Creating a Venue and Pricing Map - Overview

First, a venue needs to be created. When you add the venue, you add:/p>

• Venue Information
• Icons and Notes for your internet sales for the venue
• Then you add the Pricing Maps
Venues also have Plays, Tasks and Default Resources attached to them.

There are four steps to adding a Pricing map to a Venue in Theatre Manager:

1. A graphic map or drawing of the basic outline of the space. The graphic map is a colourful representation of the space and different seating/pricing areas of the venue that makes it easier for customers and staff to visually locate the desired seating area. The graphic itself is just blocks of colour arranged so that they represent the space - the seats are added separately and do not need to be included on the drawing.
2. The seat squares/circles/ovals that are added on top of the graphic map drawing.
3. Numbering of the seat. This facilitates setting up the data file that tells each square/circle/oval "who" it is and "where" it is.
4. The Seat Names, or data file, that tells Theatre Manager how the seats are arranged numerically into sections, rows, and seats. It also dictates which pricing zones (or price codes) applies to each seat, and which are the "best seats" for online sales search by best available seating.

Step 1 - Create the Graphic

Venue map graphics or pictures are not required if reserved seating will be sold non-graphically (this is not common) or if the venue is used for festival or traveling troupe ticket sales. If the intention is to sell reserved seats visually, a graphic representation of the venue will need to be drawn in a graphic application and then placed into Theatre Manager. At this time, Arts Management recommends using a PowerPoint slide to draw the graphic image as it allows for small file size, and images can be saved in the correct format for both PC and Mac use.

Optimizing Graphic Map Size

Use vector based graphics (lines, squares, circles, letters, colour, etc) on your maps and do not use picture/image files (jpegs, tiffs, bitmaps, etc) or high bit depth (shadings and transparency) to minimize the size of the final graphic. Think simple - the graphic map, that sits behind the seat squares, does not need to be an elaborate representation of the venue. The purpose is to allow patrons to easily visualize the sections/zones within the venue.

You can do a fantastic map with lines circles and colour using vector graphics and the file size will be 50K +/-. Adding a picture can jump the size to a megabyte without trying. Smaller file sizes result in faster performance transferring the maps from the database and building the suggested seat graphics for the web. Theatre Manager limits the graphic map file size to less than 500kb for PC's, less than 200kb for Mac's. Less is more.

For Windows

The picture must be saved as a Windows Meta File (WMF) in a Windows environment (PowerPoint will do this). Drawing applications like Corel Draw can create WMF files - but be mindful of the file size. It's much easier for things to get "out of hand" in a drawing application than in PowerPoint. The Metafile must be placed in Theatre Manager on a Windows machine and must be smaller than 500kb in order to be read properly.

For Mac

For the Macintosh the file should be saved as a PICT file. Microsoft Office X - PowerPoint for Mac can save as a PICT file. Drawing applications like MacPaint or PC-Paintbrush can also create PICT files. The PICT file must be placed in Theatre Manager on a Macintosh machine and must be smaller than 200kb in order to be read properly.

If you are using PowerPoint for Mac to create your pict files, use version 8 or previous. In PowerPoint ver. 10, the .picts have changed and will not display.

Step 2 - Add the Seats

Place the seats on the map in the Pricing Map >> Graphic Map tab.

The seats within the venue are placed on the representation using the built-in Theatre Manager tools.

Click here to go to the Placing the Seats on a Venue Map page for more information.

Step 3 - Reorder the Seats

Proceed by reordering the seats on the graphic map to put them into a logical order. For more information on reordering seats click here.

Step 4 - Name the Seats

You name the seats within the venue. Naming seats allows you to define their physical loaction, such as Section A, Row 4, Seat 6.

For more information on naming seats click here.

Adding Best Seats for the Web Interface

The best seats function allows web users to quickly find the best seats online. For more information on he best seat settings click here.

Your Venue Map is now complete and ready for event setup.

Theatre / Venue List

Adding a Theatre Map to Theatre Manager Quick Reference Guide	draft
Editing Tools Cheatsheet

To access Venue List window, you perform the following steps:

1. The Venue List is accessed through the Setup >> Theatre / Venue menu.

   Alternatively you can click on theVenue button from the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

   

   The Venue List window opens.

