Seating Booked & Fire Exits Kept Clear At Venues - when you are in the audience or organizing an event

 You may want to carry with you a pet cat in a cat box, books for book signing or other bulky items. Or even sit in a wheelchair or carry a pair of walking sticks, a guitar, or a walking frame.

Transporting Books, Bulky Items & Cats

First you need to check where they can go in a car or plane on the way to the venue.

I bought this handy bag to go on a small four-wheel suitcase.

Books, Bulky Items, Seats & Wheelchairs at Venues

If you cannot find a seat in the audience, you might consider sitting on the stage. Or being the bouncer or doorkeeper.

At a seated venue such as a conference centre, you cannot sit on the stairs and block the aisles.

I went to a speech contest in central London. If I remember rightly, it was at the London Business School. I had been added to the list late, not signed up on the original listing through a booking system. I was a replcement speaker for somebody who dropped out because of nerves or illness or work.

Finding A Seat

Therefore I had no allocated seat, and had to wait until I saw where there was a vacant seat. I knew that some people who had booked the event would be there only for the first session and not for the the session after the lunch break.

However, one of the building management came to me and said I could not sit on the aisle because I was blocking the escape exit in the event of an alarm for fire, evacuation for suspiciouls packages or anything else. (Not just because people need to get out in a hurry to avoid smoke inhalation. But also because if anybody trips over you there could be a pile up and injuries from falling or being crushed.)

As an audience member you need to liaise with the organizers. They may be able to allocate you their own seat if they are on stage speaking throughout the event. 

I had been hesitant to disturb the busy organizers of the event. However, when made to move, I hailed somebody and explained that I needed a seat.

The organizer might also know if somebody has rung in to say, that they would be absent their trains were not running or a pile up on a motorway. So you get a good seat near the front! This happened to me.

Leaving Aisles Free

I am now mindful of the need to leave aisles free of people sitting, whether from the beginning or latecomers.

As an organizer, it is good to have somebody at the door to direct latecomers to  seat so they are not let standing, or moving into centre seats causing a disturbance, when a conveneient seat is further away conveniently on the aisle where they can quickly slip into the seat, and have their props handy beside them under their seat, or at the back corner out of the way.

Wheelchair Users Need Of Space

I was recently in August 2025 at a Writers' Summer School at Swanwick in Derbyshire. As a result of a hirline fracture in a bone I was for the first time using an elecric wheelchair provided by the venue. 

However, it bleeped noisliy when reversing. In order to enter or leave the venue, or approach the stage, or the table of raffle gifts at the back when I won one of several raffle prizes, you needed to use a wide turning circle. In order to keep the vehicle charged, I was beside a socket on the side aisle wall. Half way down the side aisle, the aisle was blocked by the permanent box for the audio equippment and seated operator. I ralised that in a fire or evacuation I was blocked in and would be blocking others.

As an audience member, a furniture mover setting up a room, overseer, or building management, you need to be aware or keeping clear aisles, as well as entry and exit for any wheelchair users.