Let’s face it, six sausage sizzles, three quiz nights and one lamington drive later, and you’re officially over it. Thank goodness you’ve raised enough funds to kit out your clubroom! Since there’s fun in fundraising, now’s also precisely the moment to ensure you make a great investment that sees you avoiding frying up more onions and sausages for years to come.
So, how on earth do you make sure you get the best bang for your hard-earned buck?
Firstly, consider how your clubroom is actually used
Think about who uses the clubroom, how often they use it, and the purpose of it. A clubroom that is used indoors only for art groups of senior citizens, with the odd hire out as an event venue, requires different furniture to a sports clubroom that is used multiple times a week by families, with regular club days, prize giving etc over both indoor and outdoor areas. Understanding whether your clubroom has high or low use, as well as how tough/demanding that usage is, bears a huge influence on what furniture you need. Choosing the right materials and design to cope with the rigours of your use is vital.
Define what type of furniture you need
It could be as simple as, “we need seats for club meetings”, or as extensive as “we need seats, tables and accessories like lycra table or seat covers and furniture trolleys for post-match lunches and events”. Based on your understanding of how your clubroom is used, you can filter furniture offerings by those requirements. Perhaps you need something easy to clean (for those sticky, messy kids) and light, with UV protection for outdoor use, like a low-cost resin stacking chair such as our Cube or Milano. Or maybe you’re after some upholstered and elegant banquet seating. Complete your requirements with a blow-molded table that manages to balance strength with good looks. And remember to keep top of mind how your clubrooms are used, not only right now, but also into the future.
Do your homework (and a feature comparison)
The devil is in the detail and it can make or break your investment success. For example, chairs with linking makes arranging your seating a breeze, while stacking capability is critical for any venue with any space constraints. If you have health and safety compliance to meet, knowing the load capacity for your function furniture is a must. Beyond the physical attributes of event furniture, you need to also consider the practical capabilities that impact onsite storage capacity, or warranties that protect your investment for years, not months. The trifecta is a low maintenance product that is easy to clean, hard wearing without compromising on looks, and durable to survive the clubroom pack. Check out our handy Clubroom furniture feature checklist at the end of this post to help with your decision making.
Consider the setup and pack down process
Before your patrons arrive, the unenviable task of setup and pack down has been delegated. It can be a long and complicated process, but with the right furniture and tools, this burden is no more! The decisions you make today can have a significant impact on the volunteers and staff that you work with. Choosing lightweight furniture that stacks or folds, and trolleys that enable fast and easy movement will save you storage space, put less physical strain on the body and reduce the risk of flooring damage. Durability is another critical aspect when you consider the physical impact of regular setups/pack downs. It’s taken a long time to get your funding, so your furniture needs to last a long time too!
Finally, consider the "look" of your venue and style to follow
Is there a clear style in your venue? Perhaps it’s a modern site where an industrial look would suit, or maybe it’s a traditional venue with a bold colour theme with a focus on comfort throughout? This is the final factor that will play into your decision making process. Consider the style and materials of any furniture you select and base your final choice on a finish that will complete your venue’s ambiance.
Now that you know what you need and the features to look for, investigate supplier options
The hard work is done. You know pretty much what you’re looking for, but now you need to shop around to ensure you’re getting a great deal that maximises the funds that you’ve raised. There are many benefits of using a local supplier(link to supplier blog post) over going direct to an overseas manufacturer, and only through making contact with them will you get a clear picture of costs, delivery times, warranties and support. As with any purchase, quality is paramount, so make sure however you spend your hard earned funds, that your chosen investment works as hard as you did to get it.
If you want to make your clubroom sizzle, get in touch with our friendly sales team and discover our great range of banquet and event furniture www.alloyfold.com.au | 1 800 287 025
*Clubroom furniture feature checklist:
Plastic seating - is this chair:
- Lightweight
- Strong
- Stackable
- Easy to clean
- Suited to indoor/outdoor use
- UV protected
- Low cost
Banquet seating - is this chair:
- Lightweight
- Strong
- Stackable
- Comfortable
- Linkable
- Customisable (fabric/finish)
Blow-molded tables - is this table:
- Lightweight
- Robust
- Durable
- Tight stacking
- Heat resistant
- UV and moisture resistant
- Low maintenance
- Easy to set up/down
- Non-warping