After booking the venue, the real planning for your event can begin. Part of planning is to create a floorplan. Depending on your event, you or a planner may be creating this and turning it into us at The Bedford, where we will then use it as a blueprint to set up the furniture you rented from us. When preparing to put together your floor plan, there are several things to consider: what your venue or rental company provides/their policy on furniture rentals, your other vendors, guest count, the nature of your event, catering, and additional items you might be bringing in.
Floor plans are extremely helpful in keeping yourself and your vendors organized. Catering and bar services generally need tables for buffet or prep space, and bartenders will often need a table behind the bar to use as storage. It is important to communicate with your vendors right away on their needs so that you can accommodate for that when planning your furniture rentals. Additionally, not all venues provide furniture onsite like The Bedford does. Rental companies will need to know where to place the furniture and will also need to know when to pick it up. Floor plans are a great way of helping keep everyone on the same page the day of the event.
Another aspect to consider in floorplanning is guest count. Guest count will determine how many of each chair or table you will need, how spaced out your tables can be, and how you want to arrange them. For example, for larger guest counts, 60in round tables are more efficient as they can seat 8-10 people and can be placed more flexibly in the venue. 8ft banquet tables are best for the bridal party, as they can only fit 8-10 people with an additional chair at each end. The bigger the group, the more tables and chairs you will need, which means less free space in the venue,
This leads us into another important part of floor planning: the nature of your event. You may be planning a mix and mingle event that only requires high top tables, or you may be planning a wedding that requires a flip (rearranging the floor plan from ceremony to reception). This plays a huge part in whether or not you need to schedule someone to flip, what your linen order will be, and how many chairs and tables you will need. Wedding planners are key here, as they handle the floor plan and furniture rentals for you. Day-of, pulling a flip can be stressful, and having an accurate floor plan is key to staying on track. If you are planning a corporate or party event where you don’t have a planner, designating someone to work on the floor plan is a great way to make sure everything turns out perfectly.
If you have to accommodate for a stage or dance floor, creating a floor plan is a great way to visualize where everything needs to be. Often, floor plans are revised multiple times before finalized. There will always be a hiccup during an event, so making sure the floor plan is seamless is a great way to avoid any major stumbling blocks.
When building your floor plan at The Bedford, checking out our social media, taking a tour, and talking with our venue manager are the best ways to start researching how you might want to use our space. On our website under the VENUE tab, we have floor plans available for download that can be printed and drawn on, and we are always happy to answer any logistical questions. Additionally, our 3D tour on our website also allows you to get inside the space and take measurements to ensure that your floor plan is as accurate as possible. We can accommodate roughly 500 guests mix and mingle, and seat around 400 guests. Our space is unique and versatile, so the options are endless. To learn more about the best way to set up your floor plan, call or email us to set up a tour. We are always happy to help!