Table and Chair Hire - an Introduction

In the first blog post of this series about table and chair hire, we introduce some of the information you need to know before placing your order.

Table and chair hire is one the foundations of everything we do at Expo Hire. Furniture makes up a large proportion of the orders we take and is the source of many questions we get from customers through our live chat facility.

With this in mind we’re putting together a series of articles to help customers understand what chair and table hire is right for their event, and what you need to know to get the most from your furniture rental.

Wedding Table and Chair Hire

The largest proportion of table and chair rentals we deliver to customers is for weddings. With more and more people taking the responsibility of arranging everything for their wedding day, the demand for hire tables and chairs to be delivered to wedding venues has risen massively. At Expo Hire we've made this as easy as possible by creating new table and chair packages to make it easier to order.

Arranging furniture for a wedding reception is all about utilising the space available in the most efficient way to match the number of guests attending the wedding. Round banqueting tables offer the best ratio for capacity for guests in comparison to the footprint the table occupies, and as such are the classic table for a wedding reception. On the other hand, rectangular tables tend to be used in situations where tables need to be joined together, such as the top table at a wedding reception.

These tables are normally paired with wooden banqueting chairs. Banqueting chairs can come in all different colours and designs offering a bewildering amount of choice. The most commonly used style of banqueting chair is Chiavari, which is based on an 18th century style from Italy.

Conference Table and Chair Hire

Conferences and large corporate meetings are another kind of event that can use a large amount of chairs and tables for rent. With some of these events being annual in nature, it often makes sense for companies to hire tables and chairs in than to use up valuable space storing them.

There are some subtle differences between conference hire and wedding hire. Conference chairs tend to be made from metal rather than wood, as they are used for longer periods of time and need to be stronger. Likewise, conference chairs tend to be a little bit more utilitarian in look as there is less need for aesthetic design as there is for weddings.

Conferences can be configured in various ways, some of which use tables more than others. Cabaret-style setups involve delegates sat around tables while watching a speaker, while theatre-style setups involve delegates sat in rows of seats instead. As capacities for venues can differ wildly based on the configuration of furniture it’s important to establish this prior to placing orders.

Outdoor Chair and Table Hire

Although the British climate does its best to interfere with best laid plans, we also supply an increasing number of outdoor events with tables and chairs for hire. These kinds of events can include everything from small garden parties to huge outdoor festivals, which means that there is a need for a wide selection of outdoor furniture to be available.

The main difference between furniture used for outdoor and indoor events is what the furniture is made from. Outdoor furniture has to be built to cope with the elements, especially rain. Standard banqueting tables cannot be used or stored outside unless they are completely undercover as rain will damage them and render them unusable.

While materials like plastics and aluminium tend to be most used for outdoor furniture hire, it is possible to have wooden outdoor furniture if it is designed for outdoor use. This involves adding a resin-like coating to the exposed wooden areas to protect the wood from the ingress of water.

At Expo Hire, we carry huge stocks of tables and chairs for hire for all kinds of situations. All pricing and availability s shown online removing needs for time-consuming quotes, while our customer service team are happy to answer your questions via our live chat facility to make sure you order the right furniture for you.

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