Staging 101

Staging 101

No matter what kind of events you put on or participate in, most have one thing in common: a stage. Performers depend on a stage of some sort to showcase themselves to the audience, and in many cases, they won't be able to be seen without one! There are many options to decide on when investing in a stage, every combination coming with its own pros and cons. Let's identify some of these crucial choices and figure out which options from our friends over at Intellistage would work best for you.

Fixed Height vs. Variable Height
Stages are generally used to elevate performers high enough to be seen by the entire audience, and depending on the event, the height the stage needs to be at to make this happen varies greatly. Intellistage offers stages as low as 8" to as high as 78", in most cases allowing you to switch between at least a couple different heights. If you only have one or two types of events you do and they all have the same general height requirements, a fixed height stage would work great. If, however, you put on many events which all vary in their requirements, being able to fully adjust your stage for the given situation is a necessity.

Ideally, our stage would rest on a perfectly flat surface but what happens when you need to put the stage on an incline? Intellistage took this real-world scenario into account and now offers the All Terrain and Pro-Flex series of stages, which give you complete control over the length of the stage's individual legs (more on those later). Setting up on flat land leaves your options open but if you are trying to put a stage on the side of a hill, you will have to use one of these two series.

Stage Finish
Though easily overlooked, the stage's surface can actually make a big difference. Carpeted versus non-carpeted is the biggest distinction to start off with. Carpeted stages provide the best grip for performers and equipment/stands - however, they do lack in versatility as they should not be exposed to excessive moisture and are therefore not the best for outdoor applications. If avoiding carpet, you'll generally be dealing with an industrial/Tuff Coat finish, which provides grip, albeit not as well as carpet, and is suitable for any environment. For the Pro-Flex series, you also can choose to have a natural wood finish, perhaps the most visually appealing of all the options.

Stage Accessories
Stage accessories can be used for a variety of reasons, ranging from simply aesthetic purposes to functional necessity. The most common accessories you may want to consider are guard rails, ramps, stairs, and stage skirts.

• It is recommended that any stage over 8" has stairs or a ramp of some sort, the latter also making the stage wheelchair accessible and easier to move gear on.
• Guard rails are great for young performers and can be a valuable safety precaution if your stage gets crowded.
• While you might think you can forego stage skirts, they really do make everything look a lot more professional and clean by hiding any cables or other gear running beneath the stage.

IntelliStage:

• Accordion style modular staging system.
• Platforms come in 1m x 1m and 1m x 2m (4ft x 4ft and 3ft x 3ft) sizes.
• Can be set at various heights: 20 cm., 40 cm., 60 cm. and 80 cm (8", 16", 24" and 32").
• Available in Gray Carpet, Industrial finish and Tuff coat finish.
• Most compact storage: Stores in a 1m x 1m (4' x 4') foot print.
• Fast, easy set-up by 1 person.
• Perfect for schools, churches, hotels, exhibition halls and many other applications.
• For use mostly indoors and should be installed on a flat surface.

Staging 101:

• Simple dual height adjustable, modular design based on the concept of "folding tables".
• Platforms come in a 1 m x 2 m (4ft x 8ft)and are available in two adjustable heights; 40 to 60cm and 60 to 80cm (16" or 24" and 24" or 32").
• Available in Black industrial finish and Gray carpet finish.
• Fast easy set-up by 2 people.
• Perfect for schools, churches, hotels, exhibition halls and many other applications.
• For use mostly indoors and should be installed on a flat surface.

All-Terrain:

• Modular, height-adjustable staging system based on aluminum construction.
• Can be installed on flat as well as on uneven surfaces.
• Available in 1m x 1m and Imperial 4ft x 4ft as well as 4ft x 8ft platforms.
• Available in Industrial finish and weather-proof all-aluminum finish.
• Easy set-up by 2 people.
• Each staging system can be adjusted to 40cm, 60cm, 80cm, 100cm and 120cm (24", 32", 40" and 48") with no extra components necessary.
• The application of this system is for outdoor street fairs, small to medium size concerts and various events.

Pro-Flex:

• Modular, height-adjustable, telescoping leg staging system based on aluminum construction.
• Can be installed on flat as well as on uneven surfaces.
• Available in metric and imperial sizes; 1m x 2m or 4ft x 8ft platforms.
• Available with various heights of adjustable legs which can be set at 40cm, 60cm, 80cm, 100cm, 120cm, 140cm, 160cm, 180cm and 200cm (16" up to 78").
• Available Natural wood and Industrial finish.
• This system is designed for various events and concert markets.

Stages can be a big investment in your productions, and it's important to get exactly what you need. If you need any further assistance in getting a stage set up to your liking, feel free to give us a call at 1-800-268-5520 and a sales advisor will work with you directly to make sure you get the stage setup that best suits your needs!