Standing reception
A useful drinks-reception starting range per guest, before bars, poseur tables, cloakroom queues or staging.
Room capacity reference
How many people fit in a room?
Room area gives a quick range; the layout determines the useful answer. Enter the dimensions and layout below, then continue into the existing Metis calculator to see furniture, aisles and clearances generated inside that room.
Quick planning ranges for common room sizes
Indicative empty-rectangle ranges before stages, dance floors, bars, pillars, presentation equipment and other deductions.
| Room | Standing | Theatre | Banquet | Cabaret | Classroom | Boardroom / U-shape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 5 m 25 m² / 269 sq ft | 35–50 | 25–40 | 16–24 | 12–18 | 10–16 | 8–12 / 6–10 |
| 10 × 10 m 100 m² / 1,076 sq ft | 165–200 | 140–190 | 65–95 | 50–70 | 45–65 | 18–24 / 22–30 |
| 10 × 15 m 150 m² / 1,615 sq ft | 250–300 | 210–285 | 100–145 | 75–105 | 70–100 | 20–26 / 24–32 |
| 15 × 20 m 300 m² / 3,229 sq ft | 500–600 | 420–570 | 205–290 | 150–210 | 140–200 | 24–30 / 28–36 |
| 20 × 20 m 400 m² / 4,306 sq ft | 665–800 | 560–760 | 275–390 | 205–280 | 185–265 | 26–32 / 30–40 |
Why are these ranges broad? Standing and row seating use the floor area; boardroom and U-shape depend more on usable table perimeter. Small rooms also lose a greater proportion to doors, screens and access.
Planning capacity onlyThese figures are not legal fire capacities. Legal maximum occupancy depends on fire-risk assessment, exit number and width, travel distances, licensing and local requirements. Confirm it with the venue and responsible authorities.
What changes the number?
Theatre seating
Rows are efficient, but chair pitch, cross-aisles, centre aisles, stage clearance and accessible positions all count.
Banquet rounds
Table diameter, seats per round, occupied chairs and service routes make the practical density.
Classroom or cabaret
Desks or partly occupied rounds create work surfaces and better sightlines at the cost of capacity.
Use the layout, not the area, for the final planning number
Area division cannot tell whether the last row blocks a door, the rear banquet tables lose their service route, or the boardroom table has become too long for a useful discussion. The venue capacity calculator generates the selected seating style with real table and chair footprints. For smaller meeting spaces, the meeting room calculator focuses on boardroom, U-shape, classroom and theatre arrangements.
When the room includes a stage, dance floor or bar, start with the event space calculator, then validate the shortlisted dimensions as a floor plan.
Replace the estimate with a generated room layout
See how many guests fit after Metis places the furniture and working clearances.
Calculate Your Exact Room Layout