Convert any Paris venue's square meters into realistic guest capacities — cocktail, seated dinner, theatre, banquet, classroom. Based on French ERP norms and our editorial team's working numbers.
Capacities are realistic guest numbers based on usable floor (after stage, bar and AV footprint). Always cross-check with the venue's commission de sécurité attestation, which states the legal maximum by configuration. Heritage venues may impose lower caps (acoustic, conservation, ERP class).
The capacity number on a Paris venue brochure is almost always the theoretical maximum — the configuration that packs the most bodies into the space. Real-world capacity sits 15 to 30% below that, once you subtract the bar, food stations, registration desk, stage, coatcheck and emergency-exit clearance. This calculator returns the realistic numbers.
Cocktail standing — 2.0 to 3.0 persons per m² of usable floor. Use 1.5 for mixed cocktail with food stations and a stage.
Seated dinner (long tables) — 0.9 to 1.1 person per m². Banquet (round tables) drops to 0.7–0.9.
Theatre seating — 1.5 to 1.8 person per m² with standard aisle spacing. Drops to 1.2 with stage and centre aisle.
Classroom — 1.0 to 1.2 person per m². Tables + chairs facing forward.
Banquet rounds — 0.7 to 0.9 person per m². Round tables of 10 with service aisles.
Most Paris event venues are classified as établissements recevant du public (ERP). The commission de sécurité attestation is the legal document stating maximum occupancy by configuration. For very large events, also check with the venue whether a prior declaration to the Préfecture de Police is required. Always request these in writing before signing.
Take a reception room of 400 m². Before applying any ratio, deduct the space that guests cannot occupy: a 40 m² stage, a 20 m² bar, 20 m² for the technical control position and 20 m² for the welcome desk and cloakroom. That leaves 300 m² of usable floor. At 2 to 3 people per m², the room holds 600 to 900 guests for a standing cocktail, but only about 450 once food stations and a stage are included (1.5 per m²). The same room seats 270 to 330 for a dinner at long tables, 210 to 270 at round tables, 450 to 540 in theatre style without a stage and around 360 with a stage and a central aisle. To see which Paris venues match your headcount, browse our guide to Paris event venues by capacity.
These results are then compared with the venue's safety attestation, and the lower of the two figures prevails. Occupancy also depends on the number and width of emergency exits, so a large room served by a single staircase may be capped well below what its floor area suggests.
Put the numbers to work. Compare the capacities you obtain with the published figures of the main Paris congress venues in our guide to Paris convention and conference centres, and in our venue guides to the Palais des Congrès, the Paris Convention Centre and the Salles du Carrousel.
French ERP regulation defines maximum legal occupancy by configuration. Standing cocktail allows 2 to 3 persons per m² of usable space; seated dinner 0.9 to 1.1; theatre seating 1.5 to 1.8; banquet (round tables) 0.7 to 0.9; classroom 1.0 to 1.2.
Venue brochures usually quote maximum theoretical capacity. Real-world capacity drops 15–30% once you account for the bar, food stations, stage, registration desk, coatcheck, and emergency-exit clearance.
For mixed cocktail (some food stations, a small stage, bar): plan for 1.5 persons per m² of usable floor — not the venue's stated 2 to 3 per m².