VENUE REQUIREMENTS

The areas we need for a National Finals event are as follows:

Playing Hall(s)
Each player requires at least 1.25sqm of playing space.
A table between 1.5 - 1.8m length and 0.6 - 0.75m width is required for 4 players (2 chessboards)
Chairs are placed on BOTH sides of each table.

We require between 1.5 - 3m between each row of tables. This provides at least 1m of clear space between the backs of chairs. Chairs will extend around 0.5m from the table edge. Players or arbiters should be able to walk comfortably between rows. Larger row spacing is required for spectators to use these corridors.

The short end of tables can be abutting one other. Generally no more than 5-6 tables in a row (7.5-10m) before a lateral break is required for ease of access.

There should also be space for players or arbiters to move freely around the room. And space for pairings to be displayed.
We also need a space for results to be reported.

It is optional to provide space which allows parents and teachers to spectate.

National Finals attracts at least 350 participants, which means we should be prepared for 400 players. This requires at least 500sqm of Playing Hall space.

Administration Area
A small area is all that is required for administration and collecting results. Generally 2 x trestle tables of 1.5m would be sufficient for a couple of laptop computers and a printer.

Coaching Lounge
We expect around 100 players to make use of a coaching lounge. Players come through this space on a rolling basis so we would usually have around 15 coaches managing 100 players.  This requires the same amount of space as 30 players.

Around 40-50 sqm of space is sufficient. This should be in a quite or secluded area and should be accessible only with permission. A separate room with a closing door is ideal. This can be thought of as a break-out area.

Recreation Space
All 350 players will require this space. At the start of each round this area will be empty, and by the end of the round all 350 players will be in this space.

This effectively doubles the playing area needed to run an event, because there are ebbs and flows of players between the Playing Halls and the Recreation Space.

Parent and Teachers Breakout Area
This can sometimes overlap with the Recreation Space, which is convenient for supervision purposes.

We would expect around 100 teachers or parents to be on site the entire duration of the event.

School Bags
350-400 school bags need to be "dumped" somewhere and players need access to them throughout the event.

Toilets
Male and female, including disabled access are required. I don't have any idea about how many toilets are needed for this number of players.

Ideally there are different toilet facilities for adults and students, but in non-school venues this can be rare.

Toilets should be cleaned (and consumables replaced) regularly throughout the day by the venue facilities team. Kids are particularly messy.

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