Use maps in events
Once you have your seating map created, the next step is using it in an event. This guide explains how to assign maps to locations and create events with numbered seating.
General flow
Seating map → Location → Event
- Create the map (already explained in the previous article)
- Create a location and assign the map to it
- Create the event using that location
Assign map to a location
The assignment is done during location creation, in Step 1 of the create event form.
Steps
- Go to Events → Create event
- In Step 1, find the Location card
- Click Create location
- Fill in the location details (name, address, etc.)
- At the bottom of the modal, find the "Numbered seats?" toggle
- Turn it on
- A selector appears — choose the map you want to use
- If the map you need doesn't exist yet, you can create one directly from here (see below)
- Complete the location creation
Creating a new map from within the location form
If you haven't built a seating map yet, you can do so without leaving the location form:
- With "Numbered seats?" enabled, click the option to create a new map
- The seat map builder opens as a full-screen overlay on top of the location form
- Build and save your map inside the builder
- Once saved, the builder closes and you are returned to the same location form — with your new map already selected
This means you never lose your place in the event creation flow.
Validation errors on the saved map
After returning from the builder, if the saved map has validation errors, an alert is shown directly in the location form. The alert includes a shortcut to reopen the builder so you can fix the issues without navigating away. A map with errors cannot be used for event creation until the errors are resolved.
Maps in the selector
| Map status | Appears in selector | Can be selected |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ No errors, no location | Yes | Yes |
| ⚠️ Has errors | Yes (grayed out, "Has errors" chip) | No |
| 📍 Already assigned to another location | Doesn't appear | — |
Remember: Each map can only be assigned to one location. If you need to use the same design in another location, duplicate the map first.
Identify locations with map
After creating the location, in the preview you'll see a chip with the map name assigned. This helps you differentiate normal locations from locations with numbered seating.
Create event with numbered seats
Once you have the location with assigned map:
- Select that location in Step 1
- Continue with the normal event creation flow
- In the Tickets step, you'll notice important differences
Differences in the tickets step
When using a location with assigned map:
| Aspect | Normal event | Event with map |
|---|---|---|
| Create tickets | Manual, you create them | Automatic, one per map category |
| Ticket name | Editable | Fixed (category name) |
| Stock | You define it | Automatic based on map |
| Delete tickets | Yes | No |
| Add tickets | Yes | No |
| Rates | Yes | Yes |
| Ticket design | Yes | Yes |
| Schedule sales | Yes | No |
What you CAN configure
- ✅ Rates per ticket — Create as many rates as you need (Early bird, Regular, Door, etc.)
- ✅ Ticket design — Assign a custom PDF design
- ✅ Include service charge — In advanced settings
- ✅ Min/max per order — Limit how many tickets a person can buy
What you CANNOT configure
- ❌ Ticket name (comes from the map)
- ❌ Add or remove ticket types
- ❌ Schedule sales dates per ticket
- ❌ Stock (defined by the map)
After publishing the event
Buyer experience
Buyers interact with the seating map directly in the checkout flow:
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The buyer sees the "Buy" button
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The interactive map opens — it automatically fits the full venue into view on load, so buyers immediately see the complete layout
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They zoom and select the seats they want
Note for mobile users: Tap-to-zoom on the seating map is now more immediate. The variable zoom animation duration has been removed, so zooming in on a section feels snappier on phones and tablets — there is no longer a delay before the map responds to a tap.
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They see the price based on category and rate
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They confirm the selection and continue to checkout
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The interactive map opens
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They select seats — on mobile, they can pinch to zoom in and out on the map with two fingers to get a closer look at any section
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They can filter available seats by section using the section filter in the checkout panel, alongside category and price filters — making it easier to find seats in a specific part of the venue
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They see the price based on category and rate
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If a seat has multiple pricing options, the selection modal now behaves consistently with the rest of the checkout flow
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If their selection conflicts with a single-category restriction, a clear alert message is shown directly on the map explaining why the selection cannot be completed
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They confirm the selection and continue to checkout
The checkout summary and any per-ticket information forms display the correct seat label for each selected seat, including the section name for section-based seating. Buyers see accurate seat identifiers throughout the purchase flow.
On mobile: Panning behavior has been refined so that the map doesn't accidentally shift when a buyer taps to select a seat at the default zoom level, making it easier to pick seats on smaller screens.
Mobile checkout experience
Buyers on mobile devices get a polished checkout experience for seated events. The checkout includes themed fonts, improved section headers, and a sticky footer for the final submit action — making the flow smooth on small screens.
When a buyer selects a seat that has multiple rate options, the rate selection modal appears correctly above the checkout panel. This was previously a blocking issue on mobile, and it is now resolved — buyers can always see and interact with the rate selector without it being hidden behind the checkout.
Live ticket data during seat selection
While a buyer is choosing seats, the checkout automatically refreshes ticket availability and prices for the selected date in the background. This means:
- Stock and rate changes made by you are reflected without the buyer needing to reload the page.
- If a ticket type or rate is removed while a buyer has it in their selection, that line is automatically cleared from their cart — preventing errors at checkout.
This keeps the buying experience accurate and reduces support contacts from buyers who hit checkout errors due to stale data.
Faster seat selection with prefetching
When a buyer hovers over or interacts with a ticket option in the venue panel, the system silently prefetches the best-available seat suggestions in the background. By the time the buyer clicks the add button, the seating map responds nearly instantly — reducing the wait time they perceive during seat selection.
You don't need to configure anything for this behaviour — it works automatically for all events with a seating map.
