Theatre, classroom, banquet or cabaret: choosing the right event room layout in New Zealand

The same room holds very different numbers of people depending on how you set it up. A venue that seats a large crowd theatre-style may fit less than half that number for a seated dinner, because chairs-in-rows packs people far tighter than tables do. On MICE, every listed event space publishes its capacity in up to eight set-up styles — theatre, classroom, banquet, cabaret, cocktail, boardroom, u-shape and hollow square — so you can match the room to your format before you enquire. Compare rooms by layout on the capacity finder or browse conference & event venues.

The main layouts, and when to use them

• Theatre — rows of chairs facing a stage, no tables. The highest-capacity seated layout. Best for keynotes, plenaries, AGMs and product launches where people watch and listen.
• Classroom — rows of tables with chairs facing front. Uses roughly twice the floor space per person of theatre style, so it fits about half as many. Best for training, workshops and anything needing writing or laptops.
• Banquet — round tables of eight to ten for seated meals. Best for gala dinners, awards nights and conference dinners.
• Cabaret — like banquet, but the side of each table facing the stage is left open. Best when delegates need to eat, watch and take part at once.
• Cocktail — standing, with few or no chairs. The highest overall capacity for a given room. Best for receptions, networking and launches.
• Boardroom, u-shape and hollow square — everyone around a central table or open square, facing in. Best for meetings, panels and interactive sessions of up to roughly 40 people.

How to choose

Start with your format, not the room. Decide whether people will watch, learn, eat, network or discuss — then pick the layout that fits, and only then filter for venues that publish enough capacity in that style.

Allow for staging, catering stations, dance floors and aisles, which all eat into the usable seat count. A room's theatre number is a maximum, not a working figure.

Many spaces are divisible, so a single hall can run a theatre-style plenary in the morning and reset to banquet rounds for dinner — worth confirming when you shortlist on the venue directory.

Next steps

Filter real venues by the exact number your layout needs on the capacity finder, then compare rooms and shortlist directly.