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Using Stage and Roof Systems for Your Event: A Guide for Event Planners

At In Depth Events, we’ve built hundreds of rooftops for outdoor events. Whether your event is using a load bearing stage and roof system or a non load bearing stage and roof system (also called a genie roof, or a shade roof), the basic rules that apply to safety and successful use are the same. Below, we’ll go over the most important guidelines for a successful show!

Pre-planning with your production vendor

Vital to the process of setting up a successful event is pre-planning. In most cases, the stage and roof systems are central to the event, so it’s important to get an overhead site plan in place early in the game. Begin by placing the stage and roof in a central location, pointing away from any close residential areas. Then, you can sketch in vendor booths, points of entry and exit for audience and placement of vendor booths and port-o-potties. Once you have a working diagram, check for crowd flow.

It’s better to have your stage and roof systems on high ground for a variety of reasons. It’s better acoustically, because it allows the PA to throw farther. It’s helpful for visibility as well. Most importantly, if it rains, then the performance area doesn’t get flooded out.

All stage and roof systems need to be guyed down. In some cases, we’ll use ground stakes to guy a rooftop down. However, if the rooftop is to be placed on concrete, or in a grassy area where power, gas, or sewer lines are underground, we’ll use water ballast. It’s important to know which type of points we’ll be using long before our trucks arrive.

On site with your production crew

All production companies want you to have a successful event. However, we need your help to make this happen! First and foremost, make sure you or a senior member of your staff is on site at the pre-arranged load in time to show the crew exactly where the rooftop is going to be placed. Have a printed version of your overhead and a printed version of the schedule of events ready for the production crew chief. This simple step will solve the majority of timing and placement issues.

The production crew chief will need to be able to access a senior member of your event staff at all times during the event. If you are using radios, make sure he has one assigned to him and knows where to charge it up during off times. If you are using cell phones, make sure to swap numbers and check them. Communication is key!

Finally, please provide the basic necessities for your crew. Many times, a crew will show up to begin the build two days before the event starts. If the porta-potties are not scheduled until the day before the event, things can get messy. Also, please make arrangements for water and ice to be available to your stagehands as they build your rooftop, during the run of show and for strike. (The occasional pizza delivery doesn’t hurt, either!)

Promotional banners and soft goods

It’s common for banners to be used for both load bearing and non load bearing rooftops. Each rooftop has different sizes available for banner hangs, so make sure and check with your event professional to see what these sizes can be – and let them know you are planning on hanging banners on our structures. We’re happy to hang these banners for you, but please be aware of these guidelines:

All banners MUST BE made of blow through material. Flat vinyl banners will not be hung. Smilies are not acceptable.
All banners must be grommeted on all four sides. Grommets must be placed on 18″ centers.
Our crew chief or rooftop supervisor has the final authority on any banners hung on our structures.

All banner art should be above center. The most common banner placements are teaser banners (above the stage, on the downstage truss), backdrops and flybay banners.

Safety, Safety, Safety

At In Depth Events, we are rabid about the safety of your talent and your attendees. We make every effort to make sure our structures are safe, and we will always have a rooftop operator on site to make sure that all components are functioning properly. In fact, in many cases, we’ll use portable weather stations mounted to the rooftop itself to monitor weather events in real time.

Your on-site operator will always be watching for one of four occurrences that will cause us to bring the rooftop down.

#1: Heavy rain. Drizzle and small storms don’t affect us. A raging downpour does. If you see frogs coming from the sky and small rivers forming, we will bring the rooftop down.
#2: High winds. Our roof systems are rated for moderate winds, but high winds will cause us to bring the roof down. If you see Dorothy and Toto, it’s time for the roof to be lowered.
#3: Lighting in the area. Lighting strikes within a few miles of our rooftops are bad news. A metal structure higher than anything else around it is a natural conductor. Unless you want your hamburger well done, we’re dropping the roof.
#4: Someone runs a car into one of our uprights. Yes, this really has happened before. If someone driving on your show site manages to hit the large aluminum structure in the middle of the event area, he’s probably hit it hard enough to impair the structural integrity. The roof needs to come down and be checked.

In most cases, we can re-raise the roof and continue with the show once the danger has passed. However, the rooftop operator has sole authority on lowering the roof and on re-raising it. If your rooftop operator tells you it’s time to bring the rooftop down, there is a good reason for doing so.

Hopefully this blog has been informative for our event planner clients! For more information on In Depth Events and our event production capabilities, please Ask Us a Question today. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your event!

Selecting the Best Production Vendor for Your Outdoor Festivals

If you’re throwing outdoor festivals, then choosing the right production vendor is the single biggest decision you’ll make towards the success of your event. Take a look below to see a few tips on finding the right production vendor for staging rental, audio rental, and lighting rental for your outdoor festival!

Step One: Start early and plan ahead when choosing a production company

Whether it’s a college block party, a ‘City Of’, or a State Fair, having the right company for your stage and roof system, audio rental, lighting rental and generator rental can make or break outdoor festivals. Most importantly, you need someone that you can build a relationship with – someone that you trust will do what they say they are going to do.

Building a relationship takes time. Begin looking for your vendors well in advance of your show. Have your details in place when you are interviewing vendors – overhead layouts of your venue, band riders and event dates and times are key to helping your production company provide an accurate quote for your event. In addition, most production companies like to see at least a three month advance contact before the date of your show and never less than one month. Frantically calling production vendors a week before the event date is not a way to build trust!

