How many coat tickets do I need?

"How many coat tickets do I need?" is by far the most common question we receive. The honest answer: seldom 100% of your visitors. The rule of thumb that is almost always accurate is 60-80% of your expected number of visitors — and with two adjustments (industry and season) you’ll be spot on. Below you can calculate it step by step.

The rule of thumb in a nutshell

Take your expected peak attendance, multiply by your industry factor and adjust for the season. For an event with 500 visitors, you typically end up with 300-400 tickets; for a pub on a winter evening with 200 guests, 120-160. It doesn’t get any more complicated than that.

Why 100% is almost never needed

People often arrive in groups: a party of four might only leave two coats. In spring and summer many guests don’t wear coats at all. And some of your visitors prefer to keep their coat with them. This means the number of coats actually stored is consistently lower than your visitor count.

Step 1 — Determine your peak attendance

Don’t use your total daily attendance, but the maximum number of guests present at the same time. For a rolling event this is much lower than the daily total; for a show with one start time it’s nearly equal to the venue capacity. This figure is your starting point.

Step 2 — Choose your industry factor

The percentage of guests who actually check in a coat varies greatly by type of venue:

• Theatres & concert halls — 80-90%. Visitors expect to hand in their coats and remain seated for a long time.
• Museums — 80-90%. Large coats and bags are often not allowed inside the galleries.
• Pubs & bars — 50-60%. Many guests keep their coats with them or only stay briefly.
• Hotels & event centres — 40-60%. Highly dependent on the type of venue.
• Festivals & outdoor events — 30-40%. The audience dresses lightly.

Unsure about your sector? On our industry pages you’ll find more detailed advice by venue type.

Step 3 — Adjust for the season

The weather determines whether people wear coats at all. Multiply your industry factor by:

• Winter — ×0.85 (thick coats, almost everyone hands them in)
• Autumn & spring — ×0.70
• Summer — ×0.35 (lots of guests without coats)

A theatre with 600 seats in winter: 600 × 0.9 × 0.85 ≈ 460 coats. The same theatre in summer: 600 × 0.9 × 0.35 ≈ 190. The same building, a completely different number.

Step 4 — Add a buffer of 10-20%

Always calculate more generously than your result. Tickets can get damaged, a busy evening can run late, and a shortage is much more troublesome than a surplus — leftover tickets can simply be used next time. Add 10-20% on top of your calculation.

How does this translate to an order?

Garderobe.nl’s pre-printed paper coat tickets are supplied in packs of 1000 pcs (€59), numbered 1 to 1000 and split into two blocks of 500. The deluxe black and silver version comes in packs of 500 pcs (€59.95). Round your estimated need to these quantities: if you come to 380 tickets, one pack of 1000 is more than enough and you will have stock for your next event.

If you host large events regularly, the value pack of 5×1000 tickets (€236) is cheaper per pack.

Multiple cloakroom points?

If you expect 500+ guests arriving around the same time, divide your tickets among 2-3 cloakroom points, each with its own colour or ticket series. This prevents one counter having to manage the entire peak — and keeps queues short.

Common calculation mistakes

• Using the daily total instead of peak attendance. You will never have all daytime visitors queued at the cloakroom at once.
• Forgetting the season. The same event in July needs less than half of what’s required in January.
• Ordering too tightly to "have no leftovers". Running short causes queues and annoyed guests; having spare tickets costs you nothing.

Prefer not to calculate yourself? Our cloakroom calculator does the industry and seasonal adjustment for you in 30 seconds.