A Meeting Planner’s
Guide to Catered
Events
Chapter Five
Room Setups
Choosing the Room
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Appearance
Room dimension
Ceiling height
Number of columns
Exits and entrances
Proximity, number, and quality of
restroom facilities
Choosing the room
 Colors and types of floor and wall
coverings
 Sound insulation
 Visibility
 Lighting
 Temperature
 Smell
 Layout
Color
 Attendees tend to eat and drink more in
brightly lit, colorfully decorated
surroundings.
 Vibrant colors, such as brilliant red, hot
pink, and bright yellow, stimulate the
appetite.
 Dark tones dull the appetite. Examples of
colors that cool the appetite are dark
green, navy blue, gray, and black.
Table Placement Affects
Food Consumption
 An hors d’oeuvre table placed against a
wall provides only 180-degree access to
the food.
 A rectangular table in the center of the
room provides two open sides and 360degree access to the food, allowing
greater food consumption.
Table Placement
 A round table in the center of the room
gives an appearance of a lavish
presentation, but since there is no way
for a line to form to circle the table,
guests have to work their way in and out
at various points for each item they wish
to eat, which decreases food
consumption.
Location of Room
 In relation to:
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Kitchen
Parking lots
Sleeping rooms
Rest rooms
Elevators
Receiving areas
Business center
Utilities
 Type of electricity available
 Number, types, and locations of outlets, etc.
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Maximum lighting and wattage
Lighting controls
HVAC capacity
Speakers
Doors
WiFi
Space Requirements
 Number of attendees
 Type of dining tables
used
 Aisle space
 Open-space setup
 Dance-floor space
 Bandstand
 Other entertainment
 Head tables
 Bank mazes
 Reception needs
 Buffet tables
 Beverage stations
 Side stands, tray jacks,
bus carts
 Action stations
 Staging areas
 Cashiers
 Display areas
 Landing space
 Meeting activity during
the meal
 Style of service
 Audience separation
 Accessible seating
Number of Attendees
 The local fire code will dictate the
maximum number of people who can be
legally housed in a function room.
Types of Dining Tables
 Allocate about 10 square feet per attendee at
rectangular banquet tables.
 With round tables allow 12 1/2 square feet per
guest.
 Assuming the caterer is using standard 20 inch by
20 inch chairs.
 Adjust your estimates if smaller or larger
armchairs are used.
 Round tables are easiest for the staff to service,
and they maximize interaction among guests.
 Chair backs should be placed from two to three
feet apart.
Aisles
 Aisles allow people to move easily
around the room without squeezing
through chairs and disturbing seated
attendees.
 Provide buffer between seating areas
and food and beverage areas.
 48” is preferable, with 36” as bare
minimum.
Aisles
 Leave enough entry and exit room for
attendees.
 Cross-aisle space is very important when
setting large functions.
Dance Floors
 Portable dance floors come in 3 feet by 3
feet (i.e., 9 square feet) sections.
 Plan on one section for every three
attendees.
 A 24 foot by 24 foot dance floor covers
approximately 600 square feet of floor
space.
 Sufficient for approx. 200 attendees.
Head Tables
 Usually need about 25 percent to 100
percent more floor space than regular
dining tables.
 If the tables will be on risers, increase
space estimate to accommodate the
platform area, steps, and to spread the
table-and-person weight properly over
the stage.
Head Tables
 A raised head table for twelve people,
plus a lectern, should be a minimum of
26 feet long.
 The rule of thumb is 2 feet per person,
plus 2 ½ feet for the lectern.
 For more comfortable seating, allow 2 1/2
to 3 feet per person.
Reception Space
 You will need about 5 ½ to 10 square feet
of floor space per attendee.
 With 5 ½ to 6 square feet, people will
feel a bit tight.
 They also will have more difficulty getting
to the food and beverage stations.
 Therefore, lower consumption.
Reception Space
 Seven and a half square feet per person
is considered to be a "comfortablycrowded" arrangement.
