Corporate affairs, parties, black-tie soirees, product launches, trade shows or conferences, most of us have had the pleasure of attending a handful over the years, but when it comes to the planning, managing and coordinating of an event, that’s another kettle of fish entirely.
Location, goals, budget, catering, entertainment... the list goes on! No matter what type of event you’re hosting, somewhere to sit is one of the most important considerations. So whether you’re a catering star by trade or Jay Gatsby is your alter ego, when it comes to event seating, do you rent or do you buy?
When you should consider renting:
New to the world of business and unsure how big things are going to get? Renting might just be the best option for you, at least until business takes off.
If your event is a one-off or you just want to make things easier for yourself, then it’s also likely that renting is the answer, after all, sometimes it just makes sense to pay for convenience.
Think of renting as outsourcing and, of course, when you’re outsourcing, you don’t need to worry about storage or maintenance. If you’re talking about a large number of chairs, that might make renting a more cost-effective option after all, time is money and anything that takes you away from your core business is costing your business.
You do need to factor in time for each event in contacting rental companies for quotes and remember when you’re working with a third party, sometimes your preferred option may not be available.
However, renting does give you flexibility when it comes to seating, enabling you to utilise different types of seating for different events and audiences, if that’s a need which is beneficial to your particular business or event needs.
When buying might be the answer:
Going big in terms of audience numbers or volume of events? Then buying might just be the answer for you. Because although the initial investment might hit your wallet hard, it might only take a few events for you to have recouped your costs in their entirety.
You do need to take storage into consideration and if space is a premium for you, then again, you may need to reconsider renting. However, buying in bulk may enable you to get a particularly good cost price.
Purchasing your own event seating does give you a lot of flexibility in terms of timing. When something unexpected happens and you have to change your event date, you don’t have to check with your hire company if your seating preference is available on the new date.
And if you run a wide variety of events, you can always select a modern seat design that will look as at home at a trade show as it will a corporate affair and you’re covered for every eventuality.
Photo caption: Alloyfold rental seating, photo by Emily Hugo Photography