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Size Recommendations for Dance Floors

With the advent of spring (finally!), we are receiving more questions about dance floors. In service to our customers and potential customers, we are posting some of our dance floor expertise below.

For your party or event, the average group can be cut in half to determine the number of couples attending, and only half of the couples are going to be dancing at any one time. Each couple needs-at minimum- 3 square feet for dancing. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do the funky math all by yourself. We’re posting it as a table. We’re just letting you know how we got our numbers:

People          Couples          Couples Dancing          Size Dance Floor

48                       24                                 12                                        9′ x 12′

64                      32                                  16                                      12′ x 12′

80                      40                                 20                                      12′ x 15′

100                    50                                 25                                      15′ x 15′

120                    60                                  30                                     15′ x 18′

160                    80                                  40                                     18′ x 18′

200                 100                                 50                                      18′ x 24′

300                 150                                 75                                      24′ x 24′

400                 200                              100                                      30′ x 30′

576                 288                               144                                       36′ x 36′

*please note, these numbers are for the average party goers.  Younger people tend to dance more, older people tend to dance less.

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Guidelines for Tent Seating V

In our final posting on Tent Seating Guidelines, we will go over the miscellaneous measurements for events. These are those optional features that some people just need to have, and others could live without.

Dance Floors depend on the amount of people and the event.

Dinner or Dance party: 4 square feet per person (20′ x 20′ for 100 people)

Wedding or General party: 2-3 square feet per person (10′ x 20′ or 15” x 15′ for 100 people)

Stages/ Platforms depend on the use.

A speakers platform only needs about 10 square feet

A bandstand needs between 20-30 square feet, depending on the size of the band

Pianos take up a much larger amount of space than the typical band stand. A spinet (upright) piano takes up 30 square feet. A grand piano takes up 100 square feet!

A Bar takes up 30 square feet

We hope these measurements will be of use in planning your events.

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Guidelines for Tent Seating IV

As we draw to a close on Tent Seating guidelines, we will show the seating capacity for Cathedral Seating in a tent.

The following numbers will not take into account aisles, dance floors, or service areas. We will show options for the sizes of tent that we offer. After this list, we will explain the math involved

20 x 20 tent:      67 cathedral seating

20 x 30 tent:      100 cathedral seating

20 x 40 tent:      133 cathedral seating

20 x 60 tent:      200 cathedral seating

40 x 40 tent:      267 cathedral seating

40 x 60 tent:      400 cathedral seating

40 x 80 tent:      533 cathedral seating

40 x 100 tent:     667 cathedral seating

40 x 120 tent:     800 cathedral seating

Here’s how the funky math for this turns out: for Cathedral Seating, which involves chairs in rows, you need to allow for 5-6 square feet per person, for appropriate comfort. This number factors in the size of the chair and the fact that they are in rows. A 20 x 20 foot tent covers 400 square feet, so 400 square feet divided by 5 square feet equals 80 people. This is the recommended maximum. If you wanted to make sure people were spaced further apart and more comfortable which we strongly recommend and is shown above, divide 400 by 6, to get 67 people.

The previous posts in this series explained all of the party capacities for people. The last post will deal with miscellaneous measurements.

 

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Guidelines for Tent Seating III

In the third installment of Tent Seating guidelines, we will show the seating capacity for Served Dining in a tent.

The following numbers will not take into account aisles, dance floors, or service areas. We will show options for the sizes of tent that we offer. After this list, we will explain the math involved

20 x 20 tent:      40 served dining

20 x 30 tent:      60 served dining

20 x 40 tent:      80 served dining

20 x 60 tent:      120 served dining

40 x 40 tent:      160 served dining

40 x 60 tent:      240 served dining

40 x 80 tent:      320 served dining

40 x 100 tent:     400 served dining

40 x 120 tent:     480 served dining

And now even more funky math: for Served Dining, which usually uses 60″ round tables that seat between 8 and 10 people, you need to allow for 8-10 square feet per person, for appropriate comfort. This number also factors in the size of the table. A 20 x 20 foot tent covers 400 square feet, so 400 square feet divided by 8 square feet equals 50 people. This is the recommended maximum. If you wanted to make sure people were spaced further apart and more comfortable which we strongly recommend and is shown above, divide 400 by 10, to get 40 people.

The previous posts in this series explained cocktail party capacity and buffet dining capacity. Follow up posts will feature cathedral/auditorium seating, and miscellaneous measurements.

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Guidelines for Tent Seating II

In this second installment of Tent Seating guidelines, we will show the seating capacity for Buffet Dining in a tent. 