 It is thought to be the ideal amount of
floor space per person for receptions and
other similar functions.
Reception Space
 Ten square feet provides more than ample
space for attendees to mingle and visit easily
the food and beverage stations.
 An appropriate amount of floor space for a
luxury-type reception.
 It is not an appropriate setup if your client is
paying according to the amount of food and
beverage consumed.
Reception Space
 Take into account space taken up by
buffet tables, check-in tables, plants,
props, and other décor when forecasting
the number of attendees that can be
served adequately.
Buffet Tables
 All food stations need enough floor space for
the tables and aisles.
 An 8-foot long rectangular banquet table needs
about 24 square feet for the table, and about
60 square feet for aisle space (if the table is
against the wall).
 About 100 square feet for aisle space is
needed if the table is accessible from all sides.
Buffet Table
Considerations
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Number of attendees expected
Length of dining time
Amount of service equipment required
Type of service equipment required
Type of menu
Style of service
Amount of decor desired on the buffet line
Amount of total floor space available in the
function room
Allocate Two Running Feet of
Buffet Table for Each Food
Container Needed
 Three hot offerings, three cold offerings, and a
condiment basket, require a buffet table about
14 to 16 feet long.
 Two standard 8-foot rectangular banquet tables
will take about 48 square feet of floor space for
the buffet table and approximately 150 square
feet of standard 3-foot aisle space surrounding
the buffet table.
 Total allocation for this setup is about 200
square feet.
Room Set Affects Flow
 Table locations, exhibits, displays, foodand-beverage-station locations, table
sizes, head table, seating mix (i.e.,
number of rounds of 8, rounds of 10, and
so forth), table spacing, table settings,
and preferred decor usually are planned
by the caterer and the meeting planner.
Graphic Layout Software
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Meeting Matrix
Room Viewer
Vivien
Gliffy
Standard Tables/30” High
60-inch (5-foot)
round
72-inch (6-foot)
round
66-inch round
Round of 8, or 6 to 10 people
8-top
Round of 10, or 8 to 12 people
10-top
compromise
8 to 12 people
Banquet 6
rectangular
table
rectangular
table
Banquet 8
30 inches wide
by 6 feet long.
30 inches wide
by 8 feet long.
Other Tables
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Schoolroom or classroom table
Serpentine table
Half-moon table
Quarter-moon table
Cocktail table
Oval table
Chairs
 Seat height should measure 17 inches
from the floor.
 Most common seat-cushion dimension is
20 inches by 20 inches.
Bar Layout
 Unlike food, alcoholic-beverage service
tends to be very standardized.
 Avoid grouping bars too closely to
prevent crowd build-up.
 In a large room, ask the caterer to first
open the bars farthest from the entrance
to encourage guests to move into the
room.
Coffee Station and
Refreshment Break Layout
 There are more compulsive coffee
drinkers in the U.S. than there are
compulsive liquor drinkers, and they
need coffee throughout the day.
 Coffee drinkers are generally impatient
and want their coffee right away,
especially in the morning.
Coffee Station
 Coffee station setup should be
separated from the rest of the
refreshment center.
 Must be visible and easy to understand.
 You must make access easy.
 Traffic must flow smoothly with no
backtracking.
Coffee Station
 Attendees can draw 5 gallons of coffee
from a single urn in 15 minutes.
 It is critical that the caterer provide
adequate and speedy replenishment.
 You can anticipate 20 6-ounce cups of
coffee per gallon.
Coffee Station
 It takes twice as long to add cream and
sugar as it does to pour coffee.
 Cream and sugar should never be placed
directly in front of the coffee urns.
 By placing these items away from the
urns, the line will move much faster.
From Left to Right, Items Should be
Placed in This Order to Facilitate the
Traffic Flow At a Coffee Station:
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Cups and saucers
Regular coffee
Decaffeinated coffee
Hot water for tea
Teabags, sugar, sweeteners, cream, lemon
slices
 Spoons or stirrers
 Napkins
 Food (ideally this would be at the far end of a
table, or on a separate table)
Buffet Layout
 Buffets allow attendees to choose their
favorite menu items.
