Table seating arrangement (An Old English Home and Its Dependencies)

A seating plan is a

diagram A diagram is a symbolic representation of information using visualization techniques. Diagrams have been used since prehistoric times on walls of caves, but became more prevalent during the Enlightenment. Sometimes, the technique uses a three ...

or a set of written or spoken instructions that determines where people should take their seats. It is widely used on diverse occasions. Seating plans have a wide range of purposes.

Formal dinners

At formal dinners, plans are usually used to avoid chaos and confusion upon entrance and to follow the

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

. In this case, it is customary to arrange the host and hostess at the opposite sides of the table, and alternate male and female guests throughout. Place cards can be used to direct guests. State dinners have their own protocol and arrangements are made so that the most distinguished guests can have the possibility to engage in conversation. In Chinese culture, like many other cultures, the place at the table is a sign of social importance. In the United States according to

Peggy Post Peggy Post is an American author and consultant on etiquette. She is Emily Post's great-granddaughter-in-law and continues her work as director and spokesperson for The Emily Post Institute in Vermont. Background Post was born in Washington, D.C ...

, "tradition dictates that when everyone is seated together, the host and hostess sit at either end of the table. Honored guests (moms, dads, and in-laws) are placed to the host's and hostess's right and then left." This can also be the source of humor.

Politics and government

election apportionment diagram An election apportionment diagram is the graphic representation of election results and the seats in a plenary or legislative body. The chart can also be used to represent data in easy to understand terms, for example by grouping allied parties t ...

is a form of seating chart used to visualize electoral results. Often, they are in the form of a hemicycle.

Transportation

Plans are also made for airplanes, where the objective is to differentiate

passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. Th ...

s between the various travel classes and ensure everybody has a place.

Entertainment venues

Similarly,

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

s or cinemas may allow spectators to choose their seats beforehand. A seating plan is of crucial importance for

musical ensemble A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists ...

s or

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

s, where every type of instrument is allocated a specific section.

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline , Election apportionment diagrams Etiquette Diagrams