Reserved Seating events thrive on effective seat usage. This article addresses:
- Preventing Orphan Seats
- Blocking and Unblocking Seats
- Marking Seats “On Hold” or “Sold” for VIPs/comps
- Keeping track of seat assignments and order details
Preventing Orphan Seats
Overview
- Orphan seats are isolated single seats that remain between booked groups.
- When Prevent Orphan Seats is turned on, SimpleTix blocks customers from leaving a single seat stranded.
Enabling Orphan-Seat Prevention
- Log in to your SimpleTix Manager Portal.
- Select your event and go to Times & Tickets.
- Click on the event time you want to modify.
- Under Advanced Options locate the Prevent Orphan Seats toggle and switch it on.
- Save changes.
Tip: This setting helps improve sales by minimizing partial row occupancy that could deter prospective buyers.
Seat Management & Holds
Accessing Seat Management
- Log in to your SimpleTix Manager Portal.
- Select your event and go to **Times & Tickets **on the left menu.
- In Times & Tickets, click on your event time, then select Mark Seats On Hold.
- This opens the Seating Chart with an interactive view of each seat.
Blocking/Unblocking Seats
- Block (Hold) a seat: Click any available seat; it becomes blocked from public sale.
- Unblock a seat: Click a blocked seat again to restore it for sale.
- Seats already sold cannot be blocked; you can only place a hold note if you need them temporarily locked post-sale.
The 10 “Apply Changes” Limit
- You can submit (Apply Changes) up to 10 times per day.
- Blocking or unblocking multiple seats at once counts as a single action.
- Unblocking seats often doesn’t count against the daily total, but confirm your version’s rules if unsure.
Viewing Order Details & Manual Holds
Hover over any sold seat to see:
- Order number
- Buyer’s name
- Ticket type
This helps you identify seats that have been purchased or are on hold for VIPs, comps, or special reservations.
Manual Holds: If you must reserve seats for sponsors or donors, you can click to hold them at no cost, or use a specialized “comp ticket” type.
Assigning Seats as “Box Office Only”
Overview
The “Box Office Only” feature creates a special channel for reserved seats, allowing you to hide specific seats from the public event page while keeping them available for internal box office sales.
Box Office Only vs. Manual Holds: What’s the Difference?
Understanding the distinction between these two features is critical:
| Feature | Manual Holds | Box Office Only |
|---|
| Who can purchase? | No one (completely blocked) | Box office staff only |
| Visible to public? | No | No |
| Visible to box office? | No (seat is blocked) | Yes (available to sell) |
| When to use | Legacy method (not recommended) | Recommended moving forward |
The Problem with the Legacy Manual Holds Workflow
In the past, organizers used Manual Holds to reserve seats they intended to sell through the box office later. This created a risky workflow:
- Place seats on manual hold to reserve them
- When ready to sell, unhold the seats
- Race to sell them before a customer claims them online (because unholding makes them public!)
- If you’re too slow, a customer might purchase the seat you intended to sell
This “unhold and race” workflow was stressful and prone to errors.
The Box Office Only Solution
Box Office Only eliminates this problem entirely:
- Seats are hidden from the public (customers never see them)
- Seats are always available to box office staff (no need to unhold first)
- No racing, no stress, no risk of losing the seat to a customer
Key Benefits:
- Seats are completely hidden from customers on the public event page
- Seats remain available for sale in the Box Office (internal “Sell Tickets” interface) at all times
- Perfect for VIP reservations, staff holds, or special accommodations
- Eliminates the risk of customers purchasing seats you intended to reserve
Migrating from Manual Holds to Box Office Only
If you have legacy seats on manual hold, follow these steps to safely migrate them:
- First, assign the held seats to the “BoxOffice only” channel (instructions below)
- Then, unhold the seats
- The seats are now available to box office staff but still hidden from the public
If you unhold seats WITHOUT first marking them as Box Office Only, they will immediately become available to the public! We strongly recommend using Box Office Only for all seat reservations moving forward. Manual holds should only be used when you truly need to block a seat from everyone (e.g., broken seat, obstructed view).
How to Assign Box Office Only Seats
- Log in to your SimpleTix Manager Portal
- Select your event and go to Times & Tickets on the left menu
- Click on your event time, then select Mark Seats On Hold
- If available, toggle “Enable Box Office–Only Ticket Sales” (this may appear as a channel option)
- Click on a seat you want to assign as Box Office Only
- In the seat options, assign it to the “BoxOffice only” channel
- The seat will change color (typically red) to indicate it’s in the Box Office Only channel
- Click Apply Changes to save
Result
- Public Event Page: The seat will not be visible or available to customers
- Box Office Interface: Staff can see and sell the seat through the internal “Sell Tickets” view
Use Cases
- VIP Reservations: Hold premium seats for special guests without blocking them from all sales
- Sponsor Seats: Reserve seats for sponsors while maintaining the ability to sell them if sponsors don’t claim them
- Staff Accommodations: Keep seats available for staff or volunteers to purchase at the door
- Last-Minute Sales: Maintain a pool of seats that can only be sold through box office for walk-up customers
The Box Office Only feature replaces the risky practice of holding seats and then quickly unblocking them to sell. With Box Office Only, you maintain control while still being able to process sales when needed.
Best Practices
- Batch Changes: To avoid hitting the 10-operation limit, block/unblock seats in groups before clicking Apply.
- VIP & Sponsor Seating: Consider creating complimentary ticket types for large-scale holds or advanced seat reservations.
- Orphan-Seat Prevention + Manual Blocks: Use both features together for maximum seating efficiency.
- Check for Overlaps: If you set an event with different time slots, ensure your seat holds don’t conflict across times.
To maximize seating efficiency:
- Always enable orphan-seat prevention to avoid isolated seats.
- Organize manual seat changes in batches to prevent exceeding daily limits.
