Creating seating plans: a practical application

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Author
Lewis, Rhyd
Carroll, Fiona
Date
2017-12-21Acceptance date
2016-03-23
Date Deposited
2018-09-13
Type
Article
acceptedVersion
Publisher
Springer
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This paper examines the interesting problem of designing seating plans for large events such as weddings and gala dinners where, among other things, the aim is to construct solutions where guests are sat on the same tables as friends and family, but, perhaps more importantly, are kept away from those they dislike. This problem is seen to be Open image in new window-complete from a number of different perspectives. We describe the problem model and heuristic algorithm that is used on the commercial website www.weddingseatplanner.com. We present results on the performance of this algorithm, demonstrating the factors that can influence run time and solution quality, and also present a comparison with an equivalent IP model used in conjunction with a commercial solver.
Journal/conference proceeding
Journal of the Operational Research Society;
Citation
Lewis, R. and Carroll, F. (2016) 'Creating seating plans: a practical application', Journal of the Operational Research Society, 67(11), pp.1353-1362
Description
Article published in Journal of the Operational Research Society on 18 October 2018 available at https://doi.org/10.1057/jors.2016.34