   

   Parts of the Venue List Window

   	Opens the Theatre Manager Online Help.
   	Creates a new Venue. For more information on creating new Venues, click here.
   	Opens the selected venue for editing. For more information on editing venues, click here.
   	Creates a copy of the selected venue. For more information on duplicating venues, click here.
   	Deletes the selected venues. Venues can only be deleted if their are no Pricing Maps attached and the maps have not been used to sell tickets. Click here For more information on Deleteing Venues.
   	Generates a report of the Venue list to the screen or default print location.
   	Exports either the Venue List in text or Excel formats, or exports the map in .tmm format for importing to another Theatre Manager database. For more information on exporting maps, click here.
   	Imports a Venue from another Theatre Manager database. For instructions on importing venues, click here.
   	Allows you to merge two or venues together. This should be done if they occupy the same physical space. For instructions on Merging Venues, click here.
   	Places any images/pictures associated with the map on the FTP site. For info on how FTP works with Theatre Manager, click here.
   The fields listed below are the default columns listed for the Venue List window, but the columns can be changed to suit your needs. For more details on changing column preferences, click here.
   Map #	The unique number assigned to the venue for reference.
   Venue Name (Internal)	Internal name of the venue.
   Venue Name (External)	External name of the venue displayed online.
   Capacity	Seating capacity for the map.
   Price Codes	Letters and numbers assigned to the map for the pricing structure.
   Plug-in	Plug-in assigned to the map.
   Named?	Indicates whether or not the theatre seats have been named.
   Outlet-Owner	Outlet responsible for the map.

Creating a New Venue and Map

Adding a Theatre Map to Theatre Manager Quick Reference Guide	draft
Editing Tools Cheatsheet

To add a Venue and create their maps, you perform the following steps:

1. Click Setup >> Venue.

   The Venue List window opens.

   

2. Click the New button.

   

   The Venue Inserting window opens to the Description tab. Click here for more information on the parts of the Venue window.

3. Enter the Theatre Information.

   

   Theatre #	Unique number of the map, automaticallly assigned by Theatre Manager
   Internal Theatre Name	The internal name used on the sales window
   External Theatre Name	The external name for the theatre used in web sales and for ticket faces
   Address	The Address information of the venue
   Phone	The telephone and Fax numbers for the Box Office
   Email	Email address of the Box Office
   Active	If enabled the theatre will be shown for selection in reports
   Theatre Colour	A colour selected here overides the normal task colour shown on the claendar for this theatre.

4. Enter the Icon and Notes for the Web.

   

   You can add a 200 pixel width by 250 pixel height jpeg that represents the branding for the venue. You only need to do this if your organization uses different icons for the venues instead of a generic icon for the Company. If you leave the field blank, TicketTrove will use the company icon for all venues. Click here for more information on adding a Venue image.

   Enter any additional notes about the Venue. The notes entered here will appear in the internet for web sales.

5. Click the Save button.

   

6. To add the Graphic Map, Seats, Seat Names and Best Seat Settings, click the New button in the Pricing Maps section of the window.

Creating the Graphic for the Map

Theatre map graphics or pictures are not required if reserved seating will be sold non-graphically (this is not common) or if the venue is used for festival or traveling troupe ticket sales. If the intention is to sell reserved seats visually, a graphic representation of the theatre will need to be drawn in a graphic application and then placed into Theatre Manager. At this time, Arts Management recommends using a PowerPoint slide to draw the graphic image as it allows for small file size, and images can be saved in the correct format for both PC and Mac use.

Optimizing Graphic Map Size

Use vector based graphics (lines, squares, circles, letters, colour, etc) on your maps and do not use picture/image files (jpegs, tiffs, bitmaps, etc) or high bit depth (shadings and transparency) in order to minimize the size of the final graphic. Think simple - the graphic map that sits behind the seat squares does not need to be an elaborate representation of the venue. The purpose is to allow patrons to easily visualize the sections/zones within the venue.

You can do a fantastic map with lines circles and colour using vector graphics and the file size will be 50K +/-. Adding a picture can jump the size to a megabyte without trying. Smaller file sizes result in faster performance transferring the maps from the database and building the suggested seat graphics for the web. Theatre Manager limits the graphic map file size to less than 500kb for PC's, less than 200kb for Mac's. Less is more.

For Windows

The picture must be saved as a Windows Meta File (WMF) in a Windows environment (PowerPoint will do this). Drawing applications like Corel Draw can create WMF files - but be mindful of the file size. It's much easier for things to get "out of hand" in a drawing application than in PowerPoint. The Metafile must be placed in Theatre Manager on a Windows machine and must be smaller than 500kb in order to be read properly.

