Gala Dinner Seating Etiquette: A Guide for Planners

There's more to just filling chairs when arranging seating for a Gala dinner. You want to make sure that you impress your sponsors, entertains guests and runs without any hitches.

A gala dinner is a high-stakes event. Sponsors want to be seen, guests need to be fed, VIPs need to be looked after. Arranging seating plays a bigger role than many planners realise.

Prioritise your sponsors and VIPs

Your top sponsors and keynote guests should be seated at the more prominent tables, be it at the front near a stage or at the centre of the room, depending on your layout. These guests are why the event exists, so it's important to treat them as such.

Create strategic networking opportunities

Galas offer an opportunity for your guests to network – which may in itself be a reason for them to attend. You want to make sure that complementary industries or organisations are seated together. Maybe there's some guests who have the potential to be donors? Seat them near board members. Each table and area could become a mini networking event.

Do you need table hosts?

Not all events need an informal host for a table, but it's something to consider. Maybe there's an employee or board member seated at each table who knows the ins and outs of what's happening and can help keep the conversation going when it dies down a bit; or maybe even steer the conversation in the direction you want.

Consider the layout of the room

You want to make sure that each table has good visibility to the stage. Are there any pillars in the way? Maybe there's a thoroughfare that people will walk through frequently. Sometimes this will be unavoidable but think about how to avoid these as much as possible.

You will also want to be thinking about the acoustics – often sound is more important than the visuals. Even if someone can't see that well, it's important that they can hear what's been said clearly. Ensure that there's a PA system suitably sized and placed so all guests can hear what's going on.

Communicate with your team

The better the communication between everyone involved, the better the event will run. Make sure that you send through a PDF or print out of the seating plan as early as possible – preferably at least 48 hours – to the venue, catering team and AV team. This will ensure the AV team knows where to place speakers, and the catering team will know what guests have dietary requirements that need to be addressed.

There's a lot to consider, but the more organised you can be before the date, the less stress you'll have on the date!