[Redeem]

FAQ

Can I edit a seating plan after tickets are sold?

Yes, but with restrictions:
  • You can add new seats
  • You can move existing seats
  • You cannot delete seats that have sold tickets
The draft/publish workflow protects your customers.

What happens if a customer abandons their cart?

The seat block expires after the configured timeout (default: 15 minutes) and the seat becomes available again.

Can I have different prices per seat category?

Currently, seat categories are for display purposes only (labeling seats as “VIP”, “Standard”, etc.). Automatic price differentiation by category is not yet supported.

Workaround options:
  1. Create separate simple products for each category, each with its own seating plan
  2. Use WooCommerce product variations with different seating plans assigned to each variation
Note: This is a planned feature for future releases.

How do I refund a ticket with a seat?

When an order is refunded/cancelled:
  1. The ticket is invalidated
  2. The seat is automatically released
  3. The seat becomes available for new purchases

Can customers change their seat after purchase?

Not automatically. To change a seat:
  1. Admin refunds original ticket
  2. Customer purchases new ticket with desired seat
Or: Admin manually reassigns seat in the backend (future feature).
Event Tickets Docs
Get Free Plugin
Get Premium Plugin
Login
My Account