 Attendees also have some personal
control over the portion sizes.
 However, it is imperative to offer foods
that hold up well.
Buffet Layout
 Buffets are generally faster and more
efficient than table-service, assuming that
there are enough buffet lines to
accommodate the attendees quickly and
efficiently.
 One disadvantage of buffets is the
possibility that some attendees will be
finished eating while others are still
waiting in line.
Buffet Layout
 Lower cost food items, such as salads
and breads, should be placed first on the
table so that the attendees' plates will be
full when they reach the main course.
 Cut down on consumption by using a 9inch plate instead of a 10-inch or 11-inch
one.
Buffet Layout
 Request small containers of food on the buffet
line that hold no more than 25 to 30 servings.
 They will be more attractive than large,
elaborately garnished containers.
 Only the first few attendees through the line will
see the beautifully garnished large
presentations before they are disturbed.
 Small containers will need frequent
replacement, thereby maintaining a fresh and
attractive appearance.
 However, this may require more labor.
Buffet Layout
 Experience shows that attendees will take
smaller portions from smaller containers, and
larger servings from bigger containers.
 Save more on food cost than you spend for
any extra labor.
 Most buffets are set with one line for every 100
attendees.
 This is based on the assumption that it takes
100 persons about 20 minutes to go through
the line.
Buffet Layout
 One line is one side of a buffet table; if there
are two sides (double-sided buffet table), this
counts for two lines.
 The maximum amount you can serve efficiently
with one line is 120 attendees.
 The break point is 120 attendees.
 You should plan one line for every 100
attendees, but you should have two lines if the
number of attendees ranges from 120 to 200.
Tablescapes
 The top of the table is the “stage.”
 Once attendees are seated they will
spend the rest of the meal function
looking at the table.
 The table presentation sets expectations
for the meal and should reflect the
theme.
 The colors chosen for napery should not
clash with the carpet or wall treatments.
Tablescapes
 Each place setting is referred to as a
cover; it includes placement of flatware,
china, and glassware.
 The cover should never be empty, or
what is called a "naked cover."
 A show plate, folded napkin, menu, or
preset first course should be placed
between the flatware.
Tables
 Tables should be padded so that table
noises are minimized.
 The typical dining table and buffet table
often have pad under-liners placed
underneath the tablecloths.
Place Setting
 The exact place setting depends primarily on
the menu and style of service.
 Flatware is placed in the order in which it will
be used by the attendee, from the outside in.
 The soup spoon would be on the outside and
far right, as soup is usually an early course.
 The knife would be closest to the center plate,
with the blade edge facing the rim of the plate.
 The smaller salad fork would be set to the left
of the dinner fork on the left side of the plate.
Place Setting
 Dessert flatware set above the plate
would have the bowl of the spoon facing
the attendee’s left, and the tines of the
fork facing to the attendee’s right.
 Coffee cups should not be preset at a
formal dinner.
 They should be placed on the table after
dinner when coffee service begins.
Centerpieces
 Appropriate for the type of function.
 An edible centerpiece, such as a bountiful
basket of various types of bread, makes an
attractive and inviting centerpiece
 Consider how flowers will look on the day you
will be using them.
 For flowers in full bloom, they should be
purchased a few days early to allow them to
open fully.
Centerpieces
 Keep in mind that strongly scented
flowers, such as Tiger Lilies, can interfere
with the palate, i.e., taste of the food.
 To avoid this, some meeting planners use
balloon art in lieu of floral arrangements.
Centerpieces
 Centerpieces on dining tables should never be
at eye level.
 They should not interfere with a person's
normal sight line.
 They should be placed under or over these
sight lines.
 You do not want uncomfortable attendees
peering under, over, or around centerpieces
trying to see the person on the other side.
 Attendees should not have to have a
conversation with a disembodied voice.