5 Staging Mistakes To Avoid At Your Next Event
When you are planning an event, your stage design is very important because it sets the tone for your event. Whether you are having a corporate conference, political event, live concert or fashion show, your stage is the main focus of your attendees. It is a major element that you can’t ignore in the planning process.
To keep your attendees engaged at your event, avoid these top 5 mistakes as you plan your stage design.
Unsafe Stage Structure
Safety should always be your first priority. From the moment you begin setup until your last attendee leaves the building, you need to make sure every element of your event is safe. It’s important to eliminate as much risk as possible when building any stage structure — big or small. Most facilities have limitations to their built-in staging areas, including height and weight for stage panels and anything that is affixed to the stage.
If you are planning to put up a custom stage at your event, keep in mind that custom built stages also have specifications to follow to keep everyone safe. Not just anyone can build your stage! Custom stage setup should be left to trained event production professionals that have experience in stages of all types and sizes.
Poor Line of Sight
Your presenter or performer needs to be seen by the people in the audience. That’s the point of having people attend your event; right? You paid for a special visual presentation, so you want to be sure the people on the stage are able to be seen by everyone. Consider the size of your stage for the venue as well as the height of your stage. For instance, your line of sight would be significantly different for an outdoor concert compared to a presentation in an oversized auditorium.
It’s best to consult a professional AV team that will work closely with you, the venue and other event contacts to ensure everyone’s needs are met when creating your stage design for optimal viewing. When you partner with an AV company, choose a company that is able to scope out the venue in advance of the event so they can see the layout of the rooms and determine the AV specifications needed for the space.
Careless Seating Arrangements
The seating arrangement should go hand-in-hand with the stage line of sight. Seating arrangements vary depending on the type of event you’re having. For instance, you won’t have the same seating set up for a gala dinner as you would for a three-hour speaking event. The purpose of your event is to convey a message, so it’s important that you use the right seating style to create a connection between your presenter or performer and the attendees. Help your attendees get the most out of the message you are sharing by making sure they can see — and hear — your main attraction on stage.
Boring Backdrop
Do you think your attendees paid good money for a ticket to attend your event and stare at a blank backdrop? Probably not! Your backdrop is the first thing your attendees will notice when they walk into your event space.
Years ago, before events became more about branding than anything else, the only purpose of the backdrop was to cover whatever was behind the stage. Today, the audience expects high-quality design to keep their senses engaged. More and more companies are using color and texture to help develop the look of the stage and set the tone for the event. You can even add in media pieces, like LED video walls and color-changing stage panels to hold attendees’ attention.
Bad Lighting And Sound
You cannot host an event with bad lighting and sound! Lighting and sound must be a major part of your event planning process. Your event lighting will set the mood, and your sound quality speaks volumes! If you skimp on lighting and sound, you set yourself up for failure.
If you are unsure about what to do with the lighting in your venue, contact a professional lighting designer. There are a variety of options for lighting your stage and venue space. Not every type of lighting fixture will work in your event space, but a professional lighting designer will advise on what will work best and will be able to understand what type of aesthetic you are going for with your event.
It’s a no-brainer that poor sound quality will result in a loss of your attendees’ attention. If your performer or presenter cannot be understood clearly, it will upset your audience and you’re likely to get complaints about the audio issues. It’s also a good idea to include background music to help set the tone for your event. If your presenter or performer has a short break or intermission, you may want to play background music to keep the mood going and keep your audience engaged.
Your audience expects an experience they will never forget! Avoid these staging mistakes and your event will be a success. Plan ahead and keep your audience engaged through creative branding and strategic planning for your event. Never hesitate to ask questions or consult a professional to make your event the best it can be.