TeachTix: Physical Distancing Guide

Seats are not assigned. Simply ask patrons to keep 1-2 seats between them and other parties. It's helpful to have ushers help seat patrons, but this can be done with signage as well. This can be made even easier by only seating every other row.

This option is generally recommended if you do not expect to reach full capacity for your venue unless you will have access to a team of ushers to assist with seating. Keep in mind that pre-sales tend to be lower on General Admission events and you may experience longer lines for at-the-door ticket sales.

Pros:

Minimal prep work.
Simple. Just ask patrons to space themselves out.

Cons:

Patrons may choose to buy at the event, so lines may be longer.
Patrons may not follow usher or signage directions and cause issues.

A patron selects a "pod" of seats from a brand-new seating chart.

This option is typically used for events taking place in outdoor spaces without permanent seating structures. A single “pod” can usually accommodate up to 4 patrons.

Pros:

Great for outdoor or spaces with flexible seating like a cafeteria.
Works best when majority of patrons are family units.

Cons:

Often won't work if chairs are fixed in place.
May not be the best choice if parties are only 1-2 people.

Patrons buy a ticket without a seat assigned to it at time of purchase. However, with this option, the venue will assign them a seat at a later date.

This option is recommended to those who expect to reach their maximum venue capacity. It gives the venue the most power in terms of ensuring the highest number of ticket sales possible for their event but does require the time of a venue representative to place people in seats and navigate special patron requests.

Pros:

Venue chooses where parties are assigned to sit.
Allows venues the ability to maximize capacity and revenue.

Cons:

Patrons cannot pick their own seats.
Requires time from an event organizer to assign seats and handle special requests.

Event organizers pre-divide the auditorium into parties of 1, 2, 3, and 4. Patrons are then able to select a group of available seats that matches their party size.

An event organizer will need to monitor sales closely and adjust the seating groups available on-the-fly if certain party sizes sell out quickly.

Pros:

Venue can set seating groups that reflect the needs of their audience.
Allows venues the ability to maximize capacity and revenue.

Cons:

Requires advanced planning and time to set up seating groups before on-sale.
Requires monitoring sales and adjusting if certain seating groups sell out.

The system will block space around the party automatically, requiring little to no additional time needed by the event organizer.

This option is recommended for events that do not expect to reach full capacity and are alright with patrons being more in control of their seating preferences. Keep in mind that using this option will often result in a lower total capacity than the other methods as patrons may spread themselves out more than required.

Blocking sides seats and front and back seats
physical distancing example

Blocking only sides seats

Pros:

No additional setup time required.
Seats are blocked off automatically when a patron purchases tickets.

Cons:

Patrons may add additional space between themselves and other parties.
Automatic spacing typically blocks out more spaces than the event organizer would.

*Automatic Physical Distancing is currently in beta testing but is available to all TeachTix organizations.