How to Calculate How Big a Banquet Hall Is Needed

The sales staff at most venues used for banquets or meetings will usually have a brochure that outlines how many people can be accommodated in the banquet hall, ballroom or meeting room. However, it is useful if the client knows how to calculate space usage like the pros do. The confidence gained with this knowledge will ensure sufficient space for a wedding ceremony, reception, family reunion or any other special event.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator
• Tape measure
• Notepad
• Pen

Instructions

1. Determine the overall square footage of the room---length times width.

2. Divide this number in half. Half of the available space needs to be reserved for staging, aisles, dance floors, catering stations, audio-visual set-ups and other logistical requirements. The remaining half is the square footage available to comfortably accommodate guests using the following guidelines:

3. Calculate 100 square feet for a table of 10 guests seated at a round table for a banquet meal. (But, if the banquet tables only seat 8 people, capacity will be reduced, so be sure to ask how many people can sit at each table.)

4. Calculate 10 square feet per person for theater-style seating.

5. Calculate 10 square feet per person for a stand-up reception. In a pinch, 5 square feet per person can be used, but this will not be as comfortable for guests.

Tips & Warnings

• Using the above guidelines as an example, if a room measures 150 by 100 feet, the total square footage is 15,000 square feet; 15,000 square feet divided by 2 is 7,500 square feet, the amount of available space. For a banquet, this room would accommodate 750 people seated at round tables for 10 people, 750 people for a meeting of attendees seated theater-style and between 750 and 1,500 people for a stand-up reception.