Lessons Learned & Ideas from The StageRight Blog in 2018
Lessons Learned & Ideas from the StageRight Blog in 2018
December 27, 2018
2018 is almost over. At this point, many venues are wrapping up their performances for the holiday season and are getting ready for 2019. This year we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to share some different tips and tricks to help you improve your performances as a whole. This post will review some of the most important lessons that we shared in 2018.
Focus on Quality
Using equipment that’s high quality will help improve performances overall regardless of the venue. When making a purchase decision, there are two main schools of thought. The first one is that price is the most important factor and you want to go with the product that has the lowest price tag. While the initial price is less, it can be more expensive over life of the equipment due to lost time and the need to replace or repair your gear sooner than you should have to.
There are three primary areas where quality comes into play in regards to buying portable staging and seating equipment. These are durability, safety, and ease of use. High quality equipment will last longer, keep people safer, and be easier to use. To learn more about this, click the link to check out our post titled “Why Quality Matters.”
Make Sure You’re Using the Right Surface
Making sure you’re using the proper surface for your event is important but can be easy to overlook. Different surfaces offer different level of foot noise. This is an important factor to consider for events that need to be quieter like a graduation or for events that need a loud reflective surface like a jazz band.
You also need to be aware of the potential for spills and messes because certain surfaces are easier to clean as we’ll touch on in the next point. To learn more about what surface is right for you and to learn how dual sided decks can help you get the right one every time, check out our post on the best surfaces for common events.
Clean Your Equipment
Keeping your stage or riser surfaces clean is important. Dirty platforms look unprofessional and they can potentially be dangerous.
The method that you’ll use to clean will depend greatly on your last event and what your platform surface is made of. For example, cleaning a carpeted stage surface is different than cleaning a hard stage surface. You can sweep and lightly mop a hard stage surface, but for a carpeted surface you’ll need to vacuum or use a carpet cleaner just as you would for carpet in your home. The only difference is that you should dry the carpeted decks immediately from the carpet cleaner. For more details on how to properly clean your stage or riser surfaces check out this post.
Know Your Space
The space in your venue will play a large part in the portable staging or seating equipment that you use. You need to be aware of many things from the size of your room to the resources you have at your disposal such as a setup crew or storage space. The dimensions of the room will help determine the size of your stage and it will help determine the different configurations you’re able to create.
The amount of storage space you have or the availability of a setup crew will help determine the specific products you should purchase. Also, keep in mind that the frequency in which you’re converting the space will play a part in the products you should use as well.
Know Your Audience
Last, but certainly not least, you need to know your audience and think about their experience during the performance. The first thing to know about your audience members is how many of them are there going to be. The size of the audience will determine the seating riser system you need for them. It will also determine how tall your stage needs to be because a larger audience usually requires a taller stage so that everyone is able to see. Also, knowing the size of your audience will give you an idea of the types of seating layouts you can create. This is important for venues like black box theatres.
After you know how large the audience is going to be and the configurations, you need to ensure they have a sturdy and comfortable platform. This goes back to making sure you’re using high quality equipment. For more tips about seating risers, check out this post.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve learned a lot over the past year and are continuing to learn as you move forward. Constantly learning new tips and tricks is important to improving your events for performers and patrons alike. If you haven’t yet, please consider subscribing to our blog below to get tips that you can implement sent straight to your inbox.
We’ll see you in 2019!
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