Managing seat assignments

A customer’s seat assignment can be managed from multiple Dashboard locations:

• The related availability via the item’s calendar
• The Manifest
• Directly from the booking

Seating will appear as an availability or booking action, depending upon which Dashboard location is being viewed. Click on the Seating option to manage seat assignments.

The Seating option appears as:

• An availability action when viewing an availability via the item’s calendar

  

• A booking-level option in the Manifest

  

• A booking-level action in the Manifest

  

Seat assignments can be managed from multiple locations in the Dashboard, including:

• An item’s calendar
• The Manifest
  • Per availability (seating for all associated bookings)
  • Per booking (seating for a single booking)

Available assignment settings may vary depending upon what Dashboard location is used to manage seat assignments.

Seat statuses

Seat status icons allow team members to quickly assess seat availability and/or the reasons for unavailability. See the table below for expanded status details.

Note: Colors may vary depending on the zones used in your seat map.

Hover over a seat on the seat map to view its status and information.

Status	Description	Appearance
Occupied	The seat is occupied by a current booking.
Available	The seat is unoccupied and available.
Closed	The seat cannot be booked online, as it is in an exclusive group that is already in use. (Note: This status is only applicable if using exclusive seating groups).
Unavailable	The seat is already booked for that time.
Zone unavailable	The seat is unoccupied, but cannot be assigned because it’s in a zone not available for the selected customer type.
Blocked	The seat is not occupied by a booking, but has been made unavailable for a given time frame. Learn more about blocked seats.

Seating toolbar

Seat assignment settings are available via the toolbar.

• Expand map view: Click the expander icon (vertical arrows) to expand the seat map view. Click the icon again to return to the previous map height.

  The expanded view’s dimensions will depend on the height of the browser window. The seat map view may not expand fully if the window height is shorter.

• Zoom: Use the magnifying glass icons to zoom in and out of your seat map.

  Zoom settings are saved while a specific seat map is being viewed. However, a seat map will return to the default size (determined by the default cell size in the seat map’s settings) once the page is refreshed, or the seat map is opened from another location.

• Filter: If more than one seat map can be displayed (such as an item requires both inbound and outbound seat assignments), use the Filter dropdown to determine which seat map(s) the seating tool displays.

  Note: Depending upon your setup, this option may not be available.

• Auto-advance: When this setting is checked, the system will automatically progress to the next seat on the list once the previous seat is assigned or changed. This allows team members to assign seats more quickly.

• Skip assigned: When this setting is checked, seats that are already assigned will be skipped when advancing through seats (both automatically and manually).

• Previous seat and Next seat arrows: Use the horizontal arrow icons to move through each seat assignment manually.

  If the Skip assigned setting is checked, already-assigned seats may be skipped.

  • The arrows are disabled when looking at the seating overview for a booking or list of bookings. They become active once an individual customer’s seat is selected.

  • Upon reaching the last seat in a booking, clicking the Next seat arrow will take you to the first seat of the next booking. Similarly, clicking the Previous seat arrow on the first seat of a booking will take you to the last seat of the previous booking.

    The previous or next unassigned seat will be displayed if the Skip assigned setting is enabled.

  • The arrows will be inactive if the Skip assigned setting is enabled and all seats have already been assigned.

Seating actions

Seating actions will appear next to the seat map. Team members can use seating actions to manage seat assignments.

• Assign: Manually assign seats by selecting the desired seat, and progressing through each seat assignment using auto-advance or clicking the Previous seat and Next seat arrows.
• Unassign: Unassign one or all seats associated with a given booking, availability, seat map, or time range.
• Auto-assign: Auto-assign all seats for a given booking or availability, including seats that have already been assigned.
  • Bookings hidden with filters will not be auto-assigned. Clear any unwanted filters before auto-assigning.
  • To auto-assign seats for a specific booking, open the booking directly.
  • Bookings will be auto-assigned in the order they are currently sorted. We recommend sorting bookings by # of Pax (number of participants), from highest to lowest. Assigning seats for larger groups first can enhance seating efficiency.
• Block seats: Make one or more seats unavailable for booking during the given time range. Learn more about blocking seats.

Seats can be assigned at a booking level via the Manifest.

Assigning seats

1. Navigate to the Manifest tab.
2. Locate the relevant booking using the booking ID or other booking-specific information.
3. Click the Seating option.
4. Adjust toolbar settings as desired.
5. Use seating actions to manage seating assignments.

The seat map will reflect any updated seat assignments in real-time.

Changing seats

To change the assignment of a specific seat:

1. Navigate to the Manifest tab.
2. Locate the relevant booking using the booking ID or other booking-specific information.
3. Click the Seating option.
4. Adjust toolbar settings as desired.
5. Click the seat that must be reassigned.
6. Click the new seat to change the assignment.

