For Venues & Planners · Free · No sign-up
Set the layout once. Let your clients seat the room.
You know how the space is set — round tables here, the head table there, a dance floor in the middle. Build that layout once in our free seating tool, lock it, and hand your client a template file. They drop in their guest list and seat everyone inside the arrangement you approved — no more back-and-forth, no rebuilt floor plans.
No account for you or your client — everything runs in the browser
The seating dance, minus the back-and-forth
A coordinator sets the room; a client seats the guests. Normally that means emails, phone calls, and a client trying to recreate your floor plan from scratch. This skips all of it.
Without a template
- You describe the table count and layout; the client guesses at the arrangement.
- They build a chart that doesn’t match how the room is actually set.
- Files and corrections bounce back and forth until it’s right.
- Tables drift, the dance floor shrinks, the head table moves.
With a locked template
- You build the real layout once — exact tables, sizes, and spacing.
- You lock it so positions can’t be nudged.
- The client only seats guests; they can’t move a thing.
- What you set is exactly what shows up on the night.
Reuse your venue’s standard setups (the “120-guest round”, the “long-table banquet”) or build a custom layout per event. Either way, you make it once and hand it off.
The flow, start to finish
Six steps. The first three are yours; the rest are your client’s.
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1
Build your space layout
YouOpen the free seating tool and lay out the room — add round, rectangular, or square tables, set seats per table, drop in objects like a cake table, bar, gift table, or dance floor, and rotate or resize anything until it matches the real setup. Build a custom layout for this event, or recreate one of your venue’s standard setups.
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2
Name the template
YouGive it a clear name in the chart title — “Grand Ballroom — 120 Rounds” or “Smith Wedding — June 14”. That name rides along in the file and becomes the client’s starting point.
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3
Export your locked template
YouOpen Export and choose Locked template (.json). This strips out any guests and locks every table and object in place. When your client opens it, they can seat guests but can’t move, resize, rotate, add, or delete a thing. (Prefer to let them tweak the layout? Export a plain Template instead.)
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4
Send the file with a quick note
ClientEmail the .json file to your client along with the tool link and one line of instruction (we give you copy-paste text below). No account, no payment, nothing to install.
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5
They seat their guests
ClientYour client opens the tool, loads your file, and adds their guest list — by uploading a spreadsheet, pasting names, or letting ScanRSVP fill it in from their RSVPs. Then they drag guests into seats inside your locked layout.
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6
Export the final chart
BothWhen it’s seated, export whatever fits the event — a master floor chart for the door, per-table diagrams for ushers, table cards, or fold-over place cards. Whoever’s running the night prints what they need.
No account needed — either side
You don’t sign up to build and export a template, and your client doesn’t sign up to load it and seat their guests. The tool runs entirely in the browser, and guest lists never leave the device they’re entered on.
If your client collects RSVPs with ScanRSVP
It gets even easier. If your client runs their RSVPs through ScanRSVP, their attending guests — and party sizes — flow straight into the seating tool, ready to drop into your layout. Late RSVPs show up unseated to place, and cancellations drop off automatically. It’s optional, and the template flow works fine without it.
A note you can hand your client
Copy this, attach the file, and you’re done.
Hi [name],
Attached is the seating layout for your event. To seat your guests:
- Go to https://scanrsvp.com/tools/free-seating-chart-maker/app
- Open the Manage menu and choose Load file, then pick the attached file.
- Add your guest list — upload a spreadsheet, paste names, or import from your RSVPs.
- Drag each guest into a seat. The tables are set, so you only place people.
- When you’re done, use Export to print a chart or place cards.
No account or sign-up needed. Send it back when you’re finished and I’ll take it from there.
Pick the right export for the night
Who’s running the seating — you at the door, or the client with place cards on the tables? Export to match.
Master floor chart
Great for the door / coordinator
The whole room on one page. Keep it at the entrance to direct guests, or work from it as the host.
Per-table diagrams
Great for ushers
One table per page at full size, with seat numbers and names — precise guidance for whoever walks guests in.
Table cards & tents
Great for the tables
A card per table listing its guests, flat or fold-over. Set them out so guests find their own seats.
Place cards & tents
Great for formal settings
One per guest, grouped by table — flat or fold-over name cards for each setting.
Everything exports as a print-ready PDF (the layout itself saves as a .json file you can reload or pass along). A guest-list CSV is there too if you want a plain roster.
Questions coordinators ask
Is it really free? Any catch?
Yes, free. The seating tool and the template flow cost nothing, and there’s no sign-up to build, export, load, or print. ScanRSVP makes its money on the separate paid RSVP product — using it is optional and never required for seating.
Do I need to create an account?
No. Neither you nor your client needs an account to use the seating tool or the template flow. You only sign in if you separately choose to run an event’s RSVPs through ScanRSVP.
What exactly is a “template” file?
It’s a normal seating save file with the guests removed — just your tables, objects, and layout. A “locked” template also freezes every position so it can’t be rearranged. Both are small .json files you email like any attachment.
What’s the difference between Template and Locked template?
A plain Template hands over the layout but lets the client still move, resize, or add tables. A Locked template freezes the arrangement — they can seat guests and rename or recolor tables, but they can’t move, resize, rotate, add, or delete anything. For an approved venue setup, use Locked.
Can a client unlock a locked template?
Not from the buttons — a locked template hides the unlock toggle. It’s a guardrail to keep your approved layout intact, not hardened security: the file is plain text, so a determined, technical person could edit it. In practice it stops the accidental drag-and-drift that causes most layout problems.
Where is the guest data stored? Is it private?
Guest lists stay in the client’s browser on their own device — nothing is uploaded to seat guests. The only exception is if the client opts to email themselves a copy or uses the ScanRSVP RSVP product. You never see their guest list unless they send you the finished file.
My client’s guest list changed after I sent the layout. Now what?
No problem. They just reload their latest list (or re-import their RSVPs) and re-seat. If they’re using ScanRSVP RSVPs, late responses appear unseated to place and cancellations drop off automatically — their existing seating stays put.
Can I reuse one layout across many events?
That’s the idea. Build your venue’s standard setups once, save each as a template, and send the right one per booking. Nothing in a template is tied to a specific event or client.
What file do I send, and how big is it?
A single .json file, usually a few kilobytes — small enough to email. Your client loads it with Manage → Load file.
Does my client need to send the finished chart back to me?
Only if your workflow needs it. The tool doesn’t route anything between you — they can email you the exported PDF or the saved .json, or just print and handle seating themselves. That part’s up to the two of you.
What if I want the client to be able to adjust the layout?
Send a plain Template instead of a Locked one. They’ll get your arrangement as a starting point but can still move and add tables.
Does this work on a phone or tablet?
It works in any modern browser, but laying out a room and dragging guests is much easier on a laptop or desktop. We’d suggest building templates on a computer.
Build your first template
Lay out the room, lock it, and send it along. Your clients seat their guests inside the arrangement you approved — and you’re out of the back-and-forth.
Open the free seating tool