Catering & events / Setup
Plan venue setup time
Allow time for tables, chairs and the rest of the room.
Event plan
Setup time
Enter crew.
How it works
Put in your numbers
Use your own rates, times and measurements.
See your answer straight away
It works it out as you type.
Copy or print it
Send it on, or keep it with the job.
What it covers: Allow for tables, chairs and other room setup work.
Free to use. No sign-in needed.
How to work out how long venue setup will take
Setup runs late when no one adds up the small jobs. Tables, chairs and finishing touches each take minutes, and they add up quickly. This planner turns your counts and timings into total crew work, the setup time with your crew, a check against the time before doors open and an optional crew cost.
- Enter the tables to set and the minutes per table. Include placing, covering and setting each table if your crew does all of it.
- Enter the chairs to place and the minutes per chair. Decimals are fine, for example 0.5 for 30 seconds.
- Add other setup time in person-minutes for jobs such as staging, signs, a buffet line or decorations. Person-minutes means one person working for that many minutes.
- Enter the setup crew size. Add pack-down time in person-minutes if your crew handles it, or leave it at 0.
- Enter the minutes available before doors open to check the crew can finish in time. The planner shows the minutes spare or short. Pack-down is not part of this check.
- Open Costs, choose your currency and add a crew cost per hour if you want the crew cost. It covers all crew work, including pack-down.
Tips and common mistakes
- Time a few tables and chairs at a real event rather than guessing. Small differences per item add up across a large room.
- The planner shares the work evenly across the crew, but some jobs need two people or must happen in order. Allow extra time for those.
- Leave spare time before doors open for a final walk-through and last-minute changes.
- Check venue access and delivery times. If you can only get in late, or equipment arrives late, your real time available is shorter.
Questions
How long does it take to set up tables and chairs for an event?
Multiply the tables by the minutes each takes, do the same for chairs, and add other setup jobs. Divide the total by your crew size. As an illustration, 200 chairs at 0.5 minutes each is 100 person-minutes, which a crew of 4 covers in about 25 minutes.
What are person-minutes?
Person-minutes are the total minutes of work, whatever the crew size. A job of 60 person-minutes takes one person an hour, or three people about 20 minutes. It is a simple way to add up setup work before you decide on the crew.
How many people do I need to set up an event?
Add up the total crew work, then compare it with the minutes available before doors open. Raise the crew size in the planner until it shows time spare. Allow extra for jobs that cannot be split.
Should pack-down be included in setup planning?
Include it if the same crew will do it, so the crew work and cost are complete. If someone else packs down, leave it at 0. Pack-down often has its own deadline, so check when you must leave the venue.
How do I estimate setup crew cost?
Work out the total crew work in hours, including pack-down if needed, and multiply by your hourly crew cost. Check the rules where you work on minimum shift lengths, as staff may be paid for a set minimum even if the work is short.
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