Migrate from seats.io

SeatLayer can read the seating layout of a public seats.io event and turn it into a draft SeatLayer chart. You review the draft in the Designer, publish it, and then create SeatLayer events from it. This page covers what the import copies, the steps in the dashboard, and how seats.io concepts map to the SeatLayer API.

What the import copies

The import reads the published drawing behind one seats.io event, using only the public workspace key and event key. No seats.io secret or admin key is needed.

What it does not copy:

• Bookings and holds. Seat statuses are not read. Every seat in the draft is free.
• Ticket prices. Prices are not read. Set prices on categories in the Designer after import.
• Images and icons. They are not imported as visuals. Image positions are only used to place wheelchair spaces and to detect a pitch or court.
• The visual theme. The draft uses a SeatLayer theme.
• Anything the converter could not read. A table, booth, GA area, or shape with missing geometry is left out and listed in the import review.

The focal point is set to the center of the drawing. A pitch or court is added only when the drawing or venue name says it is one, for example football, basketball, or court.

Import in the dashboard

1. Open Charts and choose Import a public Seats.io event. In the Designer, the same flow is under the new-chart menu as Import Seats.io event….
2. Enter the Public workspace key (from Workspace Settings in seats.io) and the Event key (from the event in seats.io).
3. Choose the Region the seats.io workspace lives in: Europe, North America, South America, or Oceania.
4. Optionally enter a Draft name. Without one, SeatLayer uses the seats.io chart name.
5. Choose Import to a draft. It usually takes 20 to 30 seconds. You can close the dialog; a message offers Open draft when it is ready.
6. The draft opens in the Designer with an import review. Each finding is marked fixed, needs input, unsupported, or informational. Answer the ones that need input, for example ticket prices or accessibility mapping.
7. Set category prices, check labels and sections, then publish the chart.

If the import fails, check the public workspace key, event key, and region.

Map seats.io concepts to SeatLayer

Imported seat labels follow Section-Row-Seat. If your order records store seats.io labels, compare them with the labels in the published SeatLayer chart before you move live orders.

Replace your webhook handlers

Point the handlers that react to seat changes at these SeatLayer events:

Every delivery is signed with HMAC SHA-256 and carries an occurrenceId to deduplicate retries. See webhook events and signature verification.

Swap the buyer SDK

Replace the seats.io chart renderer with the SeatLayer SeatingChart:

import { SeatingChart } from "@seatlayer/js";

const chart = new SeatingChart({
  container: "#chart",
  event: "<YOUR_EVENT_KEY>",
  publicKey: "<YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY>",
  onSelectionChange: renderCart,
  onHold: (hold) => saveHoldId(hold),
});

await chart.render();

The chart holds seats as the buyer selects them. Send the holdId to your server, check the price there, take payment, and book with your secret key. React, Vue, Angular, and the mobile SDKs follow the same pattern; see choose an integration and the SeatingChart reference.

Cut over one event at a time

1. Import the chart, review it, set prices, and publish it.
2. Create a test-mode event with a sk_test_… key and run a full buy: select, hold, pay, book, and receive seat.booked.
3. Create the live event with a sk_live_… key.
4. For seats already sold elsewhere, book them in SeatLayer with their original order references using box office booking, so they are not sold twice. Each seat booked this way uses a credit, like any sale.
5. Switch the buyer page to the SeatLayer chart.