QR Seat Finders and Wallet Passes: A Guest Arrival Guide

You can spend six weeks perfecting a seating chart and still lose the plot in the first ten minutes of the event. A hundred and fifty people arrive at once, the escort-card table has three names lined up deep, someone's cousin is squinting at a printed chart trying to find "Smith" among forty other Smiths, and the coordinator is fielding "where do I sit?" for the twentieth time before the first course is even out. The chart was never the problem. Getting people from the door to the chair was.

There are two tools built for exactly this, and they solve it at two different moments: a Wallet pass that reaches guests before they even leave the house, and a QR sign that catches everyone else at the door.

For the wider planning process, see our digital seating chart guide.

Two Tools, Two Moments

Before doors: the Wallet pass. On Collaborate and Event Manager plans, you can email guests their table assignments ahead of the event, with links to add an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet pass where available. Guests need an email address in your list and a compatible wallet app. Supported passes can update after seating changes; delivery and refresh timing depend on the wallet service and the guest’s device.

At the door: the QR sign. A printed QR code opens a browser lookup page. Guests scan it, search for their name, and select the matching result. No SeatPlan account is needed. Guests must already be on your chart; add and seat an unexpected plus-one before asking them to look themselves up.

Used together, the Wallet pass reaches guests before the event and the QR sign offers a lookup at the door. Keep a staffed or printed alternative for anyone without a suitable phone.

Setting Up the QR Seat Finder

1. In the designer's share panel, click Create seat-finder link.
2. Optionally turn on a passcode— this limits lookups to people who were actually given the code, useful for events where the chart shouldn't be publicly searchable.
3. Export a print-ready A4 sign with the QR code, your event name, and the passcode if you set one.
4. Print it and place it on an easel at the entrance.

The same QR sign keeps pointing to the live chart after seating changes, so you do not need to reprint it for each revision. Place copies where guests can scan safely, test the venue connection, and keep a printed list for the door team. A QR sign can reduce crowding; it cannot guarantee a queue-free arrival.

Setting Up Wallet Passes

Wallet passes are sent from the same guest list you've already built in the designer — there's no separate export or second tool to learn.

1. With your guests assigned to seats and their email addresses checked, open the guest seat notifications option in the share panel.
2. Each notified guest receives their table assignment and available links for adding a Wallet pass.
3. If you reseat a guest, supported Wallet passes can refresh automatically. Open a test pass after making a change and allow time for the update to arrive.

Because the pass lives in the guest's Wallet app rather than in an email they might lose track of, it's still there on the night even if they can't find the original message.

When Each One Matters Most

Large events where a physical display could bottleneck. Giving guests several places to scan can spread arrivals across their own phones instead of one shared board. Leave room around the signs and a clear route to staff assistance.

Events where you want to limit what is shared. A passcode restricts access to people who have the code, but it does not verify that someone is searching for their own name. Review the options for showing tablemates and the seating chart before sharing. Turn those off if you only want lookup results visible, and keep sensitive donor notes out of guest-facing materials.

Multi-room or marquee events. Give tables clear, distinctive labels and provide room directions at the entrance. Test the actual lookup result so that “Table 14” is useful to someone arriving in the wrong tent.

Reaching guests before they even arrive.If you want people to know their seat before the day — so they can plan around who they're sitting with, or so a nervous guest isn't hunting for their name in a crowd — the Wallet pass gets there first. It's also simply less for your door staff to manage on the night.

What This Replaces

If you're currently doing any of the following, this is what it's for:

• Printing escort cards and hoping the alphabetical table doesn't create a jam at 6:45pm
• Emailing a static PDF of the seating chart that's already out of date after the next RSVP change
• Fielding "where do I sit" questions in person because there's no other way for a guest to check
• Reprinting a physical chart every time a table changes in the final 48 hours

Both tools use the chart you maintain. Lookup results can take a short time to refresh, and Wallet updates depend on the pass service and device. Recheck a sample guest after late changes instead of promising instant updates at the door.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do guests need to download an app to use either of these? The QR sign opens in a phone browser without a SeatPlan account or app. Wallet passes need a compatible Apple Wallet or Google Wallet app; availability depends on the device and configured wallet support.

What plan do I need? Both the QR seat finder and Wallet passes are included on the Collaborate and Event Manager plans, with no per-event fees and no guest cap.

Can I keep the seating chart private from guests who aren’t looking up their own name? A passcode limits who can search, but anyone with it can search other names. Turn off tablemate and seating-chart sharing if those details should stay hidden. Name lookup is not an identity check.

What happens if I reseat someone after sending passes or printing the QR sign? The QR sign still points to the current chart; allow a short refresh delay. Supported Wallet passes can update automatically, with timing dependent on the wallet service and device. Test a late change before guests arrive.

Can I use just one of these instead of both? Yes. Wallet passes reach notified guests ahead of time; the QR sign helps people check at the door. Both require the guest to be on your chart, and a printed list gives staff a backup.

Help Guests Find Their Seats

Set up a QR sign for the door and Wallet passes for notified guests. Test both against the chart, review the sharing options, and keep a printed backup for your arrival team.

Included on Collaborate and Event Manager plans. QR lookup needs no SeatPlan account. Wallet support depends on the guest’s device.