Durable Student Union Furniture for UTSA: MityLite Case Study

Overview

The University of Texas at San Antonio was founded by the Texas Legislature in 1969. This multicultural discovery institution now serves more than 34,000 students. It’s the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan area with four campuses across the city.

The UTSA Student Union hosts more than 20,000 events and approximately 1.5 million visitors per year, so they needed flexible products that could withstand “tough love”.

The Challenge

Man Standing on Chair Talking to Audience

Because the UTSA Student Union hosts so many different types of events each year, the facility needs furniture that is easy to set up and move to accommodate the multiple needs of various clients. In addition to tables and chairs that are flexible, they need products that are durable enough to survive “tough love.”

The Student Union recently remodeled their ballroom, and the old banquet chairs were outdated and no longer matched the décor. They wanted to replace those banquet chairs with products from a company they could trust. The chairs needed to be comfortable, easy to lift, stackable to save storage space, and available with several upholstery options. Additionally, they wanted chairs with a crisp clean look that were both neutral and classy.

The Solution

The Union staff found MityLite tables and chairs to be a perfect fit for their needs. They have purchased hundreds of ABS Tables in various sizes and styles to use throughout the facility. These tables stack high and roll easily into spaces in addition to being durable and not easily broken.

The SwiftSet® Stacking Chairs are a good fit for meeting rooms and random needs throughout the facility, such as event check-in areas. Additionally, the SU staff found the Reveal Linenless Tables to be a great fit for use in lobby areas because the tables can be set up quickly and they look nice without linens.

When it came to ordering new banquet chairs, the SU staff did a lot of research before making a purchase, despite already having a strong relationship with MityLite. They settled on the MityLite Encore HD Banquet Chairs for many reasons. First, as a high-density stacking chair, it safely stacks more than 10 chairs high. This is important because the Union doesn’t have an infinite amount of storage space. In their opinion, many other chairs on the market can’t stack as high, or if they do, the stack is unstable and not safe.

The staff also liked the many options available with the Encore chair. It has a modern look with a square top frame. The construction suited their needs with easy-to-use ganging and an opening at the top of the frame for employees to use when picking up the chair. The staff finds this “subtle handle” to be very useful, but it also adds to the look of the design. The chairs are also a lot lighter than the other chairs they considered.

How MityLite Made it Easy

The Student Union staff loves working with their MityLite sales representative because he is always transparent and willing to provide all the necessary information to make the ordering process easy. The staff frequently changes their minds and delays orders as needs change, and their representative is very patient and helpful. They think MityLite is very communicative regarding the ordering process and shipping process to make sure the Union is prepared for dock deliveries.

“We appreciate the MityLite products because they work well and hold up to hard use. We have up to 500 events per week so we need something that can be easily set up and torn down. I really like the ABS Tables because they set up quickly so we can deliver them to any space without a hassle and store them with relative ease. The staff can load carts quickly and throw them around. We know they can take a good beating and still be okay.”

“If we’re going to invest the money in new banquet chairs, we want to make sure we get something we can trust and something that will last. I really liked the design of the new chairs and I knew they would function well. I’ve always been happy with MityLite.”

David Marquis

Assistant Director for Facilities and Operations at The University of Texas at San Antonio Student Union

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Blythe Bourgeous

Contributor

With over 10 years of experience in B2B furniture, and a BFA in Graphic Design, Blythe shares insights on design trends and helps with product selection for all kinds of spaces.