Seminar Sitting Layouts

What is the best sitting layouts for effective conferences? Yes, we want to deliberate our research findings, yet, most of the time we spend a lot of time and efforts trying to satisfy everyone, at least in term of sitting arrangements. Sometimes a lot of money is spent to cater for "good" breakfasts and lunches. In some others, a lot of time is "wasted" because we are allowing for too many tea and lunch breaks. In her recent encounters, Prof Normah saw these two sitting arrangements that were both cost and time efficient in nature. The first seminar was in Japan where participants are given lunch boxes and during lunch or tea break they can eat their foods in the seminar room itself. The second one was in London. Participants are seated in a roundtable format.
Tea/lunches were available at the foyer and participants can bring their foods to the table. No food or time wastage - seminar programs were kept as scheduled...just some "foods for thought"