VenuePair Venue shortlist Venue Match · USD 39
Five venues for 120 seated, and three of them do not actually fit
Capacity numbers checked against your format rather than against the brochure.
Five venues list a capacity of 120 or more. You need 120 seated at round tables with a stage, a lectern and a dance floor. Applied to that format, three of the five hold between 80 and 100, because the number on the website is theatre-style with nothing else in the room.
Only Thornbury Hall and The Old Exchange hold 120 at rounds with a stage and a dance floor. The other three would require dropping the dance floor, the stage, or about 25 guests, and none of those is a decision to discover in February.
Format
What the room has to hold
| Element | Requirement | Floor space it consumes |
|---|---|---|
| 120 guests at rounds of 10 | 12 tables | About 160 sq m with circulation |
| Stage and lectern | Awards presentation, 40 minutes | About 20 sq m |
| Dance floor | From 22:00 | About 30 sq m |
| Bar | Within the room, not a corridor | About 15 sq m |
| AV and screen | Single screen, front | Included in stage allowance |
| Minimum usable floor | About 225 sq m |
A theatre-style capacity of 120 needs about 110 square metres. That is why three of these venues can honestly advertise 120 and honestly cannot hold your event.
Shortlist
Five, against your format
| Listed | Your format | Floor | 5 Mar free | Hire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornbury Hall | 200 | 140 | 290 sq m | Yes | USD 3,400 |
| The Old Exchange | 150 | 125 | 240 sq m | Provisional | USD 2,900 |
| Marlowe Rooms | 130 | 90 | 175 sq m | Yes | USD 2,100 |
| The Gallery | 120 | 80 | 150 sq m | Yes | USD 1,850 |
| Harbour Pavilion | 160 | 100 | 210 sq m | No | USD 2,600 |
Harbour Pavilion is held for another event on 5 March. It is listed here because it is the venue you asked about twice, and because it would hold 100 rather than 160 for your format even if it were free.
Next
What to ask, and in what order
- Today
Ask The Old Exchange to confirm or release the provisional
A provisional hold on a March Friday will be chased by someone else. Ask what it would take to convert it and what the deposit is.
- Today
Ask both venues for a floor plan at 120 on rounds
Not a capacity chart. An actual plan with 12 tables, a stage and a dance floor drawn on it. Any venue that does this regularly has one already.
- This week
Ask the four questions that decide the budget
Section below. Hire fee is rarely the largest number and is always the one quoted first.
- Before deciding
Visit both, in the evening
A room set for a dinner at 19:00 is a different room from an empty one at 11:00, particularly for sound and lighting.
- Is catering in house, and is there a minimum spend?
- Is there a corkage or drinks package restriction?
- What time must music stop, and what time must the room be cleared?
- Is AV in house, and is an external supplier allowed?
- Is there a separate charge for the stage, the dance floor and the lectern?
- What is the deposit, and when is the balance due?