16 Unexpected Ideas for Event Seating

How's this for unexpected? C2 Montréal is known for creating unique environments that encourage creativity by getting guests out of their comfort zones—and the 2017 edition was no different. In the "Sky Lab" experience, groups of five people sat in chairs suspended about 20 feet off the ground, surrounded by a cylindrical projection surface. The purpose was to spend 20 minutes brainstorming business solutions. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2017: #1 C2 Montréal

The 2015 edition of C2 Montréal also featured a version of this floating chair concept, where a moderator led guests in a seven-minute discussion of business topics while they sat in seats suspended inside a net, 18 feet in the air. “When you are physically at risk of something, your perception of who you are, the environment, the world, will change. So that’s what we wanted to accomplish,” said C2's then-president, Richard St-Pierre. See more: How C2 Montréal Challenged Attendees to Take Risks

An idea that's a little more down to earth—but that still offers a striking visual impact—is to arrange chairs to create a theater-in-the-round setup. It's an idea the third Girlboss Rally, which took place in 2018 in Los Angeles, used in order to get guests closer to the speakers. In the front row were couches and lounge chairs. "It [was] really inviting; people wanted to hang out there for hours," said event designer Nicky Balestrieri of The Gathery. See more: How Girlboss Created a "Conference Unlike Any Other Conference"

Seating can also be a fun way to further an event's branding, like at Pinterest's colorful Cannes Lions activation in France this past June. Bright red, pin-inspired chairs served as a playful nod to the brand's name. See more: Cannes Lions 2022: How Top Brands Drew Attention at the Jam-Packed Festival of Creativity

Another branded seating idea came from the YouTube Artist Lounge at the 2022 edition of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. A fun seating area was inspired by the YouTube logo—complete with bright and colorful pillows and desert-inspired wall decor. MAS handled design and production. See more: 5 Event Design Trends We Loved at Coachella This Year

Yet another clever idea is to make your seating interactive—and focusing on wellness is a great way to do this, particularly as it pertains to breaking up day-long conferences and other events. A standout example: For an L.L. Bean event in New York in 2018, the brand worked with Jack Morton Worldwide to create pop-up workstations. A variety of seating—including cycling desks—was intended to encourage different ways of working. (The desks were purchased from LifeSpan Fitness, which also sells treadmill desks, standing desks, and other health-focused office furniture.)

“Sometimes you are going to want power and some shade; other times, if it's a creative blue-sky thinking session, you might want to be in lower, more comfortable seating," explained Kathryn Pratt, L.L. Bean’s director of brand engagement, about the different seating options. See more: How L.L. Bean Encouraged People to Take Their Work Outside

Another wellness-focused seating idea comes from a 2017 networking event from Chicago-based Kehoe Designs. The company created a fitness-focused gathering for its employees that included a workout from Barry's Bootcamp trainers. Decor was a playful-but-stylish take on a fitness theme, with details like orchids anchored to kettlebells as centerpieces, while balance balls set in gilded stands made for unexpected and inventive side chairs. The chairs were custom-fabricated by the Kehoe Designs team. See more: See a Workout That Turned Into a Networking Event

At the 2020 edition of GO WEST—a conference for event and meeting professionals produced by Timewise Event Management—five themed breakout rooms created an immersive learning environment for attendees. The colorful "playground"-themed room offered seating inside a ball pit.

In addition to the ball pit, GO WEST's playground-themed breakout room offered swing chairs and other colorful seating options, allowing guests to choose which setup was most comfortable and inspiring for them. The conference's main stage area, meanwhile, included a mix of high-tops, couches, and beanbag chairs as seating. See more: Most Innovative Meetings 2020: #2 GO WEST

Speaking of bean bags, the comfortable seating option has become a popular choice for conferences and education sessions of all types. A recent example? Gymshark's 2021 activation in Los Angeles, which used bean bag chairs as seating. Getting the exact right level of comfort was important, said the event's producer, Matt Stoelt of Stoelt Productions: The chairs had to be soft enough to be comfortable, but he also didn’t want attendees zoning out during the panels. See more: 7 Things Event Marketers Can Learn From This Gymshark Brand Activation

In another take on comfort, Canadian virtual and live planner e=mc² events helped make Energy Disruptors’ #EDU2019 activation more guest-oriented by adding body-length, banana-like cushions, making the seating area twice as relaxing.

And at the 2013 edition of TED, the world-famous conference known for its 18-minute talks, Target hosted a social space called "A Mind for Design," which had seating inspired by brain waves. The reactive space changed colors as guests interacted with it, and it had a live Twitter stream that showcased real-time Tweets from conference attendees.

Special seating can also be a fun way to reward VIPs, like this space at the first west coast edition of New York magazine's popular Vulture Festival, held in Los Angeles in 2017. JetBlue hosted its own studio for panels, and surprised random fans with special front-row seating—in cushy airplane seats. See more: How the Inaugural Vulture Festival Los Angeles Made Everyone Feel Like Stars

Seating areas can also make an impact by complementing the event's decor, like this vignette from Diffa's 17th annual Dining by Design event in 2014. The New York Design Center tablescape, designed by Kati Curtis, riffed on male and female gender stereotypes—pairing traditional masculine and feminine sensibilities side by side to highlight their differences but also simultaneously uniting them. The floral and plaid chairs immediately set the tone for the design concept. See more: The Best Decor Ideas From Diffa's Dining by Design in New York

Freeform and ABC Signature Studios hosted an event for the TV show Grown-ish in 2019. Working with AOO Events, the team transformed Lombardi House in Los Angeles into a college frat party, complete with oversized games, an ice luge, and a step-and-repeat made from red Solo cups. In a theme-appropriate touch, lawn chairs served as seating during an episode screening. See more: 28 Fun Ideas From Recent TV and Movie Events

To liven up Agnes & Dora's annual convention, held in Salt Lake City in 2017, organizers Geffen Events went for a modern Woodstock vibe—engaging guests with bohemian designs and playful activities to mirror the clothing brand's style. Seating areas tied into a 1960s theme, with a mix of sofas, stools, and branded throw pillows and floor cushions giving guests a comfortable and unconventional space to relax between education sessions. See more: 15 Colorful Ideas for a Design-Forward Convention