Seating Chart Development
I personally think that seating charts are one of those things that make a bigger difference than most people realize. However, I can also recognize that seating charts seem super archaic - when I first started doing them, they made me think of Downton Abbey and eras gone by.
That being said, I still stand by my original statement. To me, it dictates who your guests will be spending a majority of their evening talking to (probably), and especially if some people at the event don't know each other and you as the host know you may not have time to talk to everyone, it can really influence what kind of evening they may have.
I want to start this off by saying I'm sure there are more formal sources than me when it comes to developing a seating chart - like I'm sure Emily Post has some thoughts on it. That being said, here are some of the things I take into account…
People who know each other
Oftentimes, when we are inviting people to AJRBs, we know there are going to be groups of people who know one another and some people who may know only one or two others, sometimes people who only know the hosts. When actually thinking about where to place people at the table, I think about the "blending" point between groups - who may be more comfortable talking to people they may not know, for example, if we invite family and friends, who might be good to sit next to each other to bridge these two seemingly separate groups so that the whole table gels. The longer the table, the more I know side conversations will happen and organically the division of discussion will occur but I try to take this into account as much as I can upon the development of a seating chart. Of course, I also then look at people who will be more comfortable surrounded by people they know, or if couples want to sit together, or if I know some people who may not have gotten a chance to interact as much at previous events may want to talk to one another, so these are all things I try to juggle in where I seat people.
Physical Distance
As I'm spinning these plates in my head, something that makes it a little easier is that there isn't one perfect spot for every guest. Once I've decided on an "anchor" (typically one of the hosts - and I'll come back to this term in the next section), I can fluidly build around them. For this, I think about all the things I stated above, but I also note that seats next to one another as well as across from one another are likely to get the most conversation time. Therefore, if I think one configuration isn't working, I may try moving one guest from next to a specific person to on the other side, or across the table from them - because it can retain that same vibe but may allow for more flexibility.
Spacing within the Room
This is where the "anchors" that I talked about come into play more - what I mean by "anchor" is that I typically choose one person to start with and that is typically the host because I know they require certain needs. In this case, I know that the host needs to be close to the kitchen, and that can be where I start and build all those dynamics around them. Sometimes, there are other things that may overrule one need (like if a table configuration makes one spot less desirable - I tend to put the hosts there, even if it means they are farther from the kitchen because the guests' comfort should come first) but those can be evaluated on a case by case basis. Other things to potentially keep in mind when determining an anchor are distance from the AC, distance from the bathroom, head of the table, corners of the table (if you are seating guests there) and/or other un/desirable spots. The reasons these can be used are, for example, distance from the AC - if you know certain guests always run warm or cold, this can be an important factor for them to enjoy the evening, or the distance from the bathroom, if you have guests that are a little older, you want to make sure to make it as easy as possible for them to get around the room.
Table Configuration
If you are using multiple tables (and even if you aren't), there are usually a few different ways that you can utilize the configuration to potentially change your seating chart. We have definitely shrunk and "enlarged" seating charts with how we placed our tables.
