The way a room is set up can influence how much (or how little) your attendees consume. For example, an hors d'oeuvres table that is placed against a wall provides only 180-degree access to the food. A rectangular table placed in the center of the room provides two open sides and 360-degree access to the food and will mean greater food consumption. A round table placed in the center of the room gives the appearance of a lavish presentation, but because there is no way for a line to circle the table, guests have to work their way in and out to reach each item, which will decrease the amount of food that they consume.

At a reception, you will need to allocate 6 to 10 square feet of floor space per guest. With 6 square feet, guests will have a bit less ease getting to the F&B stations, so they might eat and drink less. If you are paying based on consumption, you might want to allocate only about 6 square feet per person to keep F&B costs under control. However, if you are paying on a per-person basis, the square footage doesn't really matter.

Seven-and-a-half square feet per person is considered to be the ideal amount of floor space per guest. Ten square feet provides more than ample space for guests to mingle and easily visit the F&B stations; it is the appropriate amount of floor space for a more luxurious event.

Then there are the food stations. An 8-by-3-foot table is 24 square feet; it requires about 60 square feet for aisle space if it is against the wall and about 100 square feet for aisle space if the table is accessible from all sides. When determining the number of buffet tables and buffet lines you need, it's important to consider such factors as the number of guests expected, the length of dining time, and the amount of décor desired on the buffet line.

Generally speaking, you need to allocate about 2 running feet of buffet table for each food container. If you use two standard 8-foot-long rectangular banquet tables, you will need about 48 square feet of floor space for the buffet table and approximately 150 square feet of standard 3-foot aisle space surrounding the buffet table. The total allocation for this setup, then, is about 200 square feet.

Patti J. Shock, CPCE, is professor and chairwoman, Tourism and Convention Administration Department, Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. To learn more about her, visit tca.unlv.edu/shock.html or send an e-mail to patti.shock@unlv.edu.