Benefits of Offering a Tiered Seating Plan For Your Event

Are you planning your next show or recital? Have you considered offering tiered seating? 

With ticketing software like Stage Stubs, setting up different seating options has never been easier. And the benefits? Do it once, and you’ll never go back—trust us.

What is Tiered Seating?

Tiered seating works for almost any paid event and venue (it’s less effective for free events). It’s a way to structure your seating so that the best seats—those with the clearest view, most legroom, or closest proximity to the stage—are sold at a premium price. 

As the seats move further back, the price gradually decreases, giving attendees options that fit their budget while maximizing your revenue. It sounds confusing to set up, but it can be done super simply, especially with Stage Stubs creating your seating plans free of charge, too, one of the many benefits of using a ticket-selling platform for your event. 

How to Organise Tiered Seating

If you’ve hosted similar events in the same venue, take a look at past sales to see which seats were the most popular or sold out first. 

You can also speak with your venue—find out how other successful events price their tickets in the same space. This will help you determine which seats to include in your premium tier and how to structure your pricing effectively.

Benefits of Tiered Seating 

There are a lot of benefits to offering tiered seating plans for your next event, with the most obvious being an easy way to increase your revenue. But there are other advantages as well:

• Better seat management – With a seating plan of any type, tiered or not, you can control where people sit. This prevents large clumps of empty seats, makes it easier to see which seats are available, and allows you to fill them strategically through social media promotions, giveaways, or targeted marketing. (We discuss this in more detail here: ‘Seating plan vs no seating plans’.
  
• Increased revenue – By offering tiered seating, you can charge more for premium seats. Even a 10–20% price increase on the best seats can significantly boost your overall revenue.
  
• Improved attendee experience – Guests can choose the seating option that works best for them, whether they want the best view or a more budget-friendly option. This makes your event feel more organized and professional.
  
• Encourages early ticket sales – Premium seats often sell out first, creating a sense of urgency and motivating attendees to purchase tickets earlier. 

Why Not Have Some Fun With It?

Give your audience a chance to win the King and Queen seats—the two best seats in the house! These seats could include early entry, a little bottle of fizz, and some theatre snacks to welcome them. You could even go the extra mile and provide crowns from your costume department for them to wear.

Not only does this build hype, but it’s also a fun way to get your audience involved. You could run it as a raffle, with tickets priced at something like £1. Sell these before your main tickets go on sale to generate excitement and ensure the winners don’t accidentally buy their own seats.

Stage Stubs Can Help

If creating a tiered seating plan is something that you would like to offer at your next event. Register for Stage Stubs today, and start selling your tickets with us. We are on hand to help you every step of the way.