When does the German assembly venue regulation apply? Guest numbers, floor space and duties for corporate events in NRW

You are planning a corporate event in your own production hall, in a hired function room or on company premises and wonder whether Germany's assembly venue regulation (Versammlungsstättenverordnung) applies? Two things decide it: the number of visitors a room is designed for, and whether the room is used for events permanently or only occasionally. This article explains the threshold, the calculation rules, the duties during operation and the special rule that applies in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). It is practical guidance from an event technology provider, not legal advice. The binding answer always comes from your local building authority and public order office.

Key facts at a glance

• The regulation applies to assembly rooms that individually hold more than 200 visitors; several rooms count together if they share escape routes.
• Unless the building documents state otherwise, the visitor number is calculated from floor space: 1 visitor per m² for seating at tables, 2 visitors per m² for row seating, at least 2 visitors per m² for standing areas.
• In NRW the rules are Part 1 of the Special Buildings Ordinance (Sonderbauverordnung, SBauVO), with the same threshold of 200 visitors.
• A room that is used only once or occasionally for more than 200 visitors does not yet become an assembly room in NRW, following the ministerial circular of 17 June 2024; from 25 events a year, use is generally no longer considered occasional.

What is an assembly venue?

The basis is the Model Assembly Venue Regulation (Muster-Versammlungsstättenverordnung, MVStättVO) issued by the conference of German building ministers. Each federal state adopts it in its own ordinance; in North Rhine-Westphalia that is Part 1 of the Special Buildings Ordinance (SBauVO), which is based on the MVStättVO as amended in July 2014. When people talk about the "Versammlungsstättenverordnung NRW", this is the part they mean.

Under § 1 the regulation applies to:

• assembly venues with assembly rooms that are each designed for more than 200 visitors,
• assembly venues with several assembly rooms that together hold more than 200 visitors, if those rooms share escape routes,
• open-air assembly venues with performance areas (Szenenflächen) and stands (Tribünen) that are not temporary structures and whose visitor area is designed for more than 1,000 visitors, and in NRW also open-air assembly venues designed for more than 5,000 visitors,
• sports stadiums and outdoor sports facilities with stands that are not temporary structures, for more than 5,000 visitors.

Not covered are, among others, rooms used for worship, classrooms in schools and temporary structures ("Fliegende Bauten"). The key word is "designed for": what counts is not how many guests actually turn up on the night, but how many visitors the room is intended for according to its use and its building documents.

How is the visitor number calculated?

The regulation counts floor space, unless the building documents state otherwise. For seating, the figures in the building documents therefore take precedence. § 1 paragraph 2 sets out:

• Seating at tables: 1 visitor per m² of floor space
• Row seating: 2 visitors per m² of floor space
• Other standing areas: at least 2 visitors per m² of floor space
• Standing areas on stepped rows: 2 visitors per linear metre of stepped row
• Exhibition rooms: 1 visitor per m² of floor space

Areas not accessible to visitors, such as storage rooms, workshops or stores, are not counted.

Worked example: a function room with 300 m² of accessible floor space is used permanently for celebrations with guests at tables. By calculation it is therefore designed for 300 visitors and is above the threshold, unless the building documents set a lower number. If there is additional free space where guests can gather, at least 2 visitors per m² apply there. The explanatory notes to the SBauVO show this with a restaurant: 60 seats at tables plus 75 m² of free space in front of the bar give 60 + 150 = 210 visitor places, and therefore more than 200.

The NRW rule: one-off and occasional use

Until 2024 the building authorities in NRW required a building permit for a change of use even when a warehouse was used just once as an assembly venue. With a ministerial circular of 17 June 2024 the building ministry abandoned that interpretation. Since then: a room that is used once or only occasionally for events with more than 200 visitors does not thereby become an assembly room within the meaning of the building code. Occasional means "only a few events a year", such as traditional festivities like marksmen's festivals, carnival or barn parties; from 25 or more events a year, use is generally no longer considered occasional. The rules are aimed at fixed, permanent facilities; temporary events such as music festivals on open ground are not covered. One exception remains: open-air assembly venues designed for more than 5,000 visitors need a building permit even for one-off or occasional use. Open-air events that are not enclosed by structures are instead assessed by the local public order authority on the basis of a safety concept.

What the circular does not mean is that no rules apply to a one-off corporate event. The organiser remains responsible for the safety of the guests, and the municipality can still require an event notification, a seating and escape route plan or a safety concept. Clarify this early with the building authority and the public order office, ideally with a floor plan and guest number in hand.

Which duties apply during the operation of an assembly venue?

