School proms need more hire equipment than most events coordinators expect. This guide covers chairs, tables, linen, glassware, and catering equipment with quantities for 100 and 200 guests.
School proms need more hire equipment than most events coordinators expect. This guide covers chairs, tables, linen, glassware, and catering equipment with quantities for 100 and 200 guests.
School proms need more hire equipment than most events coordinators expect, particularly when the venue is a blank-canvas space rather than a hotel function room. This guide covers chairs, tables, linen, glassware, and catering equipment, with quantities for 100 and 200 guests.
\n\nThe venue you choose determines what you need to hire. Hotel function rooms often include round tables and banqueting chairs in the room hire fee. Check what is included before ordering from Expo Hire, as many hotels charge extra for linen or upgrades to chair style.
\n\nSchool sports halls, community centres, and marquees provide nothing. For these venues, you hire all furniture, linen, and catering equipment yourself. The quantities below assume a fully self-supplied setup.
\n\nFor assigned seating, order one chair per guest and add 10% for late additions or layout changes on the day. For 100 guests, that is 110 chairs; for 200 guests, 220.
\n\nBanqueting chairs are the practical choice for most school proms. They stack well for delivery, seat guests through a long evening, and look appropriate in a dressed function room. Gold or silver frames with padded seats are the most popular finish.
\n\nIf photography matters as much as budget, Chiavari chairs give a cleaner, more formal look. They cost more per chair than banqueting chairs, but the visual difference in photographs is significant. Gold Chiavari chairs are the most common request for prom events.
\n\nRound tables are standard for seated prom dinners. A 5ft round table seats 8 guests; a 6ft round table seats 10. For 200 guests at 10 per table, you need 20 round tables, plus one or two extras for a DJ stand, welcome table, or display area.
\n\nFor buffet-only formats with no assigned seating, rectangular trestle tables are more cost-effective and easier to arrange for service lines. A standard 6ft rectangular table holds two chafing dishes side by side with serving space to spare.
\n\nTablecloths change the look of a bare room more than almost any other hire item. White and ivory polyester cloths are the standard choice: they iron flat, drape cleanly on round tables, and hold up through a long evening without creasing badly.
\n\nFor a 6ft round table, order a 120-inch round tablecloth. For a 5ft table, 108 inches gives a proper floor-length drop. Confirm table sizes with the venue before ordering, as tablecloth sizes are not interchangeable and an ill-fitting cloth looks worse than no cloth at all.
\n\nNapkins add colour to place settings at low cost. Order one per guest and pick a shade that works with your theme. The full linen range includes standard and extended colour options.
\n\nSchool proms are soft-drinks events, which makes glassware selection straightforward. Highball glasses handle sparkling soft drinks, mocktails, and juices well. Order 2.5 glasses per guest to account for guests picking up fresh glasses throughout the evening rather than returning to the same one. For 200 guests, that is 500 highball glasses.
\n\nWater goblets at each place setting are worth adding for seated dinners. Order one per guest. Avoid wine glasses unless you have staff clearing tables regularly; stemmed glasses tip over on busy tables and break more often than tumblers.
\n\nWhat catering equipment you need depends on who provides the food. Most professional outside caterers bring their own hot holding equipment. Before placing any catering hire order, confirm with your caterer what they are supplying. Many only need you to provide service tables and linen.
\n\nFor self-catered buffets, chafing dishes are the main requirement. Each dish holds a full-size 1/1 gastronorm tray and keeps food at serving temperature for 2 to 4 hours on gel fuel. For 200 guests eating over 90 minutes, 6 to 8 chafing dishes is a reasonable starting point. Wider menus with more separate dishes need more units.
\n\nBrowse the chafing dish range for sizes, stand options, and fuel type.
\n\nExpo Hire does not supply lighting or AV equipment. Most event production companies hire uplighters, pin spots, and sound systems for one-off events. A basic room wash requires 12 to 16 uplighters for a medium function room; budget £3 to £6 per unit. Coordinate lighting delivery with your furniture order so both arrive in the same window and setup can run together.
\n\nProm season runs from late May to late July. June is the busiest period and popular dates book out several months in advance. For a June event, submit your enquiry no later than February. For July, aim to confirm by April.
\n\nExpo Hire delivers across England and Wales. Use the delivery calculator to check costs to your venue postcode before confirming your order.
\n\nFor 100 guests seated: 110 chairs, 12 x 6ft round tables, 12 tablecloths (120-inch round), 100 napkins, 250 highball glasses, 100 water goblets, 4 chafing dishes.
\n\nFor 200 guests seated: 220 chairs, 22 x 6ft round tables, 22 tablecloths (120-inch round), 200 napkins, 500 highball glasses, 200 water goblets, 6 to 8 chafing dishes.
\n\nThese figures are starting points. Adjust based on your venue layout, caterer requirements, and whether the venue supplies any furniture itself.
See also: graduation party hire guide and milestone birthday hire guide.
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