Chairs and benches

Chairs and benches for reception areas and events

Chairs and benches determine how long people stay somewhere and how comfortable they feel while they wait, listen or talk afterwards. In a reception area, a welcome space or at an event they are rarely a detail: the number of seats and the type of seating steer how a space gets used. A room with loose chairs invites people to move around and form groups, a row of benches keeps circulation open.

We supply seating to companies, municipalities, stand builders and event organisers, from a handful of pieces for a waiting area to large series for a hall or marquee. The conversation usually turns on three things: how many people, how long they sit, and what happens to the chairs between one occasion and the next.

Where you use them

• Reception and waiting areas in office buildings and administrative centres
• Receptions, networking moments and seated dinners
• Exhibition stands, where a seating area holds visitors for longer

Versions

Stacking chairs

The workhorses of every hall. They stack high, move easily on a trolley and are the logical choice as soon as the layout changes regularly. Watch the number of units that may safely be stacked, because that determines your storage space.

Folding chairs

More compact than stacking, but less comfortable for long periods of sitting. Excellent for temporary layouts that have to go up and down quickly, less suitable for a waiting area where people sit for half an hour.

Lounge seating and armchairs

For zones where conversation and staying put are central: an exhibition stand, a VIP area, a reception corner. They take up more space and are heavier, but they change the atmosphere of a space completely.

Benches

Benches offer plenty of seats in little circulation space and keep a zone orderly. There are indoor versions with upholstery and robust outdoor versions; outdoors along a route or on a site they are generally the most maintenance-free choice.

Material and finish

Frames are usually in steel or aluminium; aluminium weighs less and is the better choice when staff move the chairs daily. Seats are made of plastic, laminated wood, woven textile or upholstered foam. Fabric is more comfortable but demands more care; for a busy public space you are better off with a strong woven or coated textile. Outdoors, different rules apply: coated or galvanised steel, aluminium or UV-resistant plastic, and no upholstery that soaks up water.

In practice

• Do not calculate the seats too tightly: people put bags and coats on chairs
• Keep gangways and emergency exits clear and follow what the fire regulations and the tender specification impose
• Include transport and storage in the plan; a trolley for a series of stacking chairs pays for itself in labour time
• Outdoors: provide somewhere to store everything dry, even for a short event

When chairs are not the right choice

At a standing networking event, poseur tables work better: sitting breaks the dynamic and groups stay put. For a twenty-minute programme not everyone needs a seat. And anyone who needs two hundred chairs once a year is usually better off hiring than buying plus a year of storage space. We would rather say so straight away.

What determines the price?

The price depends on the type of seating, the frame material, the seat and the upholstery, the quality of finish, indoor or outdoor version, and above all the number of units. Additional choices count too: colour, linkability, armrests, and transport or storage solutions such as trolleys and covers. Delivery and setting up on site also come into it.

Let us help you think through your layout

Give us the number of seats, the space and how often it will be used. We will propose suitable seating and provide you with a tailored quotation.