The updated seating assignment will reflect on the seat map. (Note: The system will automatically progress to the next seat on the list if the Auto-advance setting is enabled.)

Unassigning seats

1. Navigate to the Manifest tab.
2. Locate the relevant booking using the booking ID or other booking-specific information.
3. Click the Seating option.
4. Adjust toolbar settings as desired.

5. Use the Unassign action to unassign one or more seats.

   • Use the booking-level Unassign button to unassign all seats in the booking.
   • Use the customer type-level Unassign button to unassign a single participant’s seat.

Seats can be managed at an availability level from two locations within the Dashboard:

• An item’s calendar
• The Manifest

Assigning seats

1. Navigate to the availability (Items > click into the item > Calendar > select the relevant availability).

   • To access seating via the item calendar, click Actions & Settings.
   • To access seating via the Manifest, click Manifest.

2. Click the Seating option.

3. Adjust toolbar settings as desired.
4. Use the list of active bookings, located under the seat map, to sort bookings by # of Pax (number of participants) from highest to lowest. Assigning seats for larger groups first can enhance seating efficiency.
5. Use seating actions to manage seating assignments.

The seat map will reflect any updated seat assignments in real-time.

Changing seats.

To change the assignment of a specific seat:

1. Navigate to the availability (Items > click into the item > Calendar > select the relevant availability).

   • To access seating via the item calendar, click Actions & Settings.
   • To access seating availability via the Manifest, click Manifest.

2. Click the Seating option.

3. Adjust toolbar settings as desired.
4. Click the seat that must be reassigned.
5. Click the new seat to change the assignment.

The updated seating assignment will reflect on the seat map. (Note: The system will automatically progress to the next seat on the list if the Auto-advance setting is enabled.)

Unassigning seats

1. Navigate to the availability (Items > click into the item > Calendar > select the relevant availability).

   • To access seating via the item calendar, click Actions & Settings.
   • To access seating via the Manifest, click Manifest.

2. Click the Seating option.

3. Adjust toolbar settings as desired.
4. Use the Unassign action to unassign one or more seats.

Why can’t I change seat assignments?

You may not have the requisite permission (Edit or remove individual resource uses) to update seat assignments. Please contact your Dashboard administrator to discuss permission updates.

If you are unable to update seat assignments despite having the requisite user permission, it may be that another team member is currently editing the same seat assignment. A seat assignment was updated notice will appear when another user is making changes to the same collection of seat assignments. Click the accompanying Refresh link to view the most recent seating changes.

Why is a “No seating assignments required” message appearing?

The No seating assignments required message means that the associated resource requirements have changed. Resource requirements identify which customers need seats, as well as where their seating can be assigned on the seat map.

If this message appears, we suggest using the Auto-assign action to assign seats, as this helps ensure any resources are correctly accounted for.

Why am I seeing the seat map more than once?

Depending upon your setup, the same seat map may appear more than once. For example: If customers require assigned seats on both an inbound and outbound trip, a different seat assignment may be available for each separate time frame.

If multiple seat maps are visible unexpectedly, it may be that resource requirements have been changed, but one or more bookings are still associated with the old resource requirements. We suggest using the Auto-assign action to manage the seating assignments for any bookings still associated with an old resource requirement, as it helps ensure any resources are correctly accounted for.

Learn more about managing seats for a single booking.

Why does the seat map move? Can I turn it off?

The seat map will automatically scroll to the first customer’s seat when assignments are viewed for a specific booking. If your internet connection is slower, this scrolling movement may seem prolonged.

Seat maps may also seem to move or change when the Auto-advance setting is enabled. This setting can be disabled via the toolbar if you’d prefer to review a seat assignment before proceeding.

Can I change the size of a seat map?

A seat map’s dimensions are based on its settings by default. Adjusting a seat map’s settings will allow the changes to reflect in how it’s displayed throughout the Dashboard.

Use the toolbar’s Zoom options to temporarily enlarge or shrink a seat map when managing seating assignments.

Why can’t I assign a customer to an available seat?

If a customer cannot be assigned to an available seat, the seat may be in a zone or seat map that is not available for that specific customer type. To assign the customer to the seat, you might:

• Use the Add or remove customers booking action to change the customer type, or

• Change the zone requirement(s) that are preventing the customer from being assigned. To update a zone requirement:

  1. Navigate to the Items tab, and select the relevant item.
  2. Select Options & Prices from the sidebar.
  3. Navigate to the Resource requirements tab.
  4. Under the Seats section, click the pencil icon next to the Use: settings.
  5. Navigate to the Seating tab, and adjust the setup as needed.
  6. Click the Save button to finalize your changes.