Free Meeting room space and capacity calculator

About Meeting Room Layouts

Banquet

This layout separates your team into small groups seated at individual round tables. This social arrangement is perfect for remote team networking events or any event geared towards strengthening interpersonal relationships.

Cabaret

This layout allocates employees to separate tables, seated in semicircles and facing a main focal point. This arrangement encourages employee participation during live presentations and onboarding sessions.

U-shape

This layout encourages engagement between attendees while allowing space for a speaker to mingle freely and connect with individuals. The shape creates an engaging dynamic between the speaker and listeners—great for sharing results and debriefing after a project.

Horseshoe

This layout enables a speaker to roam freely while encouraging attendees to participate verbally and physically. It’s perfect for onboarding events and team-building sessions when employee participation is paramount.

Classroom

This layout features rows of seating with additional desk space. This type of arrangement is useful for conferences, lectures, and info sessions when listeners might want to take notes.

Boardroom

This layout is useful for more intimate presentations, briefings, and small-scale meetings. Chairs are aligned along each side of a table with participants facing each other. It’s perfect for leadership retreats where executives will be taking notes and group discussion is important.

Hollow square

This layout strongly encourages collaboration and group discussion. The lack of a focal point places participants on a level playing field which is perfect for creative brainstorming, problem-solving, and hackathon sessions.

Theatre

This layout places the focus on a very particular focal point. It’s useful for occasions like product demonstrations or any gathering where audience participation isn’t a priority. It’s a highly efficient use of space, making it perfect for large-scale company retreats.

7 TIPS FOR calculating event capacity

Determine your goals and objectives.
Establishing the desired outcome is the first phase of planning your company retreat and is useful for determining how much space you’ll need. Knowing what you want to achieve will help you define a clear roadmap for planning your company retreat and deciding on a venue.
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‍Decide how you will use your space.
How you’re going to use your space has a huge bearing on the space you need. Will you host energetic team-building activities where lots of space is required? Will you gather executives in a boardroom to analyse results? Each type of event demands a different amount of space per person.
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Consider only the usable space.
When you calculate the size of your venue, only measure the usable space. Think about how you want to lay out your room and discount any areas that aren’t suitable. For example, are there parts of the room where sightlines are poor? Does the room have a bar, preventing you from putting tables there? These are all important considerations.
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Create a list of necessities.
Write a list of non-negotiables for your event. You want to be certain the space you’re using is suitable for the type of event you want to host. Making a list of necessities might uncover some essential elements you may have overlooked such as wheelchair access or room for a buffet table.
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Set the right tone.
Depending on the type of event you’re running you might want the space to feel cozy and well-populated or airy and spacious. Typically, an event geared towards networking and relationship building should be more intimate, while decision-making and brainstorming sessions should have more free space.
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Take a walk around the event space.
When you walk around the space in person, you might notice things that weren’t apparent in the virtual representation. Is there a pillar blocking an important line of sight? Maybe there aren’t enough power outlets in the room? These are all important factors to consider when calculating the size and layout of your space.
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Consider room acoustics.
Large rooms with parallel walls and hard surfaces will create a lot of reverberation. When choosing your space, think about the type of event you’ll be hosting and how the sound might impact this. If you’re hosting a lively team building event, you might consider a room with fewer parallel surfaces or mounting foam panels to the walls to soften the sound.

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→ Need help? Let Surf Office organize your next company retreat.

Meeting Room CAPACITY Calculator

Enter the number of attendees and choose a layout to find your ideal venue size

About Meeting Room Layouts

Banquet

Cabaret

U-shape

Horseshoe

Classroom

Boardroom

Hollow square

Theatre

7 TIPS FOR calculating event capacity

Enter the number of attendees and choose a layout to find your ideal venue size.

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