Interview the production company, get multiple bids and check references

Outdoor festivals are arguably the most difficult type of event there is for a production company. Tight set changes, multiple bands and crowd control issues are compounded by weather, temporary power and permitting requirements. Your production company for your outdoor festival should be part of the solution, not an additional headache that you have to deal with.

Therefore, you need to make sure they companies your are interviewing know what they are talking about! Conduct interviews with sales staff and project leads – a reputable company will be thrilled with the opportunity to meet with you and see the venue. Be prepared to get multiple bids and check them for the gear you need. Your production company should be open to discussion on the bid and the equipment listed in your quote.

Finally, check references! The production company should own the majority of the equipment they are bringing to your show. Avoid ‘show brokers’ – they typically cause more trouble than they are worth and their references will reflect this. Ask about their safety records. Don’t hesitate to ask all companies bidding on your event about the reputations of their competitors. Production is a very small industry, and we’ve all worked together at one time or the other. A company that is reviled across the industry is bad news.

Experiences In Live Event Marketing:Verizon FIOS FEST!

FIOS FEST Rolls out across the US

As a live event marketing professional, I’ve been honored to be a part of some amazing live event marketing campaigns. When Verizon began to enable FIOS in the major US markets, I was selected to be a part the live event marketing group for one the largest fiber-optic roll outs of the new millennium. At the time, FIOS was a new entity, and our job was introducing it to folks that weren’t familiar with all it’s intricacies. This was a live event campaign across the country hitting all the major cities in states such as New York, Florida, Texas and California. We created a campaign that encompassed all key elements to execute a flawless marketing campaign. We named it FIOS FESTS. The following were elements that we implemented to ensure the best outcome possible for the client.

How we did it – by the numbers!

1. Pre-promote. Letting the local consumer base know where, when, what, and why in fun, creative ways to motivate consumers and drive interest for the live marketing event. For FIOS, we would set up in front of local businesses and speak to consumers one on one and offer fun incentives for their time. We also incorporated music by offering free music downloads from our site. For this campaign, pre-promotion was a key target for creating a great, well attended event.

2. Location. Finding a centralized location was another key factor in the overall execution of the FIOS events. With the FIOS FEST, we needed a football field-sized area that would hold several 20 foot x 20 foot tents, a fully loaded event stage and a footprint for vendors. Permits and approvals had to be obtained well in advance to avoid any last minute snafus that might have arisen. The idea was to make the event as accessible to as many of the locals as possible without having them make a major trek from end of the city to the other.

3. Production. For the FIOS FEST, and for every other event I’ve been a part of, the final and most critical element is incorporating the right production equipment. This will enhance and make sure your event comes across as professional endeavor and not some thrown together, last minute after thought. The stage is the focal point of any live event as it features the entertainment and contests going on throughout the day. For FIOS FEST, we used a SAM 550 mobile stage at each of our locations. This StageLine SAM550 model is the flagship of the StageLine fleet with a deck size of 50 feet x 38 feet and a load bearing rooftop capable of supporting 44,000 lbs. With flown Line Array, state of the art lighting, and (of course) FIOS banners, it made an impressive centerpiece to the FIOS FEST.

From FIOS to Production Experience, Inc.

My experience with the FIOS FEST campaign, as well as several other live event marketing promotions, has made me a valuable addition in my current position as Live Event Marketing Manager at Production Experience, Inc. The main keys as listed above are my steps to executing a flawless event anywhere from a few hundred, to thousands of participants. As always, “Go big or go home”! Your target consumers are worth it and they deserve the best in execution with the right production pieces at the core.

Tips and Tricks for Stepping Up in the Live Event Marketing Game

In the business of live event marketing, the key is reaching the most people as effectively as possible. Live events continue to evolve each year, incorporating more and more social media elements along with keeping the things that worked in the past. How can you step up your event game and have the greatest impact on the consumer?

Size DOES matter in live events!

Footprint size and location of said footprint is a great place to start. Size does matter in this instance. If you can be outside you really get more visibility and foot traffic than an indoor space. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more on a larger sized section. The extra investment always pays off with increased overall numbers and interactions.

Impressions, Interactions and Interactives

Location goes hand in hand with your footprint. Where do you need to set up to give your team the best opportunity to make the most impressions? Normally, if you’re just going for impressions; you should secure a spot near one of the entrances or exits. However, if you need interactions this may backfire on you as consumers are usually rushing in or rushing out – making it more difficult to engage your key demographic. I would suggest somewhere in the thick of the event at a corner where there is plenty of foot traffic coming from all directions.

The next element to step up your event game would be your interactives. Consumers love sweepstakes and an opportunity to win no matter what the prize. Make it a trip, shopping spree or even cold hard cash. Anything that drives the consumer to your footprint and initiates conversation with the promotional professional.

Bring the A Game with technology

Once the consumer is captivated by the scope of your footprint and giveaway; now is your chance to impress with technology. Take your product or service to the next level with techno enhancement. LED walls, professional sound, lighting and staging are all tools to bring foot traffic, and ultimately, close the deal. Be ready for the all the accolades to come pouring in from your live event marketing attendees – and from your end client!

Oh…and don’t forget to have fun. This always creates a more welcoming environment for consumers when they see your team enjoying the moment.

Author: Robert Chapman