If you’re planning a wedding, or another type of event, you might need a seating plan. Get this free Excel seating plan with charts, and modify it to show your guest names and table arrangement. See how to use the sample file, and how to add more guests and tables.
This seating plan with charts is a new version of one that I posted long ago (2006), and the new version is easier to use.
You can read details about the old version, including how it was set up. That version used drop down lists, based on a formula that hid the guest names after they were assigned to a table.
The tables and chairs were circle shapes, and each chair was linked to a cell. That worked well, if you didn’t have too many guests, but was a lengthy process to add more tables and seats for a large party.
I just created a new version, which is easier to use. Instead of circle shapes, this plan uses doughnut charts – thanks to Oz du Soleil for that idea.
The main sheet in the workbook is named TablePlan. On that sheet, you assign guests to seats at the different tables.
For each table, the guest names and table number cells are the source data for one of the doughnut charts. The chart for Table 1 is shown below, with its source data highlighted.
Here are the basics on how to use the sample file, with its fake guest list. The sample file has 24 guests, who can be seated at 3 tables, which have 8 seats per table.
These instructions show how to assign those fake guests to the 3 tables.
In the Guest column, the cells have drop down lists. To assign a guest to a seat:
NOTE: Choose names that at the top of the list, above the “END OF LIST” item.
The selected guest’s name appears in the chart for that table.
To get the sample Excel workbook, and for details on how to work with the Excel Seating Plan, go to the Excel Seating Plan Chart page on my Contextures site.
You’ll see how to add your own guest name list, and add more tables, if needed, or add more seats at the tables.
Thank you for this! It is very useful! I am trying to make the table column in the Lists tab check 2 ranges as I have re arranged the TablePlan Tab. I am having trouble Indexing and matching two ranges in the single formula. Have you got an insight into this that might help?
Barry Dench says:Thank you very much for this creation. I have today seated 81 people around 8 tables. It was very easy (for an excel user) but some might struggle if they are not used to some of the actions taken. However, your instructions were clear and it was quite easy to expand the sample supplied to accommodate what I needed. Thank you again.
John Blaker says:Thank you, a most useful creation.
Although only a ‘novice user’, I was able manipulate and adjust Ranges and Fields to suit my needs (150 people around 15 tables) using your instructions.
Is there a way that I can assign a table by family and depending on the number of members in the family, the table seats are filled out?
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