For Mac

For Macintosh the file should be saved as a PICT file. Microsoft Office X - PowerPoint for Mac can save as a PICT file. Drawing applications like MacPaint or PC-Paintbrush can also create PICT files. The PICT file must be placed in Theatre Manager on a Macintosh machine and must be smaller than 200kb in order to be read properly.

If you are using PowerPoint for Mac to create your pict files, use version 8 or previous. PowerPoint ver. 10 picts have changed and will not display.

Adding the Graphic Map

Adding a Theatre Map to Theatre Manager Quick Reference Guide	draft
Editing Tools Cheatsheet

The map information for each map is contained in the Pricing Map window. Each Theatre window can access multiple Pricing Map windows. You access the maps from the Theatre window.

To add a new map, click the New button in the Theatre window.

Click here for more information on the Theatre window.



The Pricing Map opens. Click here for more information on the Pricing Map window.

1. Enter the Price Map Name and Capacity information.

   

2. When complete, click the Save button.

   You can now add the Graphic Map.

3. Click the Graphic Map tab.

   The Graphic Map tab opens. Click here for more information on the graphic map tab.

   

4. Drag and Drop your graphic onto the Graphic Map page.

   

   Click here for information on creating your graphic map in a program outside of Theatre Manager.

   

   You can now add your seats to the map.

Placing Seats on a Pricing Map

Adding a Theatre Map to Theatre Manager Quick Reference Guide	draft
Editing Tools Cheatsheet

When you use reserved seating, you need to place those seats on the graphic map in Theatre Manager. Prior to placing seats on the Pricing map, a graphic representation of the venue must be placed into the graphic map window. Click here for more detail. If the venue is non-graphical or will be used for festival seating or traveling troupe ticket sales, placing seats on the map is not required.

1. Click Setup >> Venue.

   The Venue List window opens.

   

2. Select the Venue, and click the Open button.

   The Theatre window opens.

   

   Click here to learn how to create a map if the map you want has not yet been created.
3. Choose the Map you want to add the seats to and click the Open button.

   

   The Pricing Map window opens.

   Click Here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

4. Click the Graphic Map tab.

   

   The graphic map window is displayed. You use the Left toolbar tools and the right-click menu tools to add your seats to the map.

5. Decide if the seats will be square or circular.

   Select the appropriate shape button .

6. Click Add Grid of Seats button.

   This will open the Add Block of Seats window to add a section of seats. The Add Seat button adds single seats to the map.

   

   Number of Seats	Enter the number of seats to be added. (It will default to the total number of seats remaining to be added to the theatre and will decrease as seats are added).
   Number of Columns	Enter the number of columns (left to right) to place the seats into a grid.
   Spacing Vertical	The number of pixels of vertical spacing (left to right) between the seats.
   Spacing Horizontal	The number of pixels of horizontal spacing (up and down) between the seats.

7. Click the Add button.

   This will place a grid (block) of seats in the upper left corner of the theatre map. Click on one of the added seats and drag the grid of seats into the appropriate place on the theatre map. Continue adding seats (grid by grid) until the total number of seats have been placed on the graphic representation.

   
8. Click the Save button.

   Save frequently while adding seats. If an errors is made the Revert button can be used to return to the last saved point.

9. Select a row or column or seats.

   Place the mouse above the upper left corner of the first seat to select, click and hold the mouse button and encircle the seats to align. Release the mouse to highlight the seats. To select multiple seats hold the <SHIFT> key and click on each seat.

10. Duplicate similar section of the venue as needed.

    	Duplicates selected seats.
    	Flips the selected seats vertically.
    	Flips the selected seats horizontally.
    	Rotates the selected seats 90 degrees to the left.
    	Rotates the selected seats 90 degrees to the right .

11. Align the seats.

    Once all the seats have been placed on the graphic representation, use the alignment buttons to ensure seats are straight within each row and column.

    	Aligns the selected row with the top of the row.
    	Aligns the selected row with the bottom of the row.
    	Aligns the selected row to the left of the row.
    	Aligns the selected row to the right of the row.

    Ensure seats are evenly spaced and distributed using the functions described below.

    	Evenly distributes the selected seats horizontally.
    	Evenly distributes the selected seats vertically.
    	Opens the Distribute Seats Window allowing the selected seats to be distributed both horizontally and vertically.

