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Event Centers

Storage Guide for Event Centers, Hotels, Casinos, & Other Venues

- 11 min read

Maximize Space and Efficiency with MityLite Carts

How would you rate the back of house storage areas at your property? A lot of event managers find that clutter and disorder can easily creep into back of house areas. Storage disorganization causes more than just chaotic storerooms — it can also affect a property’s bottom line. Disorganization can lead to increased labor costs for event setup and breakdown, potential duplicate purchases due to missing items, and even furniture damage.

Increase Capacity with Banquet Chair Storage & Folding Table Carts

Are you struggling to find enough storage space for your hotel or event center’s furniture? Ultraefficient planning can double or even triple the storage capacity of your storerooms.

With the constant need for flexible room setup and extra seating and tables, it’s essential to have an efficient storage system in place for busy event centers. In this article, we will explore the practical applications of MityLite carts in back-of-house storage areas, with a focus on carts for folding tables and chairs.

Hotels and event centers with good storage solutions can host more events, set up more quickly, and pack events more tightly together — thereby increasing revenue. So, while it’s easy for storage to become an afterthought, it will pay off to get your property’s storage areas in order.

Man Moving A Chair Storage Cart

6 Tips for Efficient Storage of Chairs & Tables

1. Use Carts

The fastest way to move large quantities of chairs or tables is on a furniture cart. Banquet chair dollies are specially designed to quickly move stacks of chairs. You’ll also want carts to transport linens, chafing dishes, table settings, decorations, AV equipment, and portable dance floors. Having ample storage carts is essential to quick room setup. Some carts slide under a stack of chairs and store stacks of furniture, while other carts are designed to be stored with the furniture.

“The carts fit both 6-foot and 8-foot-long tables, and they have cut the time we take for breakdowns or setups. Before the carts, we had to grab the pallet jack and take folding tables on pallets from one area to another. Now, with the carts, we can push tables throughout the building without having to wait on or look for the pallet jack. The carts allow us to get around the building much quicker.”

Khamari Alexander Operations

Facility Assistant Manager, Charlotte Convention Center

2. Durability Matters

If you’re storing and stacking furniture, it will need to be well-built. After chairs and tables have been stacked, carted, and unstacked for a few months, the true quality will show. Cheaply made furniture will not stand up to frequent use. Scratches, dents, stains, and cracks can occur. Get furniture that is engineered to withstand heavy commercial use.

3. Utilize Vertical Space

Don’t overlook the potential of vertical space in your storage area. Invest in sturdy shelving units that can accommodate the weight of your chafing dishes, linens, decorations, and other items in storage. You can utilize vertical space to the max with high efficiency carts that stack folded chairs and tables densely. Banquet chair storage can be particularly efficient. Some carts stack on top of each other (with the aid of forklifts) for maximum storage convenience in warehouse areas. And even if you don’t use stacking carts, most banquet chairs stack 6–10 high.

Rows of Chairs Stacked

4. Organize Regularly

If it isn’t anyone’s job to keep the back of house storage area clean and organized, it won’t happen. There should be periodic checks to make sure furniture, linens, chafing dishes, and other items are all kept in tip-top shape. A dirty or cluttered storage area can damage stored items, causing dirt to settle into upholstery and stains to appear.

5. Label Everything

There’s nothing worse than bringing a cart of tablecloths up 10 floors just to realize that they’re the wrong size. Keep stored items labeled, whether they’re linens or lanyards.

6. Stack and Nest

Choosing furniture that’s designed to stack or nest is a great way to optimize your storage space. Many carts are designed to store stacks of chairs or folding tables. Getting the right cart for your event center furnishings is a great way to maximize the efficiency benefits of stacking and nesting furniture.

Rows of Tables Stacked On Carts

What to Look for in Carts

There are four things to look for when selecting furniture dollies and banquet setup carts. Following these tips will help you get equipment that’s durable and easy to use.

1. Sturdy construction

When it comes to moving, setting up, and storing folding chairs and tables, quality is important. Look at the weight limit of the cart and make sure it will comfortably carry the quantity of furniture you wish. Overloaded carts are difficult to maneuver and prone to break. Choose carts that are sturdily built of steel or aluminum for long-term use.

