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After being scheduled an evening set up in one of the Gaylord ballrooms, I prepared myself for an evening of hard work and excitement. The set up that we were doing included custom risers and staging for a large private event. I was a bit nervous being a newbie to the stagehand world but was comforted when I arrived at the site and met the leaders who were passionate and experienced in this type of work. I was patiently walked through each step along the way and learned many things about the unseen world of set up for all of the fun events I love to attend.

How We Prepared for Set Up

Once we arrived at the venue our team looked over the blueprints for the risers and marked the placement of each piece on the floor. Since the venue had carpet, our second step was laying of Carpet Protection Tape to the floor before unloading. This was done to ensure that there was no damage to the carpet during load, set up, or unload for this event. Carpet Protection Tape comes in large rolls and was placed sticky side down before being rolled across the carpet to cover desired areas.

Before starting to set up the risers, all trucks were unloaded and organized to allow fast and efficient set up of the risers. After unloading was complete our staff split up and started working on their assigned tasks. One group checked the height of each steel leg that was going to be used to build the risers. This was done by counting how many holes were showing and ensuring that the screw and bolt were in the correct hole for the needed height. Size and length of each piece were checked before the screw and bolt were inserted into the second to last hole. Placing the screw and bolt into the second hole strengthens the leg by leaving extra support around the connecting point. Wood shims were placed on the floor, where each leg that will be inserted into the pocket of a staging piece would be, to level the risers on the carpeted area and to protect the carpet.

Steps Taken to Begin Riser Set Up

As a few people prepared to place the steel legs into the pockets of the Bil-Jax staging pieces, another group of people were responsible for unloading and placing the Bil-Jax staging pieces. Each staging piece must have connecting ends placed together for the stage pieces to ensure they hold together and lock. Once the staging pieces were placed, someone got on top of the staging and locked them into place by turning the roto lock inside the staging pieces until it locked into place with the one being connected. All bolts were tightened and spaces between riser levels were checked for levelness and desired height. After the risers were set up, our staff attached steel cross braces to the steel legs ensuring the stability of the risers. These were placed on every other leg facing both directions of the stage.

Final Touches to Risers

After all of the stage pieces were in place, locked, and had the attached cross braces, a double-sided tape was added to the riser for a precut carpet to be laid. Back and side rails were then added to ensure that the risers met ADA guidelines. All extra materials were then packed up and taken back to the trucks, leaving the floor space clear, clean, and ready for use.

By the time we finished this set up I was already excited about what the next one would be like. I never realized how hard people work to ensure a safe set up for all kinds of events. I left with sore feet and shoulders from pulling heavy stacks of staging from the dock into the elevator and then down the halls into the ballroom. My hands were hurting from unscrewing and re-screwing the bolts for each leg used for the stage and risers at this event, but I could not help but feel a great sense of accomplishment. I gained a lot of understanding and respect for stage and riser set up, along with the people who dedicate their time to providing safe and beautiful stages and risers for people’s events.

Temporary Choir Risers installed in your church sanctuary

At Texas Choral Riser Rental, we provide choir and audience risers for all sorts of events. You’ll find us building risers for national choir and orchestral competitions, large performing arts venues, and City-sponsored Fourth of July events.

However, some of our favorite events are when Houses of Worship call us to provide temporary choral risers inside their church sanctuary or youth center for Christmas or Easter presentations. Trusting a vendor to come into your sanctuary, even if it’s just to supply church choir risers, is a highly personal decision – and we’re always honored when a client selects us to provide these services.

Our experience allows us the confidence to work within your House of Worship and provide choral risers for your special Holiday events to your congregation and attendees. You’ll find our installation technicians and carpenters to be professionals who respect your church and the people who worship there.

Selecting the correct vendor to provide church Choral Riser rentals

First of all, the right vendor will be the one who you are most comfortable with. First impressions are everything! You’ll be most likely to do business with someone who takes the time during the first phone call to listen to your needs, respond to your questions, and talk about your concerns.

Avoid vendors who use cheap risers, risers with folding legs, or trifold risers. Additionally, check to make sure the company has insurance, and they are willing to issue a COI naming your church or facility as ‘additionally insured’. Make sure to ask about Certified Builder Contractor status in your municipality. A reputable company can provide engineered documents, and will be registered as a Certified Building Contractor in the nearest major city.

Finally, choose a company that has experience working in Houses of Worship! Churches can provide challenges to even the most experienced staging rental and choir riser rental companies. Ask for pictures of past events; and in turn, be ready to provide scale drawings of your sanctuary, with an overlay of what you are planning. Don’t be afraid to ask for a site survey – most professional companies will be happy to schedule a site visit to mitigate any ‘surprises’ during load in.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask! Please contact us to find out how we can be the vendor that provides choir risers for your church this year. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!

Grandstand seating is used for a variety of different types of events, both indoors and outdoors. If you are an event organizer, and looking for grandstand seating rentals, then you’ve found the right blog post! Hopefully, this article can give you some insight into the logistics of renting grandstand seating, as well as some pointers to look for in your vendor.

First, let’s talk about the types of events grandstand seating is used for. The obvious choice for grandstand seating rentals is outdoor sporting events. Here, it’s important to consider the type of audience using the grandstand. For non-ticketed events, or general admission seating, regular aluminum bleachers will work fine. However, when your attendees purchase a ticket, then they expect a higher level of seating. In this type of grandstand rental, you’ll need handrails and chairs, and possibly a cover depending on the time of the year and event time. Finally, for VIP seating, you’ll definitely need a cover, and the option of bar areas, tables, and chairs. Sometimes called a skybox rental, high-end grandstand seating is also used for branding purposes, and is typically paid for by a sponsor.

Indoor events also use grandstand seating rentals. In an indoor environment, seating risers can be used for theatrical productions, concerts, and corporate presentations, as well as indoor sporting events. Like outdoor events, grandstand seating rentals are used whenever it’s necessary to provide elevated or tiered seating for sight lines, or, to allow a group of VIP ticket holders or guests an experience that is more than just the event they are viewing.

For the event organizer, there is some logistical information you need to collect before you contact your rental vendor. Obviously, date, location, and time of the event is critical. However, the rental vendor will need an overhead plan of the event, as well as the number of people you plan to have on your grandstand. Does your grandstand require a cover? Does it need to meet ADA specifications? It’s also critical for you to know what local fire codes are for seating, and whether or not the municipality will require a building permit. Many times, your venue contact can help you with permitting and fire code restrictions. Having this information in hand when you start looking for grandstand rental vendors will help them provide you an accurate quote from the beginning of your negotiations.

Finally, when selecting a rental vendor for grandstand seating rentals, bleacher rentals, or skybox rentals, there are a few things to look for. While it seems obvious, look for a rental vendor that has previous experience in building the kind of seating you require. Ask for references. Make sure the company has some form of building certification, preferably with the municipality you will be building in. Verify the potential vendor’s insurance, and check the internet for positive (or negative) reviews. Ask if the vendor can provide an engineer stamped certificate of the grandstand riser build. Any reputable company is happy to provide this information to you.

Thanks for reading this post! If you have any questions, feel free to comment, or call us at 844-841-4202. The experts at Texas Choral Riser Rental will be happy to work with you on your event!