Mounted units
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Space savers Mounted units are the perfect option for organisers that are short on time and low on budget
T
he pressure on events teams to do more with less is an all too familiar issue that has gathered pace in the last decade. Council event teams, in particular, where budget cuts have meant a streamlining of services, are under pressure to deliver; yet the workload remains the same. “Event departments don’t have as many people any more but there are still as many jobs,” explained Paul Haigh, chief executive officer at Daytona Stage Hire. Good suppliers are, therefore, essential, he said, as he outlined Daytona’s latest product developments. Daytona’s yet-to-be-unveiled DS50 is a mobile stage that has been specifically designed for city centre events and tours. The mounted trailer unit has a corporate look, can be set up in 30 minutes and can negotiate tricky city centre environments where street furniture is in abundance. “You need different stages for different events,” Haigh continued. “One stage will not do everything so we have developed the DS50; it has a high stage deck and production ramps and it’s perfect for events that don’t require a stage that’s eight-metres deep.”
Flexible solution
The DS50 is the latest in a long line of
products introduced to the market that are perfect for organisers with tight timeframes, demanding schedules and limited space. Mounted units offer event and festival organisers a cost efficient and flexible solution, as they can be dropped into position and set up in less than an hour. Daytona’s latest mounted unit will make its first appearance at SweetSpot Group’s Women’s Tour in June, whilst the DS40, Daytona’s smallest mobile stage, will head to EventCity in March for the Manchester Bike Show. Yet Daytona is not the only events business to make the headlines with news of new kit. XS Events has introduced a 8m x 6m mobile trailer stage that’s about to hit the road – it’s equipped with electric motors to raise and lower the roof and can be installed by one person in less than 45 minutes. Likewise, Stage Mobile has launched the SM1, a 6m x 4m mobile stage that’s designed for roadshows, community events, podium finishes and cultural events such as Diwali celebrations, and the SM2, which is 6.5 metres wide, is currently being manufactured.
Great impact
According to XS Events, the trailer stage’s quick set up time makes it ideal for a multitude of uses including festivals,
corporate events, product launches and Christmas light switch ons. John Milne, owner of The Outdoor Stage Company, and Ian Downs, owner of Sound Services, concurred. Mounted and towable units – that can be delivered to a site with minimal set up – take the hassle out of event organising. The Outdoor Stage Company, which classes Birmingham City Council, London Pride and Underbelly as clients, recently worked on Birmingham’s Chinese New Year celebrations and later in the year, will head to Handsworth Park for Jamfest. Downs works closely with Triple A Events, which provide stage units to events such as Alban Street Festival in St Albans. Downs said: “The key reason we use mounted units and Triple A Events is because the stage is quick to set up. Also, because it’s a ridged unit it can cope with higher winds. It can be loaded in quickly. Everything about these units is quicker – they can be rigged in an hour, ready for when visitors arrive.” Colin Umbers, director at Triple A Events, concluded: “Quick and easy to setup, mobile trailer stages are a cost-effective solution for your event. They are ideal for town councils and high streets as road closures are kept to a minimum. These stages also have a great impact at festivals and concerts.” Image © Gary Broadbent
The Outdoor Stage Company
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www.tripleaevents.co.uk
Triple A Events