Importance of Hiring the Right Backdrop Company

You have begun to plan your event and can visualize the outcome clearly in your mind’s eye. You know where the portable stage backdrop will go, how big the screens will be, what branding image you want to be displayed in the background, and have planned your budget. Then you speak to the backdrop company and realize there are one to several small details you forgot to account for when you made your grand plans. Before you know it, you find yourself having to completely reimagine elements of your event scenic display. How many times have you had a vision for your event only to discover a small annoyance was going to throw a wrench in your plans? This type of situation happens to professionals in the event planning industry all the time. It can be anything as small as maneuvering the loading zone, elevators, and hallways of the venue to something as big as finding a way to bring an unrealistic rendering from the page, where the laws of physics don’t exist to the stage in a ballroom with no rigging points. Your venue may have strict fire codes that further impact your vision and budget. These problems have solutions but these problems can also entirely change the time it takes to get the event properly set up.

What will hiring the right backdrop company do for my event?

Issues like these are why it is so important to make sure you are working with skilled and experienced event designers. Hiring the right backdrop company can make or break your event. Not to mention, cause a serious impact on your price point. Our team at Expressive Structures has been in this industry long enough to know what will work and what will not work. We pride ourselves on having the ability to take your events issues and find a way to work around them. Where there is a problem, there is a solution. All it takes is a little ingenuity and a good amount of skill to ensure that your event goes off the way you envisioned it from the beginning. When renting a portable stage backdrop, you have to be sure to keep the little things in mind when it comes to your venue. Of course, we can find easy workarounds to include any level of branding and imagery you see fit, but when it comes to, for example, maneuvering around an oversized chandelier, well that is something we need a little time and planning to make happen. Especially if we want to make sure it is done properly and without incident.

How does code enforcement affect where I install my portable stage backdrop?

Let’s talk codes or more specifically, Fire Code! No matter the size or location of the venue, there are city fire code rules that everyone must abide by. And to complicate matters further the interpretation and enforcement of these rules can vary greatly depending on the individual fire inspector and venue. Anyone working in the event industry knows what it is like for city fire codes to put a crack in your event plans and stress on your budget. From maintaining accessible fire exits and even limiting attendance levels, you must be in compliance in order for your event to proceed. Our team at Expressive Structures knows this all too well. Our team has experienced the perfect example of this with a client whose venue included a set of emergency exit doors located directly behind the portable stage backdrop. This particular client has a backdrop design that, due to its size and install location, would cover up one wall of the ballroom and access to these emergency exits. Our solution? We created two hinged sections of wall floor to ceiling and placed an illuminated exit sign at the top of the wall. The audience could walk up to the wall, push it open and proceed to exit in case of an emergency. While in show the exit was invisible with the exception of the illuminated sign at the top of the wall. It was quite the problem-solving method to be proud of.

What other problems should I look out for with a portable stage backdrop?

What are some of the most common problems a backdrop company might encounter? There is a variety but primarily you might see issues with loading and unloading of the backdrop. This can be due to the loading dock situation, the size of the elevator, or even the width and corners of the hallways. Having the ability to properly get the materials in and out of the venue is important. Another issue you might encounter lies within the venue space itself.  Problems such as capacity, an oversized chandelier, low ceiling height, unusual ceiling and room shapes, and even the amount of people you plan to have on the stage at one time. These are all contributing factors and if not accounted for, can dramatically alter the outcome of your event. When you plan your next event be sure to keep these items in mind. Better yet, when hiring a backdrop company consider Expressive Structures and let the professionals handle the problem solving for you.