VENUE SEATING – Overlooked? Underrated? The importance of getting it right…

Now have you ever read a blog article about venue seating? I’m guessing the answer might be a no; it isn’t always the most talked about subject. But have you ever given venue seating more than a second thought as a client or consumer? Chances are yes, even if it is a passing thought in the back of your mind when you turn up to an event. Sometimes you do just want to grab a drink, have a sit down before you begin making your way around the room.

‘BizBash’ asked several events professionals what they look for when selecting a venue. It was interesting to read nearly every professional comment on the design but also furniture within an event space. Quotes include:

“I love it when a venue has good house items, like decent chairs, linens that actually go to the floor and decor that doesn't look like circa 1980.” —Monica Varner, President and C.E.O., Elan Event Studio

“One of my pet peeves includes old or weathered in-house items such as chairs and linens that can really impact the quality of an event.”—Liz Page, Principal, Liz Page Associates

“I look for a personality and character in a venue. I don’t like feeling like part of an oversize, impersonal facility." —Renee Radabaugh, President and Managing Director, Paragon Events

“I love a good communicator who responds almost immediately. Also stunning chairs and higher-end linens.”—Jodie Katz, Owner, Social Butterfly Event Design

Getting your venue seating right is becoming a more important factor for both event organisers and venue managers. For conference and meeting planners their guests will be sitting down watching presentations and engaging in forums for long hours, sometimes over a number of days. This is when seating becomes a priority factor when searching for event space. Social tables highlight this in their top three things planners look for in a venue - No.3 being clean tables, linens, and chairs - all in good working condition.

Having a wide range of quality seating options will be paramount in securing client business from a venue perspective. It can certainly feel more natural to want to boast about the more exciting things you have to offer - such as your 5* spa facilities and an in house Michelin star restaurant. But it is important to remember the focus of your client’s event and not overlook your basic amenities. 

Seating may not always be a venue manager’s top priority or talking point when selling event space but it certainly doesn’t go amiss when it comes to venue life cycle planning. Interior design is often covered in these plans, with depreciation allowances to enable reinvestment in complete refurbishment after a set period of use. Did you know the life cycle of furnishing fabrics in convention hotels and congress halls is only 2-4 years? Imagine the maintenance costs!

As part of a venues operations and maintenance, managers should be routinely checking facilities and keeping on top of refurbishment plans. That’s in addition to carrying out risk assessments and ensuring seating plans comply with health and safety requirements.

There’s certainly a lot more to venue seating than you first realise, and so far this has all been from a venue manager’s perspective. When you shift to the viewpoint of the event organiser further complications and questions soon arise. Thoughts will firstly shift to space layout – are you going with theatre, classroom, banquet, cabaret, U-shape, boardroom or cocktail reception?!

Then the worries soon emerge over capacity and comfort - how are you going to fit all your guests under one roof? You want to be able to accommodate your group comfortably but not in a space too small seating fills the room. Too large and your furniture can become just as lost as your guests.

And the last challenge – how do you seat everyone where the stage or screen is visible to all?!

* * *

A final thought goes to the future of the industry and what seating trends we might expect to see arise. From the latest International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) survey on the 'Meeting Room of The Future' venues claim that the 'cosy' factor was high on their agendas. Expect to see more beanbag chairs and home-style settings that give your delegates the freedom to network.

Also highlighted by Capita Travel and Events was the rise in modular furniture and 'fireside chat'-style seating that can be reconfigured to suit different situations. The future definitely holds visions of more modern and adaptable spaces. Maybe it's time for venue managers to bring forward those refurbishment plans and perhaps rethink their storage solutions for it all too!