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Flooring
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All about imagination Design your event from the ground up. Here, events professionals talk all things flooring
“T
he saying that everything starts from the ground up is not untrue, especially in events,” reveals Christian Marryat, director of Mirage Parties. Marryat is just one of the many event organisers looking for new and inventive ways to utilise event flooring to its full potential. Get it right and eventgoers are transformed into the world of your event, get it wrong and your flooring is deemed forgettable at best. “On all of our events flooring is a vital component,” continues Marryat. “Whilst not necessarily always noticed by guests, as we don’t always make a statement with it, flooring is crucial to ensuring we get the right quality, look and feel for that particular event. It is an integral part of the guest and visitor experience, whether noticed by them or not. “We tend to take Image © Jeff Busby floors for granted, which makes them a great way to add impact and creativity. Structurally we will often be looking to put large structures on very uneven or sloping ground, so creating a perfect floor is paramount and having the right supplier for this is essential.”
The wow factor
Marryat and his team are no strangers to rising to the challenge of even the most bespoke event flooring requirements, previously flooding a hotel foyer and installing raised deck bridges over it, using transparent Steeldeck to cover two swimming pools at one special event and swirling smoke underneath a clear dancefloor at another.
One recent event that Marryat produced with challenging flooring requirements was a private party, which took place on a hill – the obvious health and safety issues that this brings with it were counteracted with the use of cassette flooring on a FloorStak pillar system. Marryat also recently utilised effective event flooring at a party held at St Martins Lane Hotel in London – with this event it was more than a question of safety, but one of glamour too. He explains: “For this project, we wanted a dancefloor to make a statement for a
Talk to the professionals
Steve Green, group marketing director at Harlequin Floors, agrees that every great event starts with a great floor. “We’re known for our ability to supply bespoke flooring to meet the needs of demanding clients,” says Green. “A recent example of creative event flooring we have supplied is a transparent clarity dancefloor for Australian Ballet, which was printed and laid over Harlequin Gold Hi-Shine and, when flown, transformed into a stunning backdrop. We also recently installed a floor suitable for projection mapping at Cirque du Soleil’s TOTEM at the Royal Albert Hall, using Harlequin Reversible Pro.” For Harlequin, every job is different, as are the challenges involved. “Overcoming these challenges is due to our experience in manufacturing and installing quality performance floors – there is rarely a problem that Harlequin Floors and Australian Ballet we have not seen before,” continues 1920s party. We completely transformed Green. “Advances in the manufacture and the white space and the dancefloor printing of performance and event floors certainly created ‘the wow factor’. Albert mean that there is an amazing range of Hall Dancefloors supplied the flooring for bespoke flooring solutions available to this event, and we utilised a gold foil acrylic event organisers. The only limit is their with applied graphics. imagination! “Dancefloors need a smooth hard “Organisers need to think about the surface, but one that gives an option for flooring at the start of the planning creativity with mirrored, under-lit, pea-light, process, not at the end. The biggest graphic or transparent treatments. This problems we encounter are generally has to be countered with softer areas to caused by designers and organisers aid with audio absorption and add interest. regarding flooring as an afterthought, only You can create abrupt changes in the feel to realise very late that it is a crucial feature of two different spaces by altering the of their event. Talk to the professionals floor surface. The only limits are your own – involving your flooring supplier at the creativity,” Marryat concludes. design stage will pay dividends!”
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57
Flooring
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Flooring first
The importance of consulting a flooring supplier at the beginning of the planning process is something that Stuart Wilson, commercial director at JMT, also emphasises. He explains: “I would advise any event organiser to involve the supplier in the first of the event’s plans. “An event carpet supplier has years of experience, and once they have a clear understanding of the concept of the show they can advise and help the organiser accordingly. Organisers can let their imagination run wild as the flooring options now available are endless, but the longer we have to work on the vision the better the end result.” Wilson and his team are specialists when it comes to the creative use of flooring and carpets, regularly cutting and designing freehand. One such example is a recent carpet design for Marketing Week Live, the organiser of the show requested a Tetris theme in the catering area, and JMT delivered. “For Marketing Week Live, our team created the theme from scratch, using a multitude of carpet colours for maximum visual impact and cutting the shapes freehand. Carpet cutters are skilled fitters and can cut carpet into almost any design. It is not just the client that wants a good show, it is also the contractor.”
Branding, branding, branding
Eye-catching carpet can not only make the event stand out, but it is also a great way to tie in with the branding of event sponsors. The William Hill World Darts Championship is a great example of carpet-brand co-operation. EFS Europe provided its electric blue Evo Rib Event Chord carpet to the renowned sporting event for the fifth year running.
Maynineteen in action
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Mirage Parties
The hard-wearing carpet proved its durability credentials, as 50,000 dartsfrenzied fans punished the floor over a three-week period. EFS’ team installed the carpet just one day before the event commenced. Working on behalf of Alexandra Palace, four crew members fitted the carpet around the event’s infrastructure as well as the throngs of staff who were flat out to get the event set ready for the imminent opening ceremony. Event organisers requesting an exact flooring match to corporate colours is nothing new, however the addition of under-floor lighting can really highlight certain products or areas. Lee Cooper, owner of Cableflor, received this request from a client that had multiple events all over the UK and Germany. Cooper explains: “The use of colour and under-floor lighting can help create walkways and direct footfall, it’s so much more effective than directional signage. Colour matching to the design theme contributes to transforming the venue. And from a safety point of view, underfloor
Flooring at Cabot Circus
lighting can guide people to the fire exits, should the worst happen.”
Creating the unexpected
Sometimes flooring needs to be both glamorous and creative, but still practical. A challenge that Maynineteen faced when producing an event to celebrate Cabot Circus’ 10th anniversary. “Part of the optical illusion art at the event was a bespoke stairway installation, which when spied from the viewing spot, spelt out the word love,” says Mike Bufton, client services director at Maynineteen. “It’s about creating the unexpected and reimagining all spaces beyond what has previously been done with them. The main challenges are associated with health and safety, and slips and trips, so you have to be mindful of the elements, and even to which demographic you expect to visit the event space most – footwear needs to be taken into account. “Then of course duration needs to be considered, how long it needs to remain in place, taking into account wear and tear. And in some cases, how it could affect the surface underneath with pressure and heat. However, most problems are overcome with foresight and planning.” Ultimately, when it comes to securing the perfect flooring for any event, the most important thing to have is imagination. Bufton concludes: “Our imagination is a powerful thing, for us it’s about making sure the flooring elevates the transformation of that space. If you’re trying to take your attendees on an immersive journey, what they’re walking on can play a big part.”