2. Easy maneuverability

The last thing you want during event setup is to struggle with cumbersome and difficult-to-move carts. Smooth maneuverability is essential for quick and efficient setup and breakdown of folding chairs and tables. Look for carts and banquet chair dollies with features such as swivel wheels, ergonomic handles, and maneuvering systems that enable easy navigation through doorways, corridors, and uneven surfaces.

Man Moving Chair Cart

3. Efficient organization

Select carts that organize furniture compactly to maximize storage space, while still protecting delicate surfaces.

4. Safety

Prevent furniture collapses and employee injuries by selecting sturdy, well-made carts that are designed to prevent mishaps. Look for carts that have safety features like wheel locks, straps, side rails, stacking buttons, etc.

Ready to shop carts?

View our detailed visual guide to find the right carts for your property.

View PDF

A Variety of MityLite Carts for Folding Tables and Chairs 

MityLite carts are specifically designed to transport and store different types of furniture, including folding tables, stacking chairs, portable dance floors, staging equipment, and folding chairs. For most types of furniture, there are several cart options, depending on your storage plans. For example, some banquet chair storage carts can transport stacks of 6 chairs, while others hold up to 80 chairs in one cart. The carts you choose make a difference.

Is it a Hand Truck, Dolly, or Cart?

In the United States, we often refer to all individually propelled furniture-moving tools as carts, as we have done in this article. But there’s actually a difference between carts, dollies, and hand trucks and the way they’re intended to be used. Let’s take a look.

Types of Carts

Description

Examples

Dolly Caryying Stacked Chairs

Dolly

  • “L” shaped
  • Chair dollies scoop up stacks of chairs
  • Table hand trucks carry rectangular tables in an upright position
  • Sometimes called a hand cart
  • 2-5 wheels
  • Up to 60” (152.4 cm) high (loaded)

Pan Cart

  • Low profile
  • No handles
  • Place chairs or tables on surface to create stacks
  • Sometimes called a furniture moving dolly

Table Cart

  • Always have a handle
  • Designed to move & store stacks of folding tables or chairs
  • Also called a platform truck

Stacking Cart

  • Very high capacity
  • Requires forklift and high clearance to stack loaded carts on top of each other
  • May require the use of an X-Base

Upright Cart

  • Stores tables upright (instead of stacked flat)
  • Often saves space when moving furniture through narrow doorways

Edge Cart

  • Stores tables on the long edge (instead of stacked flat)
  • Often saves space when moving furniture through areas with low clearance

Tree Cart/Chair Rack

  • High efficiency
  • Folding chairs or table legs stack on bars on a metal frame
  • Often saves space

Specialty Carts

  • Designed around uniquely shaped furniture, such as serpentine tables

Cocktail Carts

  • Made to store cocktail tables with detachable legs
  • Feature handle

Slant Stack Cart

Slant Stack Cart

  • Stores tables on the long edge (instead of stacked flat)
  • Often saves space when moving furniture through areas with low clearance

Getting the right carts for your facility can be a game-changer for hotels and event centers, boosting efficiency, preventing accidents and damage, and making the most of available storage space. With their durable construction and easy maneuverability, MityLite carts make it effortless to transport and store large quantities of event furniture.

Why Get Carts?

We started making carts for a very good reason: our customers asked for them. They told us that without carts, it’s harder to keep furniture organized, and it’s much harder to move it around a building or campus. Some tell us that they’ve doubled or tripled their storage capacity. They’ve also made good points about the ROI of buying carts.

“A big mistake that’s commonly made is that people just get the chairs or tables, and they don’t get the carts. What happens then is that you shorten the life of your furniture by half, and you increase your maintenance costs by hundreds if not thousands of dollars per month. If you don’t have carts, then anytime you’re setting up or taking down, you’re going to bang them up, you’re going to break them, you’re going to hurt your walls and your carpet.”

Jim Peebles Assistant General

Manager & Director of Finance, Panama Convention Center

Conclusion

Space is a precious commodity, especially when it comes to storage at event centers, hotels, casinos, restaurants, and other venues. To make the most of your storage area, it is essential to choose carts, shelving, and other folding table and banquet chair storage solutions that with ample capacity while still protecting your furniture investment. MityLite carts help you maximize furniture storage space in event centers and other venues, ensuring easy access and streamlined operation.