Seating and ergonomics return to the equipment specification
Venues are treating gaming seating as a specified, measured component rather than a furniture line item, with accessibility and maintenance driving recent purchasing decisions.
Imogen Farrelly · Published 21 July 2026 · Updated 22 July 2026 · 5 min read · Global
Key points
- —Accessibility requirements are shaping seat and cabinet geometry.
- —Maintenance cost over five years now features in tender scoring.
- —Seat height and reach are being matched to cabinet platforms.
A measured component
Seat height, reach to controls and clearance for mobility aids are increasingly specified numerically, and cabinet suppliers are asked to confirm compatibility.
“You can specify a magnificent cabinet and ruin it with the wrong chair.”
Venue fit-out manager
Whole-of-life cost
Upholstery replacement cycles, gas strut life and cleaning tolerance now appear in tender documents, reflecting the cost of maintaining thousands of seats in continuous use.
Design consequence
Where seating and cabinet are designed together, venues report fewer complaints and simpler bank layouts.
Specified
Height, reach, clearance
Scored on
Five-year maintenance cost
Trend
Integrated seat and cabinet design
Primary sources
- Venue tender documents — Procurement records
- Accessibility guidance — Published standards
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