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Seaty FAQ for Organisers and Ticket Buyers

Common Seaty questions for organisers and ticket buyers: getting started, creating events, seating plans, ticket sales, payments, and finding support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to Seaty, your partner when organising your next event's ticket sales. This guide answers common questions about using Seaty for event management and ticket sales.

At its simplest, this FAQ answers one question: How do I get started and make the most of Seaty?

Who uses this: Event organisers setting up their first event, and attendees looking to understand how ticketing works.

Key capabilities:

  • Create and manage events with customisable seating plans
  • Process ticket sales and handle payments
  • Track orders, balances, and attendee information
  • Enable seat requests for flexible booking arrangements

Need help? Contact us at support@seaty.co.uk.

How It Works

At a glance: Sign up, create an organisation, build your event, and start selling tickets.

1. Create Your Account

Sign up with your email address. This becomes your unique identifier for all orders, payments, and event management.

2. Set Up Your Organisation

Create an organisation to act as the central hub for all your events. This is where you manage shared settings and information.

3. Create Your Event

Use the event wizard to set up dates, tickets, and optional seating plans. Customise your event page to share with attendees.

4. Manage Sales

Track orders, process payments, handle seat requests, and withdraw funds when events complete.

Think of it this way:

  • Your account is your personal identity in Seaty
  • Your organisation is the umbrella that holds all your events
  • Your events are the individual shows, performances, or gatherings you're selling tickets for

Getting Started

How do I sign up for Seaty?

Joining Seaty:

To host an event with Seaty, you need to create a user account:

  1. Click the 'Sign Up' button (top right of most pages)
  2. Complete the sign-up form
  3. Verify your email address

Email verification:

  • Check your inbox for the verification email
  • Check your junk/spam folder if you don't see it
  • Verification is required before hosting events

Why your email matters:

Your email address is your unique identifier in Seaty. All orders, requests, and payments link to this email. Ensure it's correct and checked regularly.

What can I do with a Seaty account?

Whether you're organising an event or attending one, a Seaty account provides:

For event organisers:

  • Create and customise events (theatre productions, community gatherings, workshops)
  • Design seating plans and set up ticket types
  • Track orders, payments, and balances in real-time
  • Send reminders and manage attendees
  • Create unique event pages to share

For attendees:

  • Keep all your tickets in one place
  • View seat assignments and event details
  • Pay off balances
  • Request seats for events requiring approval
  • Receive updates about your bookings

Seaty streamlines event management and attendance, making it professional and user-friendly.

How do I set up my organisation in Seaty?

You must create an organisation before creating events. Think of your organisation as a central hub for all your events - a command centre where you manage information and settings.

Creating an organisation:

  1. Sign up for Seaty
  2. Click 'Create Event' from the top menu
  3. You'll be prompted to create a new organisation or choose an existing one
  4. Complete the organisation setup

What are event administrators?

Event administrators have full control over their events:

  • Manage tickets and seating
  • Process orders and refunds
  • Access financial reports
  • Configure event settings

The person who creates an event is automatically assigned as an administrator with full permissions.

Creating and Managing Events

How do I create an event?

After signing in, click 'Create Event' from the top menu or user options. Our event wizard will guide you through setup. From there, use the full event editor to personalise and finalise details.

You can find video tutorials on creating a new event here: /Docs/CreatingEvents

Adding event details

Include all event information, visible to your guests on Seaty. Some fields are required to publish an event, so be thorough!

What is an Event Tag, and how do I use it?

The Event Tag is a short, memorable name for your event that creates a direct web address attendees can use to find you. For example, Seaty.co.uk/YourEventTag.

Why use an Event Tag? It makes sharing your event simple - attendees can type it directly into their browser instead of searching for your event.

How do I save or edit an event?

After entering details, click 'Save' to store your event information. To update an existing event, go to 'My Events' and make any changes needed, then save again to confirm.

How do I set event terms and conditions?

Add your event's terms and conditions in the event editor. They will appear during checkout, letting attendees know your policies before purchase.

Seating Plans and Categories

How do I create a seating plan?

Creating a seating plan is simple with Seaty's interactive tools! Once you're in the event editor, go to the 'Seating Plan' section to start building your layout.

You can find video tutorials on creating events with seating plans here: /Docs/CreatingEvents

Can I use an existing seating plan?

When you make a new event, you can choose to copy an existing seating plan. This is perfect for recurring events with the same layout.

How do I add objects and save my seating plan?

In the seating plan editor, you can add seats, tables, stages, and more to design your layout. Remember to hit 'Save' once you're happy with your plan.

How do I label my seats?