Note: Seat tooltips automatically hide when the buyer pans the map, keeping the view uncluttered during navigation.
Restricted-view seats
If you marked any seats or sections as restricted view in the map builder, buyers will now clearly see the corresponding restricted-view icon directly on those seat items and section items in the interactive map — before they make their selection. This gives buyers full visibility of obstructed-view seats prior to purchasing. When a buyer opens the interactive map, the seat map tooltips give them rich information at every step:
- The buyer sees the "Buy" button
- The interactive map opens
- Hovering over a section shows a tooltip with the number of available seats and a summary of the ticket categories in that section — so buyers can assess their options before drilling into individual seat selection
- The buyer zooms in and hovers over individual seats; each seat tooltip displays the section, row, and seat information in a structured format
- When the buyer clicks a seat, the tooltip stays visible so the selected-state animation remains in view; the tooltip includes a Deselect action to remove the seat from the selection
- They see the price based on category and rate
- They confirm the selection and continue to checkout
Automatic promotions in the seating map
When you have active automatic ticket promotions on a seating event, buyers see them directly in the purchase flow — no extra configuration needed on your end.
How it works: Active promotions appear as labeled badges next to the relevant rate in the seating map sidebar and in the rate selection modal. Buyers can see exactly which promotion applies to the rate they are choosing before confirming their selection. This visibility happens automatically whenever promotions are active on a seating event.
View in the panel
In Events → Your event → Tickets, you'll see the automatically generated tickets based on the map's categories.
Block and unblock seats and areas
If you need to reserve seats (or entire areas) or release them progressively:
- Go to Events → Your event and date → Tickets
- Change the "Mode" dropdown at the top to "Block/Unblock seats"
- The map appears in edit mode
- Click on the seats or areas you want to block or unblock
- As you select, a button appears in the top right corner of the map
- Click Apply changes to confirm
- Blocked seats and areas don't appear as available for purchase through any channel
How it works:
- Click on unblocked seats or areas to block them
- Click on blocked seats or areas to unblock them
- All changes are applied when you click "Apply changes"
Tip: This is the correct way to "reserve" seats without modifying the base map. Block seats or areas you don't want to sell yet and unblock them as you need them.
Important considerations
Don't edit the map after creating the event
Once the event is on sale:
- ❌ Don't add or remove seats from the map
- ❌ Don't change categories
- ❌ Don't renumber rows or seats
Doing so can cause:
- Inconsistencies in existing sales
- Validation errors
- Issues with already sold tickets
Plan before publishing
If you know you'll need more capacity:
- Create all seats from the start
- Block the ones you don't want to sell yet
- Unblock as you need them
Duplicate for similar events
If you have another event at the same venue but with different configuration:
- Duplicate the map from Seat maps
- Make changes to the copy
- Create a new location with the duplicated map
- Use that location in the new event
Selling at the box office
Events with maps work the same at the box office:
- Go to Sell → Sell
- Select the event and date
- The map appears for seat selection
- Select the customer's seats
- Complete the sale
The process is visual and intuitive, just like for online buyers. Seat section labels are correctly shown in the checkout summary, so box office staff see the same accurate seat identifiers as buyers.
Note: On mobile devices, tap-to-zoom on the seating map is now immediate — the variable zoom animation has been removed, making it faster to navigate the map and select seats at the door.
For more details on box office sales, see Selling tickets.
Validate numbered tickets
Validation works the same as with regular tickets. For more details, see Ticket validation.
Seat information in numbered tickets:
The seat information (row and number) appears in several places:
- On the PDF ticket — The buyer sees their row and seat on the downloaded ticket
- In the assistants table — When validating, you see the seat info column for each ticket
- On the validation success screen — When scanning the QR, row, number, and category are displayed
Tip: This makes it easy to verify the person is in the correct seat without manual checking.
Not directly. But you can add a "General" area in the map with the capacity you need. That area becomes a ticket with defined stock.
Yes. The map is assigned to the location, and the location to the event. All dates of the event use the same map.
You can't delete a map that has an assigned location. You would first need to delete the location or the event using it.
Yes. When you block seats or areas, the stock of the corresponding tickets decreases. For example, if you block 10 seats from the "Orchestra" category, the available stock for that ticket goes down by 10. Similarly, blocking an entire area reduces its capacity accordingly.
Yes. Each table seat is individual. If a table has 6 places, you can sell 3 and block 3.
In the map, create rows or tables for the numbered part and use areas with capacity for the general part. Each will have its own ticket.
Yes, if you configured it in the map. When selecting a seat/table/area that has a "view from seat" photo, it's shown to the buyer.
Not individually. Prices are defined by category (ticket) and rate. All seats in the same category have the same base price.
Important: Always create and finalize your map BEFORE creating the event. If you edit the map after the event is created, you may cause stock errors and "ghost tickets". The cleanest solution is to delete the event and recreate it with the corrected map. This is why we recommend thoroughly testing your map before using it in a live event.
You can edit the map and add more seats or areas, but this should be done before you have sales to avoid stock inconsistencies. If you need more capacity after sales began, it's safer to create a new event with an updated map.
Availability is refreshed automatically while the buyer is selecting seats, so this is rare. The most common cause is two buyers selecting the same seat at nearly the same instant before either completes checkout. The buyer who completes the purchase first keeps the seat; the other buyer's selection is cleared automatically, and they can choose an alternative seat.
Yes! If you have a complex venue or don't have time to build the map yourself, contact us at admin@fanz.com.ar with your venue layout and we can help create the seating map for you.