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This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
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Author
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Topic: Seating of Patrons
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Mike Spaeth
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1129
From: Marietta, GA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 05-08-2002 01:31 PM
I sell em to ZERO. This is easily accomplished with a good seater, and good box office workers. There are actually two different methods which I have used. For the shows that sell out after seating is already started, I simply keep the box office worker informed via radio on the seating situation. I start working the auditorium when there are 25% of the seats remaining (125 in a 500-seater ... 60 in a 240, etc.) This gives me plenty of time to look around and get a "feel" for the seating situation. That way, if a customer wishes to purchase a ticket, they are informed before buying the ticket that they will be sitting up front, the group will have to split up, etc. Knowing this before they go in, they usually don't mind doing what is necessary. The second method I have only used on "The Grinch." We were sold out for our 230, 500, 730, and 1000 shows by 1230pm. It was in a 256-seat auditorium (my largest), so I sold 256 tickets for each show. By the time the 1200 let out at around 145, I had 250 people in line for the 230. 15 minutes for cleaning, so seating started around 200. I had an assistant controlling the crowd at the podium, letting about 30 people by at a time. Then, I had an assistant controlling the flow at the entry door. They would ask "How many?", and radio the number to me. I would ask how far back they would like to sit, and put them where it made the most sense for the size of the group. I had 4 seats on the left aisle, 9 in the middle, 6 on the right. In controlling this, I eliminated the problem of single seats being left open. 30 minutes was plenty of time to pack the auditorium. My pet peeve is the college-age guys that won't sit next to each other, for fear of others thinking they're gay or whatever. I just tell em that if they won't move together, I'll plop down a complete stranger in between each and every one of them ... that usually alleviates the problem.
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-15-2002 02:03 AM
The whole point of arriving early is to select a good seat. I've never obliged those "requests" because I'd be giving up my preferred seat to some random latecomer. No way! I've sacrificed visits to the concession stand to get the best possible seating and so I'm not too forgiving when I see someone coming up the aisle with a tray full of snacks with that all-too-familiar "where-am-I-supposed-to-sit" look of anticipation on his/her face. For me, it isn't so much about "personal space" or having a "buffer zone" - although I know that's certainly a real issue for a lot of people. I don't usually care if I end up sitting next to a stranger...except for that one time at Mann's Chinese on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles...I was watching MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL when this guy sits down next to me, opens a trenchcoat and reveals himself - totally naked - and then starts...ahem...getting animated. Yeah...that time turned out to be a personal space issue. I don't have too much say in this anymore, but I used to sell down to 20...and I started giving warnings at the box-office when we were down to 50 - those tickets were marked "LATE" so that I'd know they'd been warned about the seating. We'd still refund them if they came wandering back to the box-office, but it short-circuited any potential dramatizations. ------------------ ~Manny. Now...where was I ?
Leonard Shelby, MEMENTO.
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