By Anne Chapman

April 23, 2020

Events and gatherings are on pause while the world recovers, but monitoring and maintaining your facility still continues. Here are some important steps to protect your seating while your venue is closed. These will also help you customers feel safe to return when the time is right.

We're also finding that for many customers, a closely related need is monitoring and maintaining the seating to ensure it's ready for when guests return. Here are a few helpful tips.

1. Check that the chair back is secured to the chair standards.
2. Oscillate each seat to make sure it returns to the upright position under its own power.
3. Look at the hardware securing the seat to the chair standards.
4. Check to make sure standards are secure to the anchors or screws.
5. Inspect armrests to insure they are secured to the chair standards and free from damage.
6. Go over all accessories (letter & seat plates, aisle lights, tablet arms, cupholders, etc.) to insure they are secure and in proper working order.

Don’t neglect your building’s air quality during this down time. To minimize the spread of airborne particles and provide a healthy environment for your guests year round, aim to keep your building's humidity between 40 and 60 percent. Keep HVAC systems running and perform preventative maintenance now while buildings are unoccupied.

For recliners, it's good to fully recline and then return the chair to its upright position (a mass open and close function makes this easy). Ensure all accessories are working properly from swivel tables, to flip-up center arms letter and seat plates and aisle lights.

For rockers, it can be helpful to apply a Teflon-Silicone lubricant spray to the compression bumpers to eliminate food/beverage residue and keep the rocking mechanism working quietly.