12. Click the Save button.

    When all seats are placed the next step is to arrange the seats in a logical order so Theatre Manager can connect each seat to its name. Click here for information on reordering logical seats.

Reordering Seats on a Pricing Map

Once you have placed all the seats on the map, the next step is to set those seats into a specific order so that the system can assign them the physical seating descriptions.

Each seat has its own number called a logical seat. The logical seats start numbering at 1, and continue through to the physical number of seats in the theatre. This is analogous to having a serial number stamped under each seat.

Since there are no two theatres, arenas, or performance spaces that are exactly alike, it is very difficult for Theatre Manager to automatically know what the seat names will be in the real world. Each seat in the Map is assigned a logical seat number, and those numbers can be arranged as needed. Once they are in a sequence that is easy to predict, each logical seat number is assigned a name. For example:

• Logical Seat # 1 would really be called Section Right, Row A, Seat 1.

  It is like a serial number on the bottom of the seat - the serial numbers just need to be arranged sequentially, and then named in the same sequence.

To change the logical seat numbers, you perform the following steps:

1. Click the 123 button on the left of the map.

   This shows each logical seat number, in the order that the seats were laid down. The number might be difficult to see, depending on the resolution of the monitor. Zoom in on the map for a closer view or hold the mouse over a seat to see its logical seat number.

2. Select a section of seats to reorder.

   This is done by clicking the mouse outside of a section of seats, holding down the mouse button and dragging a box around the section. Hold the Shift key on the keyboard while dragging a box to select multiple sections.

   If there are multiple sections in the space, it may be easier to reorder the sections one at a time. If the space is arranged in rows and columns, and is roughly rectangular, it can be reordered all at once.

   The reorder routine works horizontally and vertically, so seats must be in even rows and columns to work correctly. If a seat is above another seat, it will be assigned a non-sequential number based on the direction that is being reordered from.

   For venues that have seating on angles, each row may need to be reordered individually to ensure each seat within each row gets the next sequential number.

3. Click the Reorder button.

   

4. Enter the first seat number for the section being reordered.

   If reordering the first section, start with seat # 1. If reordering a section, after having already reordered other sections, make sure the seat number is the next sequential number from the last seat in the section previously reordered. This will ensure logical seat numbers are not taken from seats that have already been reordered.

5. Decide which direction to reorder the seats.

   Seats can be reordered starting in one corner, horizontally then vertically, or vertically then horizontally. Select the starting point from the sets of radio buttons surrounding the yellow square. The note inside the yellow square will indicate the direction Theatre Manager will sort the sequence.

6. Click the Reorder button.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 to reorder any other sections.

   Once the seats have been reordered, you are ready to begin naming the seats. For more information of naming seats click here.

Naming Seats

Once all seats have been placed, the next step is to name the seats so that the patrons can find them. Prior to naming seats, they should be re-ordered into a sequence using the logical seat number.

Each one of the seats must be given a physical location that the patrons understands. Theatre Manager provides the traditional three level naming convention of section, row and seat. Each of these fields is alpha-numeric, so seats can be named to represent the theatre.

Alpha-numeric sorts the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 as 1, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. It is recommended that seats be numbered 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12. These seats would be sorted alpha-numerically as 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12. Similarly A, B, C, AA, AB, AC would be sorted alpha-numerically as A, AA, AB, AC, B, C. To avoid this type of sort, should more than 26 letters be required, use two letters such as AA, AB, AC, BA, BB as a naming convention.

In order to determine the Best Seats, Theatre Manager uses a two-pass system. This two-pass system can protect seats for a second pass. This is particularly helpful in a dinner theatre setting where two seats to each table want to be sold before additional seats to the table are sold.

To utilize this feature, simply use # as modifier when numbering the Best Seats numbers. For example, if seats at Table 1 are numbered logically, 1-4, then when numbering the seats as Best Seat numbers the seats can be numbered 1, 2, 3#, 4#. When searching for two Best Seats, Theatre Manager will skip seats 3 & 4 and move to the next table. However, if searching for four seats, then Theatre Manager will use seats 1-4 as the best seats available. This can also be used in a normal theatre to push patrons into the centre of rows before selling the aisles.

Naming Seats

1. Ensure all seats are in logical sequence.
2. Click the Seat Names tab.
3. The Initial Seat Setup confirmation window will appear.

   

4. Click the Yes button.

   The Seat Names window will populate.

