Seats.io – Stellar Seating for Ticketed Events

First-come, first-served seating is the norm at most conferences and events, but it isn’t the smartest solution for ticket sellers who are looking to generate as much revenue as possible. Rather than getting the same price for every ticket sold, event organizers can charge a premium for top tier seats when they use a web-based application called Seats.io.

Using Seats.io’s online seating chart creator, you can draw custom seating charts with rows, automatic seat numbering, and even static text. Depending on the venue and the type of event, you may be able to re-use the seating charts you create for events in the future, as well. For example, if you’re hosting an annual gala or a series of weekly concerts in a single venue, you can re-use your seating chart multiple times. To show the seating chart on your HTML event page, use the js file that Seats.io provides and define the specific event that you’re hosting. In addition to customizing your chart’s appearance, you can also adjust the ticket pricing for different levels of seats.

Using Seats.io’s book/release API ensures that individual seats can’t be selected by more than one buyer. Seat status changes are immediately pushed to all current website visitors, which means you don’t have to worry about double bookings. Also, because Seats.io works without using Flash, seating charts are always mobile friendly.

Practical Uses:

• Sell seats to a conference you’re hosting
• Let attendees choose their own seats at an upcoming gala
• Charge more for tickets in the front row of your event
• Create a seating chart that you can re-use multiple times

Insider Tips:

• Seating charts are rendered in SVG
• No session information is ever stored on Seats.io’s servers
• Retrieve event and chart data using a REST API

What we liked:

• Hosts can change the color or size of booked versus available seats
• The API instantly pushes updates to all connected clients when a seat is reserved
• Users have full control over the updates and upgrades they make
• Floor plans can be white-labeled

What we didn’t like:

• Seats.io’s paid plans are more expensive than many event hosts can afford

Alternatives:

• Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.com
• InstantSeats – http://www.instantseats.com

Company Info:

• Launched: 2013
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Leuven, Belgium
• Founded by: Ben Verbeken and Matti Roloux
• Web site: http://seats.io

Costs:

• Starter plan is free
• SaaS plan is €395 per month, paid annually
• Standalone plan is a €15,000 one-time fee