Seats of success
The word "banqueting" conjures up images of hundreds of people sitting down to a feast, but to the people whose job it is to source the seating on which the diners sit and the tables from which they eat, banquets can be a source of frustration. Where do they find durable but practical furniture which looks good?
Jon Hawthorne is a man who faces this problem daily. As deputy conference and banqueting manager of the Stakis Metropole, Birmingham, he manages 30 function rooms catering for as many as 20 events every day.
The four-star, 800-room hotel has one of the country's largest conference and banqueting facilities, from syndicates (small meeting rooms) to a large suite accommodating 2,000 people. However, prompted by the recent upturn in the market, the hotel is updating and renovating its facilities, some of which have been in service for 20 years.
The hotel's furniture is a mixture of GN Burgess's Turini and Cello aluminium-framed banqueting chairs, which are light enough to be stacked 10 high and are easily manoeuvred. The hotel also uses steel-framed tables in various shapes and sizes which can be folded away when not in use.
"Tables are particularly prone to abuse, as a lot of guests get up and dance on them," says Hawthorne. "Even though they are secure, with a locking device to prevent the legs collapsing, in time they need replacing." The operation also uses 4,000-5,000 chairs a day, which must stand up to constant wear and tear.
Aluminium-framed chairs are the lightest and easiest to move, making them ideal for large functions at which rapid reconfiguration is essential, advises GN Burgess sales and marketing director Tony Falkingham. His company has four banqueting ranges, with and without arms, stacking 10 high, priced from £35 to £135, and available with trolleys. New details include a decorative corner on the Cello range, and a wood-effect lacquer finish.
Steel-framed chairs, on the other hand, although cheaper and more durable, are heavier and more difficult to reposition.
"Larger hotels in the four- or five-star bracket tend to go for aluminium because they need to change configurations rapid-ly," says Trevor Haskins, sales and marketing director of King Cole, which makes both type of chair. "At the lower end of the market, and in smaller hotels, steel has a place because usage is more occasional. Steel chairs come in at around £20, whereas aluminium ones start at around £40."
Whether the ultimate choice is steel or aluminium, more hotels are opting for chair-linking devices for use in conference configurations. Many fire officers require such systems for large theatre-style functions, on safety grounds.
"Linking devices for theatre-style arrangements are widely sought after. We colour ours to match the chairs," says Matthew Keech, managing director of Metalen Products, a manufacturer of aluminium- and steel-framed furniture.
Another discernible trend is a move toward patterned upholstery. "Patterns are being specified to create a more distinctive, upmarket look, particularly where furniture is also being used for conferences," says Haskins.
In the past, fashion generally bypassed the banqueting market, but hotels are moving away from the utilitarian look and opting for more style and comfort.
"They're going for higher backs to provide greater comfort," says Keech, "and want wood-effect finishes because it's more stylish. Some hotels are using our wood-effect finish chairs - which have hand-crafted joints creating the impression of carved wood - in their restaurants because they appreciate the flexibility."
Alternatively, customers can create their own distinctive look through several embellishments, such as logos in fabric, metal cut-outs on chair backs or a decorative corner feature.
For more comfort, there's optional back padding and, to speed maintenance, Metalen's entire range is fitted with removable upholstery. Customised chairs are also available.
Birmingham's four-star Burlington, a £5.5m conversion of the former Midland hotel, has chosen to customise its 400 new banqueting chairs for its eight syndicate rooms and large function suite. It has gone for Metalen's new Admiral chair, which has a contour-curved back for improved comfort and a sculptured aluminium frame, choosing a mahogany lacquer finish, blue upholstery and gold logo.
"We made the investment in the chairs because we aim to build up a substantial conference and banqueting business," says conference and banqueting operations manager Steve Fitzgerald.
Also pursuing the conference and banqueting market is Ashdown Park, a 95-room country house hotel near East Grinstead in East Sussex. The hotel has re-equipped its 15 function rooms with a set of folding tables and two sets of chairs, in burgundy and green upholstery with pewter-finish frames, from Snap Drape. This company, best known for its table skirtings, has evolved into a one-stop shop for banqueting furniture since the formation of its Forbes Furniture division. The Forbes range includes seven stacking chairs in aluminium or steel, priced from £17.50.
Ashdown Park had been using furniture inherited from the days when the hotel was a bank training centre, but this lacked flexibility, a feature also important to the 700-year-old Lumley Castle, in Chester-le-Street, Durham, now a 63-room country house hotel. It chose Ness Furniture for its several hundred Regent chairs, emblazoned with a fleur-de-lys logo.
Ness's seven aluminium and steel chair ranges, stackable to 10-high, have a distinctive contemporary look that fits in with the trend toward more modern interiors. Two models, Parklane and Mayfair, are constructed of large-diameter steel tubing which, when painted, creates the impression of timber.
Its lightest chair, the Regent, has a moulded thermoplastic back with inset hand-hold. "Our historic wooden chairs were impractical for our expanding banqueting business, so we went for these as we need something lightweight to carry round the turrets," says general manager John Oxley.