   

5. There are two options for inputting seat names:

   a) Export the data out of Theatre Manager to a file and open the data in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, edit and save the document in a tab-delimited format and import them back into Theatre Manager.

   b) Click into each field in Theatre Manager and enter the data manually. Theatre Manager will assist in populating some of the data using predefined equations.

6. Enter values for Section, Row and Seat Code.

   Change the values of these fields to something meaningful to the theatre.

7. Indicate which price codes are valid for the seat.

   If the seat is in the front row, then a balcony price code would not be valid.

8. Enter the Best Available Area and Best Available #.

   Theatre Manager will use the area and number to create a sequential order from which to decide what the best available seats are. Have the best seats (or the seats to sell first) in a higher (ie. A-D) alphabetical area. The seat numbers are used for the system to decide on how many seats are available in an area.

   If entering names manually in Theatre Manager, the Auto-Fill button can be used to assign the best seating area, best seat number and the seat code.

   

9. Repeat the above steps until all data for all the logical seats are entered for the venue.
10. Click the Save button.

    All seats must be named before the data can be saved.

    Return to the Graphic map tab and hold the mouse over seats at random. Double check the seat location is correct and that each seat is named properly.

Editing a Pricing Map

To edit a map, you perform the following steps:

1. Pricing Maps are accessed through the Setup >> Venue menu.

   Alternatively you can click on the Venue button in the Theatre Manager toolbar / Ribbon Bar.

   

   The Venue List window opens.

   

   Click here, for more information on the Venue List window.

2. Chose the Venue you want to view/edit from the list and click the Open button, alternatively, double click on the name of the venue.

   The Venue window opens.

   

3. Choose the pricing map you want to edit and click Open.

   Edit the description tab for changes in map details, the graphic map tab for seating placement and the seat names tab for changes in the name of a seat.

4. Click the Save button.

   The changes made to the map have now been saved. To correct changes before saving click the Revert button to revert back to the last saved point.

Merging Venues

Two or more venues can be merged together. This should be done if they occupy the same physical space and are really just alternate pricing maps for the same place.

The process is to:

• Select one or more venues from the list of venues that are considered to be the same physical space
• Click the merge button on the venue list
• Select one of the venues as the 'master' venue
• Click the Merge button on the window

When merging venues, the following occurs:

• The pricing maps for the separate venues will be consolidated under the one venue.
• All performances in the venue being merged from will be disabled for sale and will need to be re-enabled for sale after the merge.
• If there are tickets in an active order for the venue being merged, the merge will be skipped. Please ensure that nobody is selling tickets for an event in the venue that is being merged from
• If there are tickets in an open shopping cart in hold state for the venue being merged, then that venue will also be skipped in the merge. It is advisable to take the events in that venue off-sale for a period of time before doing the merge.

Once two venues have been merged into one, there is no mechanism to separate them at this time.

Theatre Map Window - Description Tab

Theatre Map Window

Parts of the Description Tab

Contact Information
Theatre Map #	Unique number of the map automatically assigned by Theatre Manager.
Internal Theatre Name	The internal name used for the theatre. This only displays to users.
External Theatre Name	The external name of the theatre. This displays in area such as tickets and Web Sales.
Address	Address of the venue.
City	City in which the venue is located.
Province / State	Province / state in which the venue is located.
Country	Country in which the venue is located.
Postal Code / Zip Code	Postal code / zip code of the venue.
Phone	Phone number of the venue.
Fax	Fax number of the venue.
E-mail	E-mail address of the venue.
Active	A check box to indicate whether the map is active or inactive.
Seating Capacity and Pricing
Physical Seats	Number of physical seats in the venue. Include any additional seats such as standing room only, wheelchair, etc.
Reporting Capacity	This is usually the same as the number of physical seats. Sometimes, this is revised downward to report capacity at 100% after excluding the additional seats such as standing room only, etc. This will affect such reports as possible revenue, royalties, etc.
Price Codes	Price codes which will be used in this venue.
Best Seat Plug In	Displays the number of the Plug In currently in use for the venue. Please contact Artsman Support for more information about Plug Ins.
	Opens the Plug In List Window to lookup the available Plug Ins.
Reserved Seating Map Status
Seats Placed on Map	If checked states that all physical seats have been placed on the map.
All Seats Have Been Named	If checked states that all physical seats have been named.
Notes
Notes	Any addition notes about the theatre. These notes will appear on the internet for web sales.