Create a seating chart

Attached is a seating chart that I created. There are four workbooks. Original names=This is where i post from another database he first & last names of students. Students = This is where I take first initial and last names. Seating = This is where i create a seating chart using the names from Students. Grad seating assignments = This is where I pull from seating to print out labels with names and seating assignements. GRAD SEATING is where Im having problems. Im trying to pull from "seating" the row and seat number of each individual..Ive tried using Transpose or offset to pull this data from each individual and paste, but it just increases the row number not columns. Can anyone figure out an easier way? Thanks BTW the seat rows are A,B,C and seat numbers are L3, L4 etc.

In B2 on your seating assignment sheet you could try:

=IF(A2="","",INDEX(Seating!$A:$A,MAX(INDEX(ROW(Seating!$D$2:$AJ$21)*(Seating!$D$2:$AJ$21=LEFT(A2,1)& MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2),255)),0))) & "-" & INDEX(Seating!$1:$1,MAX(INDEX(COLUMN(Seating!$D$2:$AJ$21)*(Seating!$D$2:$AJ$21=LEFT(A2,1)& MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2),255)),0))))

This worked!! This is my first time using this forum and all of you are amazing..Thanks.
Only 1 question.. If I have repeated names..example Eric Anderson. (I solved it by adding an Eric Anderson 1 and 2). But is there another way.. Just asking?

Yes, there is a way, but it's going to make an already lengthy formula quite a bit chunkier.

Would you like me to give it a go, or are you happy with your make-shift solution?

Im happy.. But I also found another issue. Take a look at B185,, Its giving the incorrect seat. This happens 2 -3 times in various locations? B221? This is random I cannot identify the issue.
Thanks

Sorry to take so long to get back to you.

I've updated your sheet a bit - I've added 3 'helper' columns to the students sheet. These allow for duplicate names without the formula getting stupidly large. These columns can be hidden, or moved to elsewhere on the same sheet, if you prefer.

As for B185 - that had me stumped for ages. The issue is that there's only one student called Haas, but he appears twice on the seating chart (A-R10 and H-L6) and this is what's confusing the formula.

The Haas in A-R10 has been written into the cell, rather than populated by a formula, so I assume that's the 'wrong' answer, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, updated version of your sheet is attached.

Thanks for the help..It seem to work now.. Haas, Yeah he has 2 seat, but others do too. They move depending the act. but it only showed on him..Weird