Theater
Plan for 8 square feet per person if no audiovisual presentation is involved. If AV will be used, increase the space to 10 square feet per person. Theater setups allow you to pack the most people into the smallest space and are fine if attendees won't be taking a lot of notes and sessions are short. |
Classroom
Allot 12 square feet per person if you want three people per 6-foot table, or 18 square feet for two people per 6-foot table, allowing 44 inches between each row of tables. For classroom configurations with AV equipment, plan a minimum of 15 square feet per person. Classroom setups are better for longer training sessions or when people need adequate room to take notes. |
Banquets/Receptions
Banquets and most receptions with a bar (or multiple bars) and standard buffet tables require 10 to 14 square feet per person. Banquet rounds are best for in-depth, small-group discussions, and they allow for quick room resets for food-focused functions. |
Coffee, Tea, and Soda --
Average consumption of beverages during a morning event will be approximately 65 percent hot (coffee and tea) and 35 percent cold (juice, iced tea, and soda). In the afternoon, beverage consumption will average about 65 percent cold and 35 percent hot. Coffee and hot water for tea are purchased by the gallon, which equals about 128 ounces and produces roughly 20, 6-ounce cups. |
Alcohol Estimates --
Consider these rules of thumb to help keep your attendees spirited, but not sloshed. Wine – A 750 milliliter (mL) bottle of wine contains 25.4 ounces. For each bottle of wine, you'll get about four-and-a-half 6-ounce servings, or five 5-ounce servings. Beer – A keg of beer holds 1,984 ounces, which equates to about 165 12-ounce servings. Liquor – A standard bottle of 80-proof distilled spirits (such as vodka, rum, gin, or tequila) holds 750 mL and pours approximately 17 1.5-ounce shots. If your bartender is using 1-ounce pours (known as a "short shot" or "pony shot"), a bottle will yield up to 25 drinks. To keep costs down (and drinks conservative), instruct your bartenders to use a measured shot glass rather than free pouring. Also negotiate to purchase liquor by the bottle rather than by the drink. It will be cheaper in the long run to buy the liquor for 20 to 25 drinks in one bottle rather than paying per drink – just like buying a keg of beer is cheaper per glass than buying individual bottles or cans. Agree up front with the catering manager on a system for auditing the used and unused bottles of liquor before and after the event to make sure you're only charged for what was consumed. |
Cash Bar –
Average consumption for a one-hour party with a cash bar (where guests are purchasing their own drinks) is 1.5 drinks per person. While a cash bar might seem like a more cost-effective option for event planners since attendees are purchasing their own drinks, keep in mind that you are still responsible for the cost of the bar setup, the bartender, and possibly a bar-back helper. Open Bar – Conventional wisdom will tell you that free drinks flow more, well, freely. And you're right. Average alcohol consumption at a one-hour "open" or "hosted" bar is 2 to 2.5 drinks per person. |
Reception –
If you sponsor a post-conference reception with a cash bar, 50 percent of the crowd will stay for the reception, averaging about 1.5 drinks per person. If it's a hosted bar at a cocktail hour, 80 percent of the conference crowd will stay for the reception, consuming an average of 2.25 drinks per person in the first hour and 1.5 drinks in the second hour. Here again, you'll want to purchase sodas and beer on a consumption-only basis (rather than a per-person basis), paying only for the bottles and cans that are used. Dinner – If you're hosting a dinner, serve three bottles of wine (two white and one red) for each table of eight people, as one bottle of wine yields about five glasses. |
Ideas from Wolfgang Puck Catering, Pinch Food Design, Abigail Kirsch, Biz Bash, Creative Edge Parties
Negotiating Hotel Rooms
If you're planning your event when everyone else wants to be at that particular venue, it's "high season," which means higher prices. On the other hand, if your event occurs during a time of year when hurricanes or blizzards are common, it might be "off season," which translates to better overall pricing. Bottom line: If your event fills a gap in the venue's schedule, it will likely be more open to negotiating on other pricing.
Regardless of when your event takes place, you can usually negotiate one complimentary room for every 35 to 50 cumulative room nights during your event. Stipulate in your contract that the total number of rooms used is cumulative through your entire event (not calculated daily), that it includes your guests' early arrivals and late departures, and that all rooms used by your group – regardless of how they were booked (e.g., through the internet or a travel agent) – count toward your total room count. You can also request staffers' rooms and speakers' rooms at a lower rate or with upgrades. Other negotiable perks include resort and health-facility use, complimentary cocktail parties, parking waivers, free business-center or internet use, complimentary airport transportation, and reductions or waivers for the cost of meeting rooms and exhibit space.
If you're planning your event when everyone else wants to be at that particular venue, it's "high season," which means higher prices. On the other hand, if your event occurs during a time of year when hurricanes or blizzards are common, it might be "off season," which translates to better overall pricing. Bottom line: If your event fills a gap in the venue's schedule, it will likely be more open to negotiating on other pricing.
Regardless of when your event takes place, you can usually negotiate one complimentary room for every 35 to 50 cumulative room nights during your event. Stipulate in your contract that the total number of rooms used is cumulative through your entire event (not calculated daily), that it includes your guests' early arrivals and late departures, and that all rooms used by your group – regardless of how they were booked (e.g., through the internet or a travel agent) – count toward your total room count. You can also request staffers' rooms and speakers' rooms at a lower rate or with upgrades. Other negotiable perks include resort and health-facility use, complimentary cocktail parties, parking waivers, free business-center or internet use, complimentary airport transportation, and reductions or waivers for the cost of meeting rooms and exhibit space.