If you’re looking at running live events as a potential entrepreneurial enterprise, there are some extremely encouraging statistics on just how valuable this sector is to the economy. Currently, the UK’s event industry is worth £42.3 billion, with growth expected to continue for the remainder of 2018 and into 2019. 35% of the visitor economy in this country is made up of events, British music events are being attended by an astonishing 27.7 billion people and there are over 25,000 businesses within the sector.
This all indicates that, yes, this industry is competitive and there are already a large number of events happening every year in the UK, however, getting involved in the sector has the potential to be a great money-spinner, thereby making it worth investing in.
Running a live event can take a huge amount of organisation and planning. For one, health and safety regulation is clearly imperative and is guided by government policy. However, also having the correct structures for the event you’re planning is essential. As the locations for live events(especially outdoor ones) may not have the structures already in place that are necessary, scaffolding is a popular choice.
These structures are durable, sturdy and equally easy to erect and dismantle. Whether you’re looking at scaffold tower hire or bespoke construction scaffolding for a specific need, it’s always a cost-effective route to go down. Here we detail some examples of events that have utilised scaffolding to great effect, as well as some reasons why you should use it too.
Examples of Scaffolding at Live Events
Scaffolding at events – whether it comes in the form of seating, a stand for speakers or the exoskeleton for a stage – is crucial and there is a long history of innovation in scaffolding that has helped facilitate some immense occasions.
Earlier this year, scaffolding made national and international headlines when one of the major stadiums at the 2018 Russia World Cup – Ekaterinburg Arena – utilised scaffolding in a hair-raising way. The stadium only had a 23,000 capacity; 12,000 less than required by Fifa. With such a short turnaround and planned renovations stalled, there was little time to fully refurbish and extend the stadium, prompting them to build temporary seating.
This seating required scaffolding erection that towered an enormous 45 metres into the Yekaterinburg skyline. The impressive web of metal poles and fixings, which protruded outside either end of the stadium provided flexibility and added capacity in what was a tricky logistical situation for the event. Although it might have been a vertigo-inducing experience for the fans sitting in the gods – and a potentially cold and wet one – this scaffolding did comply with all necessary health and safety regulations.
In other sporting circumstances, scaffolding has been utilised for many other temporary structures. At Cheltenham Racecourse in 2018, scaffolding was used to create the world’s longest triple deck. The space accommodated over 25,000 guests and stretched to 180 metres long, whilst retaining a sense of luxury by including an innovative interior fit featuring restaurants and hospitality boxes.
Scaffolding has also been crucial for revellers at music festivals for years. In particular, the most iconic UK festival stage of them all – Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage – has its origins in scaffolding design. Theatre designer Bill Harkin designed the first Pyramid Stage in 1971 after dreaming of an audience partying outside an illuminated pyramid. Consulting architect Keith Critchlow, Harkin and Critchlow made a stage that referenced both the Great Pyramid of Giza and the geometric harmony found within Glastonbury Abbey.
From there, Harkin and his team built the stage using a scaffolding system called Kwikform, which has since become a stalwart in the music staging industry.
How Scaffolding Companies Can Help Your Event
If you are thinking of starting a live events business, or you’re looking to grow an existing one, then a construction scaffolding or scaffold tower hire service will be able to help you put the necessary temporary structures in place.
Whether it’s a small indoor event or a large-scale outdoor event, there is bound to be a structure to suit your needs. If you’re running a business conference and need screen support for a large or small screen, a scaffolding solution can be configured indoors to fit the requirement.
Similarly, if you need support for a huge screen at a festival that will accommodate tens of thousands of people, then a bespoke solution can be configured which also incorporates a scaffold tower for access. If there is a particular branding of the event, then incorporating sponsors, colours or logos can also be made possible.
One consideration to always keep in mind is that the structure required for the event is strong and durable enough for its purpose. The first step in making sure this is the case is to hire a fully-compliant and reputable contractor for the scaffolding erection. Scaffolding should be designed with detailed calculations to make sure that it’s strong, stable and durable. Particularly for events in which members of the public will be attending, it’s imperative that everything is safe.
Before employing a contractor and designing the structure you must consider what it will be used for, by who and how. From there you can work with the firm to plan and develop safe systems and perform risk assessments to analyse the likelihood of falls and health risks. Odd structures may need added considerations and extra testings to make sure they’re compliant.
Scaffolding Prices
The price of a scaffolding project, of course, relies heavily on the scale of the project and the type of scaffolding you require for the event. It’s very hard to pin down an exact price, as every single project is totally different.
Scaffold tower hire can cost anything from £50 to £500 or more, depending on the size and type of tower, and this is the same for larger projects. The best first step into finding out a price is to make an assessment of all the types of scaffolding you’ll need for your event and on what scale. From there you can contact a local firm to discuss your needs. They will then be able to consult you on what you need, survey the site in which the event is taking place and provide you with a detailed quote.
Discussing all of this with an experienced, reputable contractor who has testimonials from events companies and a track record in providing great services to the industry can give you confidence that the types of scaffolding you have earmarked are correct, or provide you with alternatives. There may be lots of things you hadn’t yet considered, so it’s important to talk to professionals about the project before you erect any scaffolding or go ahead and make too many detailed plans.
Who We Are
DH Scaffold Services LTD is a Sheffield based specialist scaffolding design consultancy service. We’ve worked extensively with civil engineers, architects, structural engineers and scaffolding contractors. Since our establishment in 2011, we’ve serviced over 2,000 happy customers.
As part of our services, we will run a total site survey to help ensure that the project is feasible and will run as smoothly as possible. From there we can design the entirety of your scaffold. We will provide drawings and calculations and can also design more challenging structures such as temporary roofs. We also have the capability and experience to provide additional work to already existing structures. In these circumstances, when existing structures need additional work, there can be substantial financial and time pressure to rectify the problem and we always make sure our solution is fast, efficient and cost-effective.
If you want to find out more, contact us. We’re located at Office 3, Upper Floors, Eurobroid, Dodd St, Sheffield S6 2NR. Alternatively, you can call us on 0114 230 0923 or email us at enquiries@dhscaffoldservices.co.uk.