The marquee size guide. How to find and configure the optimum marquee

If you’re planning an event, one of the first things you’ll need to work out is what size marquee you need based on the number of guests. The optimum marquee size will vary, depending on what type of event it is and whether attendees will be standing or seated. Once you’re clear on that, you’ll be able to choose a marquee with the right capacity. And we’re here to help. 

Our comprehensive marquee size guide is all about taking away the guesswork, breaking down marquee sizes and capacities and making event planning easier. So, what space do you need inside your marquee?

Get answers fast with our free capacity configurator… 

Now you know the internal footprint, how does that translate into the configuration and size of the marquee you need. If you want to get a quick marquee size and configuration recommendation, our experts have developed a free interactive configurator to help you find the optimum solution. It’s based on the size and spacing guidelines we use for hundreds of events every year and it’s here to help you find what’s right for your event, in seconds. Remember, we can always flex the size to suit your exact requirements. 

To help you understand the best marquee size for your event, our team have designed a range of tried-and-tested layouts and dimensions for your marquee, each carefully created to keep your guests comfortable, engaged and entertained. For example, if you are planning a graduation event or drama production, consider theatre style seating as this often the best use of space while giving clear sightlines to the stage for the audience, family and friends.  For corporate hospitality, dining style layouts offer the best use of space with circulation areas for food service and bar areas is often the go to choice to make the best use of space while not over specifying the size of the marquee you need. Common layouts include: 

• Standing reception 

• Seated theatre style 

• Seated dining style 

The orientation and layout of your marquee will can be adjusted to suit the space you have available and we are well accustomed to working with tight sites with challenging access. It may be long and thin or short and wide to meet the capacity you need within the space you have available.  

Marquee standing capacity  

When your event guests are standing, the size and capacity is easier to calculate. Marquee standing capacity is primarily determined by the total floor area and how much of it is usable, with most guides allowing between 0.5m² and 1m² per person depending on guest density and if the marquee is clearspan or a traditional pole tent. However, features such as staging, bars and furniture reduce available space. There are important emergency exit requirements that also need to be considered here. As a result, when choosing the right marquee size, it’s important to consider not just the footprint, but also the layout, event type and safety regulations to ensure a comfortable and compliant capacity for standing guests.  

Marquee seating capacity  

If your guests are going to be seating, the style of seating will influence the marquee size you need.  For example, theatre style seating, which is rows of chairs, takes up less floor space than banquet seating.  Even the type of tables you choose can affect the marquee size.  If you want to reduce the size of your marquee, consider long tables over round tables. When using our marquee configurator, we have factored in a range of seating options to give you an accurate indication of the correct marquee size.  

It is important to note that these dimensions and capacity calculations are guides, spaces can be designed around your exact requirements and we will work with you to ensure your space is perfectly configured for your event.   

What is happening inside your marquee and how might that affect the size you need? 

If you’re housing anything within the marquee, for example exhibition stands, staging, products or brand activations this will also affect the size of marquee you need. For example, at the British Grand Prix, we worked with the client to provide additional space to include some impressive interactive features such as racing simulators and Formula One cars within their hospitality marquees. This gave guests a unique experience and our expert team were able to provide all the space and size calculations to provide a marquee with the right capacity. 

As a general rule, if you want space for ancillary items, additional facilities or circulation, add 20% on to the size of your marquee to give your guests the right size space to enjoy everything your event has to offer comfortably. You can find a breakdown of optimal marquee sizes that include space for a stage, bar and dancefloor below: 

One marquee provider… a whole lot of options 

Every GL events marquee comes in a range of lengths and widths, so your space can be perfectly flexed to fit your event, location and guest numbers – not the other way around. For example, our Clearspan marquees come in widths of 15m, 20m and 25m, while our vast Showspan marquees offer even more capacity, with standard width of 27.5m. If you are looking for a smaller marquee, a traditional pole tent is available in 9m, 12m and 15m widths, they are a perfect size for most events. 

Pagoda marquees come in a range of flexible sizes from 3m x 3m up to 10m x 10m depending on the model. The good news is, our marquee configurator takes all of those options into account and picks the right marquee product and dimensions for your event. 

Now you know the marquee size, what next? 

Once you have a marquee size and capacity in mind, the next decision you need to make is what type and style of marquee is best for your event.  Dive into our range of options, and discover the benefits of our clearspan, showspan and pagoda structures to find the best marquee style. 

See your marquee size in 3D detail  

Once you know the basic size and have an idea of the style of marquee that would best suit your event, you can start to bring your plans to life and fully understand how your event space will work. Our in-house design team will map your structure, using the latest industry leading CAD, immersive spatial planning and visual fly-through technology.  

This means you will see, from the eyes of your guests, exactly how the space will work. We can map footfall flow, work out routes to the toilets and make sure we’re not ending up with any capacity bottlenecks. These visuals are invaluable to help internal discussions around fitout, flow, branding and how the marquee is used by your guests.  Event planners can step in, experience the size and space, before it’s been built to make informed decisions about what’s working and where more space may be required. That could be anything from moving the toilets to increasing the size of the bar so it feels more comfortable, giving your guests the best possible experience. This considered and technical approach to event design manages risk and improves experience for everyone. 

Talk to us about your ideal marquee size and configuration 

Our team is always happy to talk your projects through, and we’ll usually be able to make recommendations about how to optimise the size of your marquee. We can share elements we’ve seen work well at other events and help you avoid over specifying or underspecifying the size of the marquee you need. We’ll also be able to advise you on getting the right amount of circulation space and flow within your marquee to make your guests feel relaxed and comfortable, to create a safe and seamless experience. Contact us today.