Planning · 4 min read

How many people fit in our East London event space?

Capacity is the first thing anyone asks and the hardest number to give honestly, because it depends entirely on what people will be doing.

We hold up to 30 people seated for a workshop or a meal, and 40–50 standing for networking and social events. Those two numbers describe two different rooms, in effect, and the gap between them is where most planning mistakes happen.

Seated at tables: up to 30

Four oak tables and a mix of thirty chairs. Arranged as a boardroom, a horseshoe, or broken into small groups, thirty is comfortable rather than squeezed — people can get their chairs out without asking the person behind them to move.

For dining, the practical ceiling is 24 at one long table, because that is how many we have glasses, plates, bowls and cutlery for. You can seat 30 across separate tables if you bring or hire the extra covers.

Standing: 40–50

Clear the tables and the same room takes 40–50 for a drinks reception or a private view. Fifty is a full room — good for atmosphere, less good if you want people to hear a speech from the back.

Seated in rows: around 40

For a talk, a screening or a panel, chairs in rows plus floor cushions gets you to about 40 with everyone able to see the screen. The stage and the projector are at one end, so sightlines are the constraint rather than floor space.

How to work out your number

Count the activity, not the guest list. A team of 28 doing a workshop is a seated event and fits. The same 28 plus partners for drinks afterwards is a standing event and also fits. Twenty-eight for a sit-down dinner needs a conversation about covers.

If you are close to a limit, tell us what you are planning when you enquire and we will say plainly whether it works. We would rather turn a booking down than have you spend the day apologising for the room.

Written by the House of Transformation team.