Each seat needs a unique label. Use Seaty's labelling tools to add group names, seat numbers, or auto-numbering to organise seating efficiently.

What are seat categories, and how do I create them?

Seat categories help you organise and price seats differently. Each category has its own colour and can be assigned unique pricing in the Seated Tickets section.

Why use categories? They let you offer different pricing tiers (such as premium front rows vs standard seating) and visually distinguish seat types on your seating plan.

How do I mark disabled seats?

The best way to mark seats as disabled is to create a specific seat category for them with their own unique colour, name and description.

Can I have hidden seat categories?

Yes! For complimentary or reserved seats, you can create hidden categories that only admins can access. Hidden seats can't be requested by attendees.

Can I show an info or disabled / accessible icon on my seats?

Yes! In the event editor, when in category mode on the seating plan section, you can edit your seat category by clicking the edit button once the category is selected. From there, you can choose to show a wheelchair or an info icon on the seats in that category.

Event Pages

How do I access my event page, and what can I do there?

Your event page at Seaty.co.uk/YourEventTag shows all event information for attendees and allows admins to manage ticketing.

Can guests book directly from the event page?

Yes! Guests can choose dates and tickets, select seating if available, and complete the checkout process from your event page.

How do I create event dates?

Event dates are added initially in the Create Event wizard, then managed in the full editor. Use calendar or list view to organise dates efficiently. Suspended dates are hidden from attendees.

Tickets

I lost my tickets or haven't received the email - what can I do?

If you sign up for a Seaty account using the email address you used to purchase tickets, you can access all your tickets in one place:

  1. Sign in to your Seaty account
  2. Go to the 'My Tickets' section
  3. View all your tickets and bookings

All tickets purchased with your email address will appear here.

What is the difference between Seated and General Admission tickets?

Seated tickets are assigned to specific seats, while general admission tickets allow attendees to choose their own seats.

What are seat requests, and how do they work?

Seat requests let attendees reserve seats without immediate payment:

How it works:

  1. Attendee requests seats (must be logged in)
  2. Event administrator approves or denies request
  3. Approved requests become ticket orders
  4. Payment can be made later

Not all events allow ticket requests. Check the event page to see if this option is available.

Preventing public ticket requests:

As an event administrator, you can add a password to your event. This restricts ticket requests to people who know the password - useful when you only want specific groups to request tickets.

Managing outstanding balances:

View the event balances page to:

  • See what's owed for any event
  • Add payments made outside of Seaty
  • Link payments to specific attendees
  • Track payment progress

How do I cancel an order as an admin?

Orders can be cancelled from various places through the order dashboard. You can go to the event menu and choose "Find order" and when found, you will see a red cancel button that will guide you through the process.

Payment and Withdrawals

How do I withdraw the money from my event?

Funds from ticket sales become available 12 hours after each event date ends. Simply go to the Banking page to initiate a withdrawal by entering your bank details.

Why the 12-hour wait? This allows time for any last-minute refund requests or payment issues to be resolved before funds are released.

How long does it take for funds to appear?

Once your withdrawal request is approved, funds are transferred to your bank account within 24 hours. The total time from request to funds in your account is usually 2-5 working days. Each withdrawal is manually reviewed by Seaty staff.

How do fees work?

Fees are collected by Seaty either by absorbing them in ticket prices or passing them on to attendees. Set this preference in the event editor.

You can see more information on fees at: /Docs/Fees

What is Stripe Connect, and how do I use it?

Stripe Connect allows revenue to go directly to your business bank account, bypassing Seaty's standard processing. Set up a Stripe account and link it to Seaty for fast payment access. To get Stripe connect through Seaty you will need to contact us first at mailto:support@seaty.co.uk

Are there additional terms with Stripe Connect?

With Stripe Connect, you're responsible for refunds. Keeping a balance in your Stripe account helps cover any potential refunds, especially if an event is cancelled.

Why keep a balance? If you need to issue a refund but have already withdrawn all funds, you'll need to transfer money back into your account to process the refund.

How do fees work, will I get a reduced rate as we are now handling card fees directly?

With Stripe Connect, we will reduce our standard fee rate, as the card processing fee will now be handled through you and Stripe directly in your own Stripe account.

What payment options do I have for attendees?

For card payments, Seaty integrates with Stripe, letting organisers choose to absorb processing fees or pass them on to attendees. Fee rates vary based on your event and organisation configuration. Fees are clearly displayed at checkout for transparency, and we strive to keep them as low as possible. Attendees can pay by card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay on supported devices.

Is Seaty free for non-card payments?

