I've taken a booking in a 'village hall' which I visited yesterday & it's.. well let's just say it sounds like a church. A high roof, loads of hard surfaces all over (brick walls, wood floor) & I think it's going to be challenging to create a good sound in there.

What can I do to mitigate reverberation without resorting to a full venue drape?

I'm already planning on taking tops & bins.. point source tops, but I could possibly borrow or hire a column array for the occasion. Would columns be better for clarity or worse in that environment?