High Holy Day Seating

Sell High Holy Day seats the way an airline sells seats. Upload a floor plan of your sanctuary, place the seats on it, and then assign and invoice seats from the office or let members choose their own seats online.

How It Fits Together

Administrators open High Holy Day Seating from the Shul Administration menu (/admin/seating-seasons). Seating charts are under Seating Charts on that page.

Setting Up a Seating Chart

1. Create the chart

   Go to Seating Charts and click New Chart. Give it a name (for example "Main Sanctuary") and upload a floor plan image in PNG, JPG or WebP format, up to 10 MB. A scan or photo of an architect's plan works well. Convert PDF plans to an image first. You can also start on a blank grid and add the image later.

2. Add your sections

   In the editor, click Add under Sections and name each area of the sanctuary. Pick a color for each one. Members see seats in their section's color.

3. Set the defaults for new seats

   Before placing seats, choose the section, the row letter, the first seat number and the member and non-member prices under New Seat Defaults.

4. Place the seats

   Use Add Row to click where a row begins and where it ends. The number of seats in Per row is spaced evenly between those points and labelled A1, A2, A3 and so on. The row letter then moves on to B for the next row. Use Add Seat to place single seats.

5. Adjust and save

   Switch to Select to fine-tune the layout, then click Save Layout.

Editing Seats

• Select seats: click a seat, shift-click to add more, or drag a box around a group
• Move seats: drag them, or use the arrow keys to nudge (hold Shift to move further)
• Change details: with seats selected, change their section, prices, label, Accessible seat or Available for sale setting. Changes apply to every selected seat.
• Straighten a row: select it and click Align to put the seats on one line, or Space evenly to even out the gaps
• Renumber: select seats and use Relabel as row to number them from left to right
• Delete: press Delete or click Delete seats
• Zoom: use the + and - buttons above the map for detailed work

To replace the floor plan, click Details & Image. Seats are positioned relative to the image, so a replacement with the same proportions keeps every seat in place. If you leave the editor with unsaved changes, ShulNET asks before discarding them.

Creating a Season

On the High Holy Day Seating page, click New Season and fill in:

Assigning and Invoicing Seats (Office)

Open a season to see the seat map. The colors show the state of every seat:

• Section color: available
• Red with a ring: selected
• Amber: held for a renewal
• Light gray: reserved, not yet paid
• Dark gray: reserved and paid
• Outline only: out of service
• Round: accessible seat

1. Select the seats

   Click each available seat the family wants. Hover over a seat to see its member and non-member price.

2. Choose the member and pricing

   Search for the member, then choose Member price or Non-member price.

3. Assign and invoice

   Leave Create an invoice for these seats checked and click Assign & Invoice. ShulNET creates one invoice with a line for each seat, such as "High Holy Days 5787 - Seat A12 (Main Floor)". The invoice appears in the member's invoices, where it can be sent, paid and tracked like any other invoice.

Managing a Seat

Click a taken seat on the map, or a row in the Seat Holders table below it, to see who holds it and the invoice status. From there you can:

• Record an occupant name: who will actually sit in the seat, which is useful for ushers and for guests of a member family
• Open the invoice to record a payment or send it
• Release Seat: frees the seat and removes its line from the invoice. If that was the only seat on the invoice, the invoice is cancelled.

Use the search box above the Seat Holders table to find a family, a seat or an invoice number. The totals at the top of the page show seats reserved, seats still available, renewals pending, and the amount invoiced and paid.

Renewing Last Year's Seats

Many families sit in the same seats every year. Renewals hold each family's seats for them before anyone else can take them.

1. Set a renewal deadline

   Click Edit Season and set the Renewal deadline. Without one, renewal offers don't hold seats.

2. Offer the renewals

   Click Offer Renewals, choose last year's season, and click Create Renewal Offers. Every seat sold last year is held for the same family at this year's prices, and occupant names carry over. Last year's season must use the same seating chart.

3. Families confirm

   Until the deadline, families see their held seats in the member portal and can confirm them in one step. The office can also confirm a renewal by clicking the seat and choosing Confirm Renewal & Invoice, or withdraw it with Withdraw Renewal Offer.

4. Unclaimed seats are released

   After the deadline, any renewal that wasn't confirmed becomes available to everyone automatically.

Choosing Seats as a Member

When your synagogue opens seat sales online, open High Holy Day Seats from the member menu (/member/seating) and choose the season.

1. Pick your seats

   Tap available seats on the map to select them. Taken seats are grayed out, and your own seats are shown in teal. Use the + and - buttons to zoom in on a section. Your selection and the total appear beside the map, at member or non-member prices depending on your membership.

2. Choose how to pay

   • Pay now by card: your seats are reserved and you go straight to the payment page
   • Add to my account and pay later: your seats are reserved and an invoice is added to My Invoices

3. Reserve

   Click Reserve & Pay or Reserve Seats. Your seats are yours as soon as you reserve them, even if you choose to pay later.

Keeping Last Year's Seats

If you had seats last year, you may see a notice that says "We're holding your seats from last year", with the date they are held until. Those seats are already selected on the map. Choose a payment option and click Reserve to keep them. You can do this before the general sale opens. If you don't confirm by the deadline, the seats are released to other members.

Your reserved seats and their invoices are listed under My Seats on the High Holy Day Seats page.

Related Documentation

• Managing Invoices
• Processing Payments
• Member Portal
• Chart of Accounts & GL Export