The following numbers will not take into account aisles, dance floors, or service areas. We will show options for the sizes of tent that we offer. After this list, we will explain the math involved

20 x 20 tent:      50 buffet dining

20 x 30 tent:      75 buffet dining

20 x 40 tent:      100 buffet dining

20 x 60 tent:      150 buffet dining

40 x 40 tent:      200 buffet dining

40 x 60 tent:      300 buffet dining

40 x 80 tent:      400 buffet dining

40 x 100 tent:     500 buffet dining

40 x 120 tent:     600 buffet dining

And heeeeeerrrrrre’s the funky math: for Buffet Dining, which usually uses 8′ long tables that seat between 8 and 10 people, you need to allow for 7-8 square feet per person, for appropriate comfort. This number also factors in the size of the table. A 20 x 20 foot tent covers 400 square feet, so 400 square feet divided by 7 square feet equals 58 people. This is the recommended maximum. If you wanted to make sure people were spaced further apart and more comfortable which we strongly recommend and is shown above, divide 400 by 8, to get 50 people.

The previous post in this series explained cocktail party capacity. Follow up posts will feature serviced seating, cathedral/auditorium seating, and miscellaneous measurements, respectively.

 

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Guidelines for Tent Seating I

Previously, we posted a blog that tried to give recommendations on tent seating. Looking back on that now, it was very rushed and, we believe, unsatisfactory for the needs of our clients. Therefore, for the next few weeks, we will be posting and explaining the true dimensions of tent space and seating ability for your events. And yes, we will be doing more funky math again.

First, we will show Cocktail Party potential capacity. The following numbers will not take into account aisles, dance floors, or service areas. We will show options for the sizes of tent that we offer. After this list, we will explain the math involved

20 x 20 tent:      67 standing people

20 x 30 tent:      100 standing people

20 x 40 tent:      133 standing people

20 x 60 tent:      200 standing people

40 x 40 tent:      267 standing people

40 x 60 tent:      400 standing people

40 x 80 tent:      533 standing people

40 x 100 tent:     667 standing people

40 x 120 tent:     800 standing people

The math behind this is fairly simple. For a Cocktail party, with 30″ across cocktail-height tables and people standing, not sitting, you need to allow for 6-7 square feet per person, for appropriate comfort. This number also factors in the size of the table. A 20 x 20 foot tent covers 400 square feet, so 400 square feet divided by 6 square feet equals 67 people. This is the recommended maximum. If you wanted to make sure people were spaced further apart and more comfortable, divide 400 by 7, to get 58 people.

Follow-up posts in this series will explain buffet seating, serviced seating, cathedral/auditorium seating, and miscellaneous measurements, respectively.

 

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Reminders for Graduations

We are just posting this as a reminder to our customers. The graduation season is fast approaching, and just as your little students are having their big day and stepping further into adulthood, so too is everybody else’s child. The weekends of May 17th through until June 3rd, our stock of equipment runs low. If you need to plan a party for graduation season, now is the time to start making the plans and reserving your equipment.

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When the weather changes your event

When severe weather changes your event, forcing you to use “plan B,” it can ruin more than your mood. To help our customers who are faced with these difficulties, there is a website that has gathered several articles on dealing with extreme weather and event planning. You can find it here. Although the site is geared more to corporate events and meetings, the basics still apply to our private customers and caterers. We hope you find them useful.

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Basic Linen Tips

For the ease of our customers, here are some basic linen tips:

1. The most common round table at a function hall or an event is a 60″ round. This table seats 10 people. We’ll do the funky math stuff at the end. For a simple answer, a 90″ round table cloth will cover that table to your lap when you sit. A 120″ round tablecloth will cover that table to the floor.

2. A table that is cocktail height (also called bar-height, tallboys, belly-tables, bus-stop, and airplane tables) are 42″ tall. Almost always, when somebody says “cocktail table”, this is usually what they mean. Anyway, to cover this table to the floor you need a 108″ round tablecloth.

3. For a listing of colors, please visit werentlinens.com.

Ok, now for funky math. A regular round table is 30″ high. Then you have the actual size of the table across, the above example being 60″. So to cover the table to the floor, you take the height, add the size, then add the height again (height+size+height). If the tablecloth size doesn’t add up, it is either too big and will pool on the floor or too short and you might see the table legs. Cocktail tables are 42″ high and 30″ round. Same idea. (height+size+height).

