How big a venue do you need?
Work out the recommended floor area from your guest count and layout, and see which venue types fit. These are standard planning figures — a good guide, not a rule.
Anbefalt areal
90–120 m²
for 60 guests · Seated dinner (round tables)
Based on 1.5–2 m² per person. Add 15–25% for a dance floor, stage, buffet and cloakroom. These are standard planning figures — always check the venue's stated capacity.
Venue types that fit 60 guests:
- Function room / party venue
- Community hall
- Conference venue
- Cultural venue / large hall
- Sports hall
How to work out capacity
Floor area is driven first of all by the layout — that is, whether guests are sitting or standing. A seated dinner with round tables needs the most space; a standing reception the least.
- Seated dinner (round tables): ~1,5–2,0 m² per guest.
- Standing reception: ~0,8–1,0 m² per guest.
- Classroom / training: ~2,0–2,5 m² per person.
- Theatre style (rows of chairs): ~0,8–1,2 m² per person.
Add space for a dance floor, stage, buffet, bar, cloakroom and escape routes — typically 15–25% extra. If children will be running about, or your programme is varied, choose a venue towards the upper end of the range.
Frequently asked questions
- How much space do I need per guest?
- It depends on the layout. A seated dinner with round tables usually needs 1.5–2.0 m² per guest; a standing reception 0.8–1.0 m²; a classroom or training setup 2.0–2.5 m²; and theatre style with rows of chairs 0.8–1.2 m². The calculator multiplies your guest count by these standard figures and gives a recommended area.
- Are the area figures exact?
- No — they are standard planning figures meant to give you a sense of scale. The real requirement varies with table and chair types, a dance floor, a stage, a buffet, a cloakroom, escape routes and circulation space. Allow yourself some margin, and always check the venue's stated capacity before you book.
- Which venue types suit my guest count?
- The calculator suggests venue types whose stated capacity fits your number — meeting rooms for small groups, function rooms for 30–150 guests, and cultural venues or large halls for bigger events. Each type links on to available venues on Digilist.
- Should I allow space for a dance floor and buffet?
- Yes. A dance floor, stage, buffet tables or a bar all need more room than table space alone. A rule of thumb is to add 15–25% for those zones. If your programme is varied, choose a venue towards the upper end of the recommended range.
An invitation to Norwegian municipalities.
Digilist is a modern, accessible platform for managing municipal venues, sports facilities, meeting rooms and events — and for making them visible to the people who want to use them.
We are inviting municipalities to join a pilot, where we help make municipal venues and activities more available, simpler to administer, and easier for residents, clubs, organisations and event organisers to find.
The aim is not to replace existing systems or ways of working, but to explore how Digilist can work as a modern complement for residents and for the administration.
We help with setup and publishing at no cost during the pilot. The municipality gets its own administrative access to carry on from there.
Digilist provides
- A real-time availability calendar
- Straightforward booking and requests
- Seasonal allocation for clubs and associations
- An overview of venues and sports facilities
- A digital case-handling flow
- Administrative approval of requests
- Invoicing basis and payment overview
- A mobile-friendly, accessible interface
- Simple administration and content updates
- Better visibility for municipal facilities and activities
What we need from the municipality
- The venues or facilities the municipality administers
- Short descriptions
- Images or links, where available
- Contact details
- Any information about booking or seasonal allocation
The pilot is free of charge. The municipality takes on no commitment to continue or to procure.