If the regulation applies, the operating rules of §§ 31 to 43 come into force. The most important ones for corporate events:

• Responsibility and presence: The operator (Betreiber) is responsible for the safety of the event and compliance with the rules. During operation, the operator or an event manager (Veranstaltungsleiter) appointed by the operator must be present at all times (§ 38 paras. 1 and 2).
• Cooperation and shutdown: The operator must ensure that stewarding, fire safety watch and medical service cooperate with police, fire brigade and emergency services, and must stop the event if safety-relevant installations are not operational or if operating rules cannot be complied with (§ 38 paras. 3 and 4).
• Transfer: The operator can transfer these duties to the organiser in writing if the organiser or their event manager is familiar with the venue; the operator's responsibility remains unaffected (§ 38 para. 5).
• Safety concept: If the nature of the event requires it, the operator must draw up a safety concept and set up a stewarding service. For more than 5,000 visitor places the concept is mandatory in every case and must be drawn up with the consent (Einvernehmen) of the competent authorities, in particular police, fire prevention authority (Brandschutzdienststelle) and emergency medical service (§ 43).
• Seating and escape route plan: Seating and standing places, stage or performance areas and the course of the escape routes are shown in a seating and escape route plan. The model regulation requires a scale of at least 1:200 and a separate plan for each layout (§ 44 para. 5 MVStättVO). In NRW, the number of visitor places approved in the plan must not be exceeded and their approved arrangement must not be changed (§ 32 para. 1 SBauVO).

Added to this are organisational duties such as keeping escape routes clear, leaving doors unlocked, respecting the approved visitor number and using materials that meet fire safety requirements.

Escape routes: the figures your set-up has to respect

Escape routes are a matter for the building, but every set-up, from the stage and truss to a row of tables, can narrow them. The design rules:

• Every storey with habitable rooms needs at least two independent structural escape routes; assembly rooms for more than 100 visitors or with more than 100 m² of floor space need at least two exits placed as far apart and as opposite to each other as possible (§ 6 paras. 2 and 5).
• From every visitor place and from every point on a stage, the nearest exit may be no more than 30 m away, measured along the walking line. Where the clear height exceeds 5 m, an extra 5 m is allowed for every additional 2.5 m of height, up to a maximum of 60 m (§ 7 paras. 1, 2 and 6).
• The clear width of escape routes is 1.20 m per 200 people relying on them, with a minimum of 1.20 m; for assembly rooms with no more than 200 visitor places, 0.90 m is sufficient (§ 7 para. 4).
• Exits and escape routes must be permanently and clearly marked with safety signs (§ 6 para. 6).

For technical planning this means: stage, lighting stands, cable runs and catering stations belong inside the seating and escape route plan, not next to it.

Who is an event manager, and who is not?

Under § 38, an event manager (Veranstaltungsleiter) is only someone appointed by the operator (para. 2) or, after a written transfer of the operator's duties, by the organiser (para. 5). Under the definition of the German event industry association IGVW, the appointment is made in writing. Production managers, stage managers, show callers or banqueting managers sometimes carry the title too, but they are not automatically event managers within the meaning of the regulation. "Present" means physically present on the premises; constant presence in the hall itself is not required as long as communication with the other responsible people is ensured. The IGVW recommends a clearly named decision-maker for events outside the scope of the regulation as well.

According to the IGVW definition, a safety concept describes the measures that achieve a level of protection matched to the event, taking into account the structural, technical and organisational conditions. It is based on a description of the event, the protection goals, a risk management process and agreement with the authorities. The risk assessment for your event is therefore the starting point, not a paper for the drawer.

What this means for your corporate event: five steps

1. Define guest number and floor space: calculate with the rates from § 1 para. 2 and record which areas are open to guests.
2. Clarify the status of the room: Is the room approved as an assembly venue, and is there a seating and escape route plan? For production halls without such approval, clarify with the building authority and the public order office whether one-off use is possible under the circular and which notifications the municipality requires.
3. Name the responsible people: Who is the operator, who is the organiser, who is the event manager? Record any transfer of duties in writing.
4. Draw the technology into the plan: plan the stage, truss, control position, cable runs and decoration so that exits, aisles and the required widths stay clear; curtains and fittings must meet fire safety requirements.
5. Check safety concept and stewarding: clarify whether the nature of the event requires a safety concept and a stewarding service; this is a duty of the operator (§ 43). Agree early with the operator whether a fire safety watch has to be set up (§ 41), and request the medical service. Events with an expected attendance of more than 5,000 visitors must be notified in good time to the authorities responsible for emergency and medical services.

At photon, every plan for a conference, a Christmas party or any other corporate event starts with the floor plan, the guest number and the seating plan. That is how stage and truss set-ups end up fitting into the escape route plan instead of disrupting it. Send us your floor plan and guest number via the event enquiry; we provide event technology in Cologne, Bonn and across NRW.

In short

The assembly venue regulation is less a hurdle than a planning aid: whoever clarifies guest number, floor space and escape routes early can plan stage, lighting and sound without surprises on set-up day. This article is practical guidance, not legal advice; what is binding are the NRW Special Buildings Ordinance, the conditions of your permit and the answer from your building authority and public order office. For a structured approach to the whole event, read our guide Event planning and the event technology checklist.

Frequently asked questions