Set the room
Room size, table shape and count. BES lays the tables out, in straight or staggered rows.
Round table seating plans, laid out to scale for you
Pick the table diameter and chair count, and BES spaces the rounds to fit your room. It's part of the free table plan maker from Business Event Space.
Free with a Business Event Space account. No paid tier.
Round table layouts are mostly maths
How many 6 ft rounds fit in a 24 by 16 metre room with space to walk behind the chairs? Usually someone works it out on graph paper. BES does the geometry for you: table sizes, chair depth, gaps and rows.
How it works
Three steps
Add guests
Paste names and press Fill empty seats, or upload a CSV. Then drag to fine-tune.
Share it live
A guest QR link and a display link. Every edit reaches both within about 15 seconds.
Straight or staggered rounds
Enter the room in metres or feet, pick round, rectangular or square tables and how many you need (up to 80, with up to 20 chairs each). BES lays the tables out in rows to fit the room. Switch to staggered rows so the front row sits in the gaps, then use the Spacing slider to go from tables together to evenly spread, and the Room to stand slider to keep walkways behind the chairs.
Lettered seats around each table
Every chair gets a letter, such as 7C, and can show who sits on either side, so you can check who's next to whom before the night. Private chair notes hold things like access needs or a speaker who has to leave early, and guests never see them.
Seat letters run clockwise, so 'Table 4, seat B' is unambiguous for staff.
When BES isn't the right fit
What it doesn't do yet: PDF or image export (use print instead), direct Excel .xlsx import (save as CSV), RSVP or meal tracking, several rooms in one plan, rules such as 'keep these two apart', or offline use. If you need those, a different tool may suit you better.
How the live plan works
Every BES table plan is saved in your account, not in one browser. You set the room in metres or feet, add round, rectangular or square tables, and the maker lays them out in straight or staggered rows. Two sliders control the spacing between tables and the room to stand behind each chair, and you can drag any table by hand, with Snap and Tidy to keep the rows neat.
Names go onto lettered chairs: type them, paste a list and press Fill empty seats (names fill empty chairs in table-number order), or upload a CSV. When you turn on sharing you get two links, protected by an optional password: a guest link with name search and a QR code, and a display link for room screens. Both check for changes about every 15 seconds while they're open, so an edit made on a laptop or tablet reaches the screens and guests' phones without re-exporting or reprinting anything.
Use cases
Where it helps
Banqueting rooms
Rounds of 8 to 12 to a set capacity.
More tools for your event
ShowDocLiveFeaturedEvent production software for production managers and crew: one live place for the plan, rundown, show caller, speakers, mics, signal flow, schedule and stage timer.
ImageFlowA free, full-featured Photoshop-class image editor that runs entirely in the browser.
Open CAD StudioFree, open-source CAD for opening and saving DWG and DXF, 2D drafting, and 3D modeling in the browser or on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Countdown Timer 2.0Countdown Timer 2.0 for Windows is a fully featured timer for A/V professionals.
Frequently asked questions
How many people fit at a round table?
Typically 8 on a 5 ft round and 10 on a 6 ft round. BES suggests a comfortable chair count for the diameter you pick, up to 20.
What is a staggered table layout?
Alternate rows are offset so each table sits in the gap of the row behind it, which improves sightlines and walkways.
How much space should I leave between round tables?
Leave enough for chairs pushed back plus a walkway. Use the Room to stand slider, and Space evenly shares out the spare room.
Can I mix round and rectangular tables?
Yes. Round, rectangular and square tables are supported.
Can I set the room in feet?
Yes, metres or feet.
Can I move tables by hand?
Yes. Drag them, with snapping and a tidy option.
Is there a template I can download?
There's no PDF template. Start a free plan instead, which takes about a minute to set up.
Is it really free?
Yes. The table plan maker is included with a free Business Event Space account, and there's no paid tier, export fee or guest-count upgrade.
Keep reading
More table plan guides
Free with a Business Event Space account. No paid tier.
Start a free table planScreenshots show a demo plan with fictional names.