Planning guide

What to Rent for a Corporate Event in Memphis

Somebody at your company just got handed the party. Here is what to rent for a picnic, a holiday party, or a conference — with honest answers about office delivery and lead times.

By the Party Connection team · Memphis, TN · Since 1987

Somebody at your company just got handed the event. Maybe that somebody is you. Take a breath — this is the easy kind of event to rent for. Party Connection has been outfitting Memphis events since 1987, and company functions are regulars on our calendar: picnics, holiday parties, awards banquets, all of it. Planners and caterers use us all the time. You can too, with no experience required — and when you are ready to book, our corporate event rentals page covers the whole catalog.

Pick your event, here is your list

Company picnic

Keep it simple and sturdy.

• 8′ banquet tables ($10 each) for food lines and seating — each seats 8 to 10
• White or black folding chairs ($1.95 each)
• A 120-qt. cooler ($35) for drinks; ask us about the galvanized drink tub
• The frozen drink machine ($350) — the single fastest way to become the office hero
• Parking cones ($7 each) if you are managing a field or a lot

Holiday party

This is where you spend a little to make the break room forget it is a break room.

• 60″ round tables ($10 each) — each seats 8 to 10 comfortably
• Chiavari chairs with pad ($9) if you want ballroom; folding chairs ($1.95) if you want budget
• Floor-length 120″ round linens ($13.50 in polyester) — floor-length says party, lap-length says meeting
• China plates ($0.70), water goblets and champagne flutes ($0.65 each)
• LED uplights and a disco ball (ask us for pricing), and a dance floor (call for pricing)

Conference, training day, or awards banquet

• 8′ banquets seat 8 to 10 for a meal; for working sessions with laptops, plan 3 to 4 people per table so everyone has elbow room
• A wooden lectern ($75) for speakers, pipe and drape for a backdrop, stanchions to keep the check-in line moving (ask us for pricing on those two)
• Coffee service from our catering equipment shelf: a 45-cup coffee maker or 100-cup percolator (ask us), plus china cups with saucers ($0.95)
• Table skirting ($30) turns a plain banquet table into a registration or head table

All prices here come from our 2026 price list, and every line is confirmed on your quote. No hidden fees — that promise is printed on our own price sheet.

How many is enough

For seated events, take your headcount and divide by 8. That is your table count at 60″ rounds or 8′ banquets, with a little breathing room. For a standing mixer, a good rule of thumb is one bistro table ($12) for every 8 to 10 guests — most people will not sit, but everyone needs a place to set a drink. Add one or two 8′ banquets for food and one for drinks. When in doubt, our seating guide does the math for you.

Here is that math on a real mixer. Say 80 people for an open house, mostly standing: ten bistro tables at $12 is $120. Add two 8′ banquets for food and one as a bar ($10 each), and 25 folding chairs at $1.95 ($48.75) so the people who need to sit, can. That is $198.75 in tables and chairs for the whole room — 2026 price list, confirmed on your quote.

China or paper? Closer than you think

For an awards dinner or anything a client will see, real china is the cheapest upgrade on the sheet. The per-place math, from the 2026 price list:

• China plate — $0.70
• Needlepoint flatware, three pieces — $0.65 each, so $1.95
• Water goblet — $0.65
• 20×20″ cloth napkin — $0.65

That is $3.95 per guest for a table that looks like you meant it. Add a champagne flute at $0.65 for the toast and a china cup with saucer at $0.95 for coffee, and the full formal setting runs $5.55 a head. For a 60-person dinner, that is $237 to set every place with china, flatware, a goblet, and a cloth napkin. And no, you do not wash any of it afterward — rinse everything free of food, crate it, and we take it from there.

A worked example: the 60-person holiday party

Here is a full room priced from the 2026 list, so you can hand your manager a real number:

That comes to $917 before delivery — a seated, floor-length, china-and-Chiavari dinner for sixty. Watching the budget? Swap the Chiavari chairs for white folding chairs at $1.95 and the same room is $494. Want flatware in the count? Three pieces per guest at $0.65 each adds $117. Every figure is from the 2026 price list and confirmed on your quote; delivery is quoted by distance and order size on top.

Getting it into your office — read this part

Here is the honest version. Standard delivery covers a first-floor delivery with no stairs, within 50 feet of the delivery vehicle, to an easily accessible area, between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday, and 9am and noon Saturday. Office buildings often complicate that: an elevator, a loading dock, a security desk, a long haul across a lobby. None of that is a problem — but it does carry an additional delivery charge, and we decide that when we quote, not on your invoice after the fact. Tell us up front about stairs, elevators, distance, and building rules, and your quote will be right the first time.

Two more things offices ask about. If your party runs into the evening and the building wants everything out that night, ask us about non-standard delivery hours — that is also an additional charge, quoted honestly. And setup and breakdown of tables, chairs, and linens is available for an additional fee — it is never automatically included, so if you want to walk into a finished room, say so when you book.

The calendar part

Reserve in advance — popular dates go to whoever books first. A 50% non-refundable deposit holds your order. Then mark one date in red: any changes or cancellations must be made one week before your scheduled delivery or pickup, or the full order is charged. So get your real headcount locked one week out, not the morning of.

One honest note about December: company holiday parties pile onto the same two or three Fridays, and the rental calendar fills in the order the deposits arrive. If your party lands in the first half of December, book the moment the date clears — do not wait for every internal approval to finish before making the call.

Want to see it before you sign off? Our Midtown showroom at 174 Collins Street is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm — walk-ins welcome, no appointment ever needed. Bring the office party committee. We have got you covered.

Ready to price it? Start your corporate quote and we will confirm availability and every line item for your date.