Creating a Ticket Order: Reserved Seating

Role: Box Office Staff, Administrators

This page covers creating ticket orders for reserved seating performances. For general admission, see Creating a Ticket Order: General Admission.

Navigation: Stagemgr > Orders > Ticket Orders > New Ticket Order

Overview

Reserved seating ticket orders allow patrons to select specific seats from the venue's seat map. The process is similar to general admission ordering but includes an interactive seat selection step instead of simple quantity entry.

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Customer Lookup

Begin by finding or creating the patron's record.

1. In the Address section, start typing the patron's name in the search field
2. The autocomplete will suggest matching records as you type
3. Select the correct patron, or fill in the fields manually for a new patron

Field	Required	Description
Full Name	Yes	Patron's full name
Email	Yes	Email address for confirmations and receipts
Line 1	No	Street address
Line 2	No	Apartment, suite, etc.
City	No	City
State	No	State
Zipcode	No	ZIP code
Phone	No	Phone number

Step 2: Select Performance

1. In the Performance field, begin typing the performance code
2. The autocomplete will show matching performances
3. Select the desired performance

When a reserved seating performance is selected, the seat map interface will appear instead of the quantity fields used for general admission.

Step 3: Select Seats on the Seat Map

The seat map displays the venue layout with available, occupied, and held seats.

1. Click an available seat. A ticket class popup opens immediately for that seat.
2. Pick the ticket class to assign. The seat is reserved for this order with that class and the seat appears on the Selected Seats list.
3. Repeat for each seat the patron wants. Each click opens the popup again so the next seat can take a different class.
4. To remove a seat from the order, either click it again on the seat map or use the × button on its row in the Selected Seats list. The hold is released immediately.

For full details on using the seat map interface, see Seat Selection.

One row per seat

The Selected Seats list now shows one row per seat, with that seat's label, ticket class, quantity, and price. This is different from older releases where seats of the same class were aggregated into a single row -- the per-seat layout makes it easier to see exactly what each patron is paying for and to remove individual seats without affecting the rest.

Donation (Pay-What-You-Can) Ticket Classes

When a ticket class is configured as a Donation type, the popup shows a price input instead of a fixed price. This lets staff (or the patron, on the public page) enter any amount the buyer wishes to contribute for that seat.

• Type the donation amount in the price field, then click Select.
• Each seat keeps its own override, so two seats sharing the same donation class can be priced independently (for example, $25 for one seat and $50 for another).
• Non-donation classes display the standard fixed price and cannot be edited from the popup.

After selecting seats, the Selected Seats list updates live with the per-seat prices and a running total:

Step 4: Special Requests vs. Seat Selection

For reserved seating, accessibility needs are handled differently than general admission:

GA Approach	Reserved Seating Approach
Select a special request option (Wheelchair, No Stairs) from a dropdown	Select appropriate accessible seats directly on the seat map
System assigns accessible seating	Staff chooses specific wheelchair or accessible locations

Accessibility

Accessible seats are marked on the seat map. When a patron requires wheelchair seating, select the designated wheelchair locations rather than using the special request dropdown. The seat map visually identifies accessible positions.

Step 5: Apply Special Offer (Optional)

If the patron has a promotional code:

1. Enter the code in the Special Offer Code field
2. Select the matching offer from the autocomplete
3. The discount applies to the order total

Step 6: Hold Under (Optional)

If placing this order on hold rather than processing immediately:

1. Enter the name the reservation should be held under in the Hold Under field
2. This is typically the patron's last name but can differ for group or corporate reservations
3. See Hold Orders for more details

Step 7: Marketing Source and Options

Field	Description
Marketing Source	How the patron heard about the show (Email, Mail, Facebook, Word of Mouth, etc.)
Add to Email List	Check to subscribe the patron to the theater's mailing list
Notes	Special instructions or information about the order

Step 8: Payment

Select and process payment. See Payment Processing for details.

1. Choose the payment method
2. Enter payment details
3. Submit the order

Step 9: Confirmation

After successful submission:

1. The order is created with status Processed
2. Selected seats are permanently assigned to this order
3. A confirmation email is sent to the patron
4. You are redirected to the order detail page

Key Differences from General Admission

Feature	General Admission	Reserved Seating
Seat selection	Not applicable	Interactive seat map
Quantity entry	Dropdown + number field	Click individual seats
Line items	One row per ticket class with a quantity	One row per seat
Donation pricing	Fixed price per ticket class	Editable per seat in the class popup
Special requests	Dropdown menu (Wheelchair, No Stairs)	Select accessible seats directly
Capacity source	Manual capacity setting	Seat map determines capacity
Temporary holds	Not applicable	Seats held during order creation

Common Scenarios

Phone Order with Seat Preferences

The patron calls wanting specific seats. Open the seat map, find the requested section/row, select the seats, and complete the order over the phone.

Best Available

The patron has no seat preference. Select the best available seats based on house conventions (center first, then fill outward). Complete the order as normal.

Wheelchair Seating

Identify the designated wheelchair positions on the seat map. Select those seats. Assign the appropriate ticket class.

Season Ticket Holder

For patrons with season subscriptions, their preferred seats may already be on hold. Convert the hold to a sale by processing payment. See Hold Orders.

Seat Map Familiarity

Take time to learn the venue's seat map layout. Knowing where accessible seats, premium sections, and obstructed views are located helps you serve patrons more efficiently.