Table and Chair Setup Guidelines

Guidelines for table and chair setup

Fearing chaos at your next social gathering? With a little helpful guidance about table and chair setup, you'll never be at a loss for seating arrangements again.

Since the success of any get-together depends largely on seating arrangements, it's a small wonder why so much emphasis is placed on the table and chair setup at wedding receptions, reunions, and seminars. The secret to a wonderful seating arrangement is to strike a balance between making the most of table and chair space, ensuring the guests are comfortably seated. Try following these guidelines for a no-fail chair setup.

Types of dining and their appropriate setup

The nature of the occasion at hand should drive the type of chair arrangement or setup you decide upon. For sit-down events with served dining, at least 12 to 14 square feet of space per chair are the suggested guidelines for your setup. This type of seating allows for a table, chair and full-service aisle.

For restaurant or cafeteria-type seating, 12 square feet of space is suggested as part of your guidelines, while buffets, banquets or seminars need at least 10 square feet to comfortably seat your guests. A little more space-efficient, cocktail and theatre-style seating setup requires around 8 square feet of space per person-or chair, including the isle.

Setup guidelines to keep in mind

A lateral seating setup requires at least 24 to 30 inch of space in between each chair, while diagonal seating is the most space-efficient type of setup. However, if you are planning to have armchairs or a chair style that is oversized at the table, figure on taking up more space per chair than estimated in these guidelines.

Guidelines state that your minimum aisle dimensions should be at least 36 inches in perimeter areas while 42 inches is preferred between rows for your setup. When each chair is placed back-to-back with another chair, standard guidelines suggest you make sure there is enough space along the service aisle even when each chair is pushed back for this style of setup.

Chair setup made easy

The following guidelines will help you determine how many people will comfortably fit around each size table. For seminar use, the setup should reflect placing every chair on only one side of the table, so make sure you calculate the number of people accordingly. Try these guidelines on for size for your next round or rectangular-arrangement.

Round table setup

A 36-inch table seats four people

A 42-inch table seats five people

A 48-inch table seats five people

A 54-inch table seats six people

A 60-inch table seats eight people

A 72-inch table seats 10 people

Rectangle table setup

A 24-inch x 60-inch table seats two people

A 24-inch x 72-inch table seats three to four people

A 24-inch x 96-inch table seats four to five people

A 30-inch x 72-inch table seats six people

A 30-inch x 96-inch table seats eight people

More information on folding tables