Seatbay guide
Long table seating plan
A long table seats guests down both sides and, if you like, at each end. One long table suits a dinner party; several side by side make banquet rows for a larger feast. Seatbay opens either layout ready to fill, and a long table can have from 2 to 24 seats.
Open one long tableOpens Seatbay with this layout ready to fill. If you have a plan started already, it opens that: pick the layout under Layouts.
Open a layout
One long table opens with 12 seats. Banquet rows open with five tables of 12.
Who sits where at a long table
At a long table each guest can really talk only to the people beside and opposite them, so the order matters more than at a round table. A common approach is to put the hosts in the middle of the long sides or at the two ends, and to alternate people who know each other with people who do not.
Couples are seated side by side or opposite each other: customs vary, and it is your table. In the app a party sits together unless you move them.
Banquet rows
Rows of long tables fit a lot of guests into a room and give a feast its shared feeling. Leave enough space between rows for chairs to be pushed back and for people to pass behind them. The layout is drawn with that walking space; move the tables to match your room.
Questions
How many people fit at a long table?
It depends on the table’s length. Caterers commonly allow about 60 cm (2 feet) of table edge for each guest, so a 2.4 m (8 foot) table seats four down each side. In the app a long table can have up to 24 seats.
Is Seatbay free?
Yes. One event or class with up to 60 guests is free: the room, dragging, rules, the chart as a PDF on A4 or US Letter, the venue’s list, the floor plan and backups. Seatbay Pro ($2.99, paid once) adds more events and guests, Seat everyone for me, place cards, table numbers, poster sizes and looks, the Find your seat link and QR code, and spreadsheet export.
Where does my guest list go?
Nowhere. There is no account, and the list stays in your browser on your own device. You can save a backup file to move a plan to another device or pass it to someone helping you.