Etiquette_sitting Order

The hour of dinner is the most important hour in civilized life. The etiquette of the dinner-table has a prominence commensurate with the dignity of the ceremony. It is essential for people in business world to know how to organize an event as well as how to be a good guest. There are quite a lot of issues to remember to become a successful host or guest. In our report we will concentrate on how to plan a good seating arrangement.

Importance of seating order

Seating order is very important especially at big and formal events. Planning a seating order requires a lot of time and knowledge. Very formal seating order according to a protocol is used mostly at political events for diplomats, prime minister or president. Business events do not usually have a strict seating order; in that case guests are assigned to the tables where they can choose any seat. Even though seating arrangements are not always cut and dried, there should be always planned order for important guests and hosts. Guests will need to know which table they are seated at so they do not have to walk around every table to find their place. This is usually achieved by displaying a seating chart or escort cards prominently at the entrance of the venue. The seating chart can either list guests by table or alphabetically by name. Listing by table is more common in the UK and it shows who else is at the same table. Listing by guest name is more common in the USA and it makes it a little easier to find your table, especially at a large event. Seating arrangement plays a big role at the event. Unassigned seating sounds great in theory and it is certainly one chore less for the organizer. Unfortunately it rarely works out so well in practice. The larger the event, the bigger the risks with unassigned seating. Below one can find some of the problems which might appear at an event with unassigned seating order.

There may be an unseemly rush for the �good’ seats.

It will take a lot longer to get guests seated. They may still be milling around while the food is being served.

A beautiful decor will be spoilt by people leaving their coats on chairs to reserve them.

The last few guests end up walking around looking for seats, a bit like the unpopular kid at school lunch.

Couples can get split up. It is not unknown for guests to end up eating outside the venue because they could not get a seat together at a table.

Elderly relatives may end up seated where they cannot see or hear anything.

If people turn up uninvited (common in some cultures) they