Documentation:CTLT Resources/Event Planners Room Setups

Room Setups

Large Group Setups

The most commonly used, but not always the most appropriate, style of seating for large groups is Theater style. Other options are Classroom and Chevron styles. Presentations accompanied by meals have one choice: Banquet style (large round tables). The drawback of banquet style is that audiences need to turn their chairs and heads to see the speaker, tables are crowded and there is noise from the food service.

Theater style supports "Sage on the Stage" presentations where speakers give forth with their wisdom, knowledge or wit intending that it be absorbed individually and passively by members of the audience without any reinforcement activity such as practice sessions, role playing, or brainstorming. If the presentation involves note taking or reference to handout material, Classroom style is a better choice as it provides a writing surface.

Chevron style is an excellent choice for audience interactivity. It is very flexible, good for either large or small groups and fosters a sense of audience involvement as the audience can see others and get feedback from them. Chevron can be adapted into Cluster seating for group exercises by audience members turning their seats around to face the table behind. Both Classroom and Theater can be altered to a Modified Chevron by angling the outside sections.

Small Groups Setups

All the small group setups (Perpendicular, U-Shape, Semi-Circle, Hollow Square or Rectangle, Boardroom, Cluster and Chevron) provide for and encourage the audience to take an active role in the presentation/meeting and to communicate with their peers.

Large group setups, such as Theater or Classroom, are sometimes used for small group presentations. Using these styles in small group situations may create a formal, impersonal atmosphere that can work against the learning goals and objectives of the program. The improper use of these styles can present serious problems in learning environments requiring audience-to-audience interaction such as discussions, problem solving, or honest feedback. When an audience is able to make eye contact with other members, as in Chevron style, the audience builds a sense of community and group learning occurs. Small group setups are ideal for planning/strategy meetings, focus groups, information sharing, status reports and introduction of new ideas.

Banquet Style

• Used for food functions.
• Standard round tables of either 60 or 72 inches in diameter.
• Used to seat 8 to 12 people.

Overview: Guests are seated at round tables, usually 60, 66 or 72 inches in diameter.

Best Usage: Banquet-style is the setup of choice for most meal functions. In addition, it is appropriate for small committee meetings and small breakout or study groups involving group interaction and note-taking.

Chevron Style

• Provides place for beverages and elbows.
• Most interactive of large group setups.
• Promotes a sense of participation.
• About 20-23 square feet per person.
• Can be setup with or without tables.

Overview: Tables are turned at an angle toward the head table with chairs on one side of the table only. It is used for presentations to allow everyone in the audience to face the speaker. This setting allows participants sitting in the back of the room to have improved sight lines and feel more involved in training.

Best Usage: Chevron style is an excellent choice for audience interactivity. It is the setup of choice for events with less than 75 participants. It is very flexible, good for either large or small groups and fosters a sense of audience involvement.

Chevron Modified Stye

• Can be setup with or without tables.
• Improves visibility of speaker and visuals from side sections.
• More interactive than Theater or Classroom.

Overview: Chevron style provides for and encourages the audience to take an active role in the presentation/meeting and to communicate with their peers. When an audience is able to make eye contact with other members, as in Chevron style, the audience builds a sense of community and group learning occurs.

Best Usage: Modified Chevron style is ideal for planning/strategy meetings, focus groups, information sharing, status reports and introduction of new ideas.

Classroom Style

• Same as Theater Style but with tables.
• About 17-20 square feet per person.
• Supports note taking and use of handout materials.

Overview: Long, narrow tables are positioned in front of rows of chairs facing the speaker. The tables usually abut one another, although tables that extend beyond the stage ideally should be angled toward the speaker in order to provide better viewing. Water pitchers and glasses are typically placed on the tables.

Best Usage: Classroom-style is the best setup for situations in which the presenter is expected to do most of the talking and when delegates must take notes, refer to material in binders or work on computer equipment. It is also the most comfortable design for very long sessions. It is not the preferred setup for encouraging conversation among attendees.

Conference Style

• Choose from Rounds or Rectangles.
• Effective for group interaction and discussions.
• For best results, limit tables to 20 people or less.

Overview: Delegates are seated on all four sides of a table. For smaller groups (6 people or fewer), a single conference table is typically used. For larger groups, several six-foot or eight-foot tables are often combined to create a solid rectangular.

Best Usage: The conference-style setup is often used for board meetings, committee meetings, and other smaller functions at which interaction between participants is expected. This design also can be used for high-level food and beverage functions with a small number of guests.

Crescent Style

• Ample work space.
• Good local interaction.
• Good food and beverage set.
• Uses more of the room.

Overview: Attendees are seated at round tables, usually 60, 66 or 72 inches in diameter. The two or three chairs in which delegates would have their backs to the speaker are removed, thus forming a crescent of seating facing the speaker.

Best Usage: This design works well when you need to use a room for meals and for an educational session that immediately follows. It is also appropriate for general sessions where attendees break into small discussion groups in the same room.

Hollow Square/Rectangle Style

• For meetings where hierarchy is not an issue.
• Excellent for facilitator led meetings.
• Encourages audience participation.
• Awkward to use any visuals.
• Recommended for conferences of 20-40 people.

Overview: 30-inch-wide classroom tables are arranged in a square or other multi-sided design in which the centre of the design is empty.

Best Usage: Larger committee or board meetings of 17 to 30 people. At which interaction among attendees is important, can benefit from the hollow rectangle design. (Avoid long straight sections of tables more than 12-feet long. Octagons and hexagons work well to improve sight lines among attendees.)

Theatre Style

• Accommodates the most people per area.
• About 10-13 square feet per person.
• Appropriate for lectures and keynoters.
• Note taking cumbersome for audience.

Overview: Chairs are lined up in rows facing the speaker. The rows can be straight, semi-circular or herringbone (angled toward the front of the room). If space is not an issue, it is best to offset each row so that delegates are not sitting directly behind one another.

Best Usage: When attendees take on the characteristics of an audience (i.e., listening to a speaker or watching a slide presentation), theatre-style is the most efficient setup. This design is also used to maximize the seating capacity of meeting rooms or allow the audience to be as close to the speaker as possible. It is not recommended for taking notes, referring to material in binders or any event at which food is served.

U-shape Style

• Encourages collaboration.
• Center area usable for simulations and role plays. Can be used with or without speaker table.

Overview: Rectangular tables are positioned to form a “U”. Seating is usually on the outside of the U, but it is possible to seat delegates on both inside legs of the U.

Best Usage: The U-shape setup is often used for board of directors meetings, committee meetings and breakout sessions involving audio-visual presentations because all attendees can see the AV when the screen is placed at the open end of the U. It also can be used for banquets, with seating on all sides of the U.