Seaty is entirely free for organisations that choose not to process card payments online, allowing them to manage orders at no cost. This provides flexibility for events that don't need digital transactions.

How does Seaty make the checkout process simple for attendees?

Attendees can purchase tickets without creating an account. Seaty keeps the checkout process streamlined, removing unnecessary steps to make it quick and easy.

Tools and Features for Organisers and Attendees

What tools does Seaty provide for organisers and attendees?

Seaty provides essential tools for both organisers and attendees. Attendees can add notes to tickets for personalisation, while organisers have access to features like seat requests, ticket notes, real-time seat locking, and detailed reporting, ensuring a smooth experience for everyone.

Tools for organisers

From real-time seat locking to ticket notes, our tools make event management smooth and user-friendly.

Can I swap someone's tickets for a different date or different seats?

Yes. The swap tickets feature allows you to transfer customer tickets between event dates whilst preserving order details and pricing.

How to swap tickets:

  1. Get the existing order number
  2. Go to the target date you want to move tickets to
  3. Select the new tickets
  4. Click the swap button (available to event administrators)
  5. Enter the order number
  6. Review the ticket comparison
  7. Complete the swap

For complete instructions, see our Swapping Tickets Guide.

What is the Requests System, and how does it work?

Seaty's request-based ticketing system allows group members to request tickets, which organisers can then approve or deny.

How it works:

  1. Attendee submits seat request (requires Seaty account)
  2. Organiser reviews request
  3. Organiser approves or denies
  4. Approved requests generate ticket orders
  5. Payment can be made later

Benefits:

  • Accommodate group members without upfront payment
  • Flexible seating and payment management
  • Track all requested tickets in one place
  • Manage outstanding balances with reminders
  • Perfect for schools, theatre companies, and community events

When to use it:

  • Events requiring internal ticket allocation
  • Group-based events where immediate payment isn't needed
  • Community events with flexible payment arrangements

How does Quota Management work in Seaty?

Seaty's quota management helps organisers set and track sales targets for members. Attendees can share unique links to earn credit for sales made through their referral, helping organisers track contributions toward group goals.

How does quota management support events?

Organisers can easily monitor each member's progress and adjust quotas as needed to meet sales targets, all through Seaty's built-in tools.

How do attendees get a referral link?

To get a referral link, attendees need to sign up to Seaty, then they can sign in and go to your event page. From here, if they use the share tool to copy the link or generate a QR code, they will then have their own unique way to share your event that will give them credit for sale if someone purchases tickets throught the link.

What is the Custom Event Page, and how does it help with event promotion?

Each event on Seaty gets its own dedicated page with a unique URL, making it easy to share, promote, and centralise event details for your attendees.

What is Seaty's mobile scanning app, and how does it work?

Seaty's mobile app allows organisers to scan tickets and validate entry quickly, ensuring a seamless check-in experience on event day.

Download it here:

Additional Event Management Features

How do I create and manage seating plans?

Creating a seating plan is simple! After setting up your event, go to the 'Seating Plan' section in the editor to start building your layout.

How do I add rows and columns?

Set the number of rows and columns to form the base grid for your seating layout. Adjustments can be made anytime.

How do I label my seats?

Each seat needs a unique label. Use our design tools to enter labels manually or auto-number seats quickly.

What is the Event Landing Page, and how does it work?

Your event landing page is the hub for your event on Seaty! Direct guests to it with Seaty.co.uk/YourEventTag for easy access to event details.

How do I access my event page?

Once your event is created, access the landing page via Seaty.co.uk/YourEventTag. Admins can also find it in the admin menu.

How do I set up seat requests for my event?

Enable seat requests in the event editor. Once enabled, attendees can request seats, which you can review, approve, or deny as necessary.

How do I set up my event's terms and conditions?

Add your event's terms and conditions in the event editor. These will be displayed to attendees at checkout and printed on tickets to ensure everyone is aware of your policies.

Common Questions

Account & Organisation

Can I have multiple organisations? Yes. You can create and manage multiple organisations from a single Seaty account, each with its own events and settings.

Can I transfer an event to a different organisation? Contact Seaty support to request an event transfer between organisations.

Tickets & Orders

Can attendees change their own seats after booking? No. Seat changes must be processed by an event administrator using the swap tickets feature.

What happens to tickets if I cancel an event date? You'll need to manually process refunds or move affected attendees to alternative dates using the swap tickets feature.

Payments

Can I accept cash payments? Yes. You can record offline payments (cash, bank transfer, cheque) through the order management system without processing them through Seaty's payment system.

What if an attendee disputes a payment? Contact Seaty support immediately. Payment disputes are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on your payment setup (standard or Stripe Connect).