A gala dinner moves through three phases: a pre-dinner drinks reception, a seated dinner, and an awards ceremony or late bar. This guide covers the furniture and equipment needed for each phase, with quantity guides for 150 to 500 guests.
A gala dinner moves through three phases: a pre-dinner drinks reception, a seated dinner, and an awards ceremony or late bar. This guide covers the furniture and equipment needed for each phase, with quantity guides for 150 to 500 guests.
A gala dinner is one of the most equipment-intensive events to hire for. It moves through three phases: a pre-dinner drinks reception, a seated dinner, and an awards ceremony or late bar. Each phase has its own furniture and equipment requirements.
\n\nThe evening begins with a standing drinks reception as guests arrive. Poseur tables are the core piece of furniture at this stage. For 150 guests, 15 to 20 poseur tables distributes the crowd across the reception space. For 300 guests, scale to 30 or more depending on the room size and layout.
\nChampagne flutes, wine glasses, and tumblers for the reception are ordered separately from the table glassware used at dinner, as guests carry drinks from the reception into the dining room. Allow 1.5 glasses per person per hour for a one-hour reception.
\n\nRound tables are the standard choice for gala dinners. A 6ft round table seats 10 guests and photographs well under venue lighting. For 150 guests, 15 tables. For 300 guests, 30 tables. For 500 guests, 50 tables. Check the venue floor plan against these numbers, as 6ft rounds need around 3 metres of clear diameter per table for service access.
\n\nChiavari chairs are the most common choice for gala dinners. Gold or silver resin finishes suit most corporate colour schemes. For events where chiavari chairs are not available at the required volume, banqueting chairs are a reliable alternative at any scale.
\n\nWhite tablecloths with matching napkins are standard for gala dinners. Floor-length white round linen gives the room a formal appearance. Coloured overlays and table runners can be added on top of hired white linen to match event branding; these are sourced separately from a specialist linen supplier.
\n\nA three-course gala dinner requires a starter plate, main plate, and dessert plate per cover, plus side plates for bread service. White crockery hire for large-format events is available in quantities from 100 upwards. For 300 guests over three courses, the minimum crockery count is 900 plates before any buffer; order at least 1,050 to allow for breakages and washing between courses.
\n\nTable glassware at a gala dinner includes a red wine glass, a white wine glass, a water glass, and a champagne flute per cover. Expo Hire glassware is available for events up to 500 covers and beyond. The dinner glassware order is placed separately from the reception glassware to ensure the right quantities are available at each stage of the evening.
\n\nGala dinners with an awards ceremony need a presenter's position at the front of the room. A poseur table gives the presenter a surface to rest awards and notes, and these can be taken from the reception stock rather than ordered separately.
\nA late bar after the dinner requires additional glassware beyond what was used at the table. Bar stools alongside the bar counter, rocks glasses, highballs, and ice buckets supplement the earlier orders. Confirm the late bar format with the venue before placing the additional order.
\n\nGala dinners at the scale of 300 or more guests require early booking, in particular for October to December dates when corporate events are at their peak. Expo Hire recommends booking large-format events at least three months in advance to guarantee availability of chairs, linen, and crockery in the required quantities.
\nThe carriage guide sets out delivery charges by distance from the depot. Expo Hire's minor damage waiver scheme is strongly recommended for large-scale events where crockery and glassware pass through caterers, service staff, and guests over the course of a long evening.
See also: award ceremony furniture hire guide and black tie dinner hire guide.
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