Event Furniture Hire

Whether you’re planning an awards evening, a wedding, a networking event, a conference, or a party, you will need furniture. The question on most suppliers’ lips, however, is just how much. Unless you’ve been planning events for years and years, it’s quite normal to get stuck every now and again. Every occasion and location will be different from the next, so it’s key to have a reliable event furniture hire company, like Plato Hire, to hand.

Which Type of Event Are You Planning?

As any event host will know, the type of furniture, and how much of it, will depend entirely on the occasion. A dinner party is going to need far more plates and dishes than a networking event, the same way an awards evening will require more chairs and tables than a reception. At Plato Hire, we’ve been supplying furniture hire equipment for over 20 years, so we know a thing or two when it comes to planning events of all sizes and occasions.

In this blog, we’re going to be talking about the things you need to consider when planning your event and give you some suggestions on the furniture that you may need. If you’d rather talk to our experienced team, feel free to contact us, and we’d be more than happy to share some suggestions.

Some Key Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you rush into anything, it’s important that you ask yourself the following questions in order to create a plan. Without a concise plan, you risk ordering too little, which could potentially make or break an event. Nobody wants to be standing around trying to eat a three-course meal off a paper plate with limited cutlery.

• What’s the aim of the event?
• How many guests are you expecting?
• Are you going to need chairs and tables or dedicated seating areas?
• Are you planning on offering refreshments? If so, you’ll need glassware.
• Will you be providing food?
• Does the location have kitchen facilities, or do you need to provide them?
• Do you need any tables? If so, how many?
• Does the event have a theme?
• Do you need any linen hire, like tablecloths, napkins or chair sashes?

To begin with, consider all the requirements mentioned above, map out a plan and then consider the furniture that you’ll need. Still need a bit of help? We’ll be delighted to give you a hand.

Planning an Awards Evening

If you’re planning an awards evening, you’re going to need tables and chairs, and potentially lots of them. Usually, an awards evening is made up of a reception and the ceremony, so it’s important that you consider both parts. A typical reception includes a complimentary drink and somewhere to mingle before the event starts, meaning you’ll need glassware, round tables, and some chairs.

To make sure you have enough glasses for your guests, we recommend doubling, or even tripling, the headcount to ensure that you’re not re-using glasses, or rushing to wash them up. Let’s face it, it’s also very unusual for somebody to have just one drink at a reception…

Most awards evenings are seated and include a meal, so there are a couple of things to think about here too. We can assure you your guests won’t appreciate being crammed onto a small table and being elbowed by strangers.

You need to carefully consider the number of tables and chairs you will need and ensure that the placement doesn’t restrict anybody from getting up, sitting down, or stopping the waiting staff from being able to move around freely.

Here’s a guide to table sizes and seating numbers for an idea:

• 14 people can comfortably sit around a 7’ round table.
• 10 people can sit around a 6’ round table.
• 9 will be comfortable at a 5’6” round table.
• 8 people can sit around a 5’ round.

If your guests are going to be eating and drinking, you need to make sure you have enough of the correct crockery, glassware, and cutlery for each person, per course. You can’t expect somebody to eat an ice-cream sundae with the fork they’ve just used to eat a roast beef dinner. For suggestions on crockery hire, have a look at our crockery guide here.

We recommend that you have a read through our blog about glass hire for advice on the types of glasses you will need for the event, and our drinks guide if you need some inspiration for tipple.

Furniture For Every Occasion

At Plato we don’t just provide furniture hire for award ceremonies. We also cater for Weddings, BBQs, Receptions, Parties, Funerals, Alfresco dining experiences, Corporate parties, Dinner parties, and so much more.

During our time in business, we’ve covered every event you could possibly think of and can provide event furniture and equipment suitable for any occasion.

If you have something specific in mind or wish to talk to us about an upcoming event, contact us today.