Seat Sublime: A Recommendation System to Accommodate User Preference in Concert Hall Seating Selection

Abstract

Most research on the “performance” of concert halls focuses on the acoustical performance of the hall. The 3382 ISO standard for performance spaces identifies certain key acoustical metrics for the hall, which are generally calculated as averages for the entire hall. Designers of the hall must also accommodate requirements to provide a certain number of seats, to provide better audience sight lines and seating closer to the stage, and to surround the hall with the many amenities required of modern halls. The result will always represent to some degree a set of compromises, yielding a diversity of different experiences depending on where one is seated in the hall. The “average” measure of performance space acoustics based on the 3382 ISO standard thus ends up not describing the musical concert-going experience for the individual attendee, and even if it did describe the acoustical experience, does not in any way capture the total experience of attending a concert in the hall. There is currently no standard or system that addresses all of these factors together, yet research shows that the emotional experience of attending a concert may be derived at least as much from the visual aspects of the performance as the acoustical aspects. This research suggests that the design of concert halls, their ongoing management, and the concertgoer experience could be improved if the acoustical, visual, and physical seating experiences in the hall were matched to the individual concertgoer’s preferences. This research further identifies and demonstrates the parameters that might govern such a system. The recommendation system proposed could be used in the design, management, and sale of tickets for concert halls to provide recommendations depending on the identified preferences of constituents, the known characteristics of the hall, and even the music to be performed in a particular concert. In any case, understanding that the concert experience is a combination of many factors, and that the seats in the hall can be selected to deliver a different experience based on the preferences of the concertgoer, could help foster a more holistic, conversation about concert hall design.