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Brazil Nightclub Fire

After the extremely sad events of the Kiss nightclub fire in Brazil, in which 233 people have lost their lives, event planners are reminded of the dangers involved in hosting some events. For those of us from the US, this case sounds tragically similar to the Station nightclub fire of 2003.

Every municipality, state, and federal government have regulations that dictate what safety measures must be observed for events. This includes whether fire, pyrotechnics, or cooking equipment are used, or even if chairs in rows must be attached to each other. Because of these regulations, event providers often have to carry multiple licenses to prove compliance. Event providers also must provide certification that their equipment has been treated for fire safety, whether this is fire proofed or treated with fire retardants. (We can assure our customers that our equipment have these certificates)

When choosing to do your own events, please keep safety in mind, and if you begin to question the safety of your event, call a professional.

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Tent Sizes Needed for Events

Tent sizes needed for your event depend on two things- are your guests dining, and how many of them are there?

1. If your guests are dining, you will be able to seat 10 people per 10 foot by 10 foot section. This is the same if guests are waited on or if they are dining buffet style. This does assume that the food is under it’s own tent. If guests are not dining and instead are seated auditorium style, you can seat roughly 16 people per 10 foot by 10 foot section, not including aisles, stage, or podium.

2. With these pieces of information, you can start to determine the tent size needed for your event. If you have 100 guests dining under your tent, you would need at least a 20 foot by 60 foot tent. However, the same amount of guests can be seated auditorium style in a 20 foot by 40 foot tent.

When in doubt of your tent needs, please don’t hesitate to call us.

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Glassware Quantities

Hello again! In this installment of event tips, we are going to focus on glassware. There are very many variables that determine how many glasses you need. First, what kind of party are you having? Are you having a formal dinner? are you having a buffet function? or are you having a cocktail reception?

  1. If you are having a formal dinner, the number of glasses is up to the host or hostess. They have already decided what they are serving their guests, and so get one of each for each guest. If 10 guests will be served red wine, champagne, and water, then you need three glasses for each guest- 10 for the red wine, 10 for the champagne, and 10 water goblets, for 30 glasses total. Technically, you should always order one or two extra glasses of each variety to account for accidental breakage.
  2. For a buffet function, the total number of glasses is usually 1&¾ glasses per person (round down) for the first hour, and for each additional hour add an additional ½ glass per person. You do have to order types of glasses appropriate to your crowd, and appropriate to what you will serve. If you’re having a champagne toast, you need to order those in addition to any other glasses you will use.
  3. For a cocktail reception, the ratio is 1 glass per person per hour. Pretty easy. Again, just make sure you factor in what kind of drinks your crowd is drinking. Not everyone drinks martinis, and you may be serving more on-the-rocks drinks than you realize.

If you really NEED to know what are the totally necessary amounts and kinds of glasses for a properly stocked restaurant bar, then here’s the list for a venue that seats 100 people. Remember, you asked:

144 beer glasses, 36 champagne glasses, 108 highball glasses, 24 martini glasses, 108 wine glasses, 36 sour glasses, 72 rocks glasses, 36 cordial glasses, 36 collins glasses, 36 brandy glasses, 168 water glasses, 144 iced tea glasses, and 144 juice glasses.

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Cocktail Parties and Numbers

Hello everyone and welcome to our first post on event planning tips! We will be posting party planning tips every week, to help our customers and potential customers with their do-it-yourself events.

Cocktail Parties and Numbers:

So, whether for your parent’s wedding anniversary, or a class reunion, or an executive conference, you’ve decided to have a cocktail party. The problem is, you don’t know how many of what kind of table you need. You think cocktail party and you automatically say, “Well, I need cocktail tables right?” Yes, but they aren’t the only things you need. First, how many people do you have? We’re going to start a bunch of math here, so we need a number to start with. For the purpose of this example, we’ll say you are realistically expecting 60 people. At any one time, you should expect one-third of your guests to sit. So, for our example you need 20 chairs, with smaller tables to accommodate them (a 36″ round table will seat 4, so you get 5 of those tables). OK,  so people can sit. But what about the people standing at those high cocktail tables? Again, at any one time you should expect one-third of your guests to gather at the cocktail tables, so again for our example that’s another 20 people. But since they’re standing, you can fit 5 people at a cocktail table, so divide that last 20 by 5, and you get 4 cocktail tables. The rest of your guests are basically going to stand around in their own little clusters. Don’t forget a bar! Unless you have more than 80 people, you should be able to manage with 1 bar.

We hope these tips will help you in planning your own special events.

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