The Ultimate Guide to Event Stage Design
17 May 2022Welcome, event planners, to our ultimate guide to event stage design. You’ll learn everything from research to planning and then execution. Most importantly, you’ll learn how critical this process is for producing top-quality events.
Because at the end of the day, of course, we should all be wary of putting style over substance. However, using the example of event stage design, you’ll see that there can be substance to style. What’s life with about a bit of pageantry after all? Showmanship is important in the world of corporate events, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
1. What is Event Stage Design
But before we get ahead of ourselves, what do we mean by event stage design? In short, it’s the material additions you add to a venue to better serve the purpose and aesthetic of your event. These elements are wide-ranging and usually include one or more of the following:
- Lighting
- Furniture
- AV
- Decor
- Banners
- Backdrops
- Props
Bonus information: Functional elements like tables, chairs, and backstage storage options, such as kitchen cabinets, are essential for maintaining order in event planning.
Remember to pay special attention to banners, as apart from the design, they also require quality content. Depending on the message you want to convey, big or small, you need a professional writing service or qualified writers towrite my papersand help you craft compelling text for every one of your banners.
And this is just scratching the surface of what it takes to put an event space together. This becomes even more interesting when considering that the fixtures needed also vary depending on the event type and platform. For example, check out these 10 useful interactive tools for hybrid events to see what it takes to host an event that is both in-person and virtual.
2. Know Your Theme
If there is one thing that should determine your stage design ideas, it’s the theme of your event. Think of it like clothes. If you’re going to a wedding, you wear men's wedding outfits like a suit. If you’re going to the gym, you wear workout clothes. In short, you build your stage design to facilitate and complement the theme of your event. Similarly, if you’re hosting an elegant event, such as a wedding expo or one focused on engagement rings, your stage design should reflect that sophistication by incorporating tasteful décor and lighting.
So if you’re hosting a Ted Take-style presentation, you want to pursue an event stage design with a prominent stage, an adequate-sized screen space, and professional lighting fixtures. And then some types of events need more grandeur than others, so you’ll want elaborate stage props, branding, and lighting to supplement your activities.
Some events require a more sombre atmosphere. For example, if you’re holding a summit against a serious issue, it would be inappropriate to have a flashing light show and a disco ball to introduce speakers on the stage, right?
3. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is essential for not only mastering stage design and event planning but for all facets of business. As a discerning event planner, you know this too well. But for the sake of clarity, it’s worth going over again for the certainty of better event stage design.
Anticipating what they enjoy about events will help you build an event space that will bring them joy. If you’re unsure how to go about knowing your audience, or just need a refresher, then check out this article on10 ways to understand your target audience.
4. Know Your Venue
We don’t want to sound like party poopers. But before you start making the most marvellous stage design ideas the world has ever known, spare a thought for your venue’s limitations.
That being said, this is something of a chicken-and-egg situation. Perhaps you’ve decided already what you want the event to look like. That means you then need to hunt down a space that can facilitate your vision instead of shaping your stage design to suit your venue. And while we’re on the topic of looking for the right venue, it would be handy to know the 9 essential elements every conference room must have. Plus, don’t forget, you can book the perfect venue with us at Eventflare!
Get access to the event industry's inside scoop
5. Know Your Goals
Knowing your goals is crucial for figuring out your event stage design. For example, if you want to facilitate networking, you’ll want to set up lounging areas. Or perhaps if you’re going to collaborate with sponsors or industry partners, setting up exhibitor booths could be a priority.
If you can come up with the right stage design ideas, you’ll be able to attract a lot more sponsors. If that is indeed a priority for you, you’ll be very interested in our guide on writing an event sponsorship proposal.
6. Research Your Competition
Yes, part of the event stage design process is looking to see what your peers are doing. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, as they say. Consider what other events in your field look like. Ask yourself what you think looks good and what looks poor.
Take the best ideas, and put your own spin on them. Because you better believe they’ll be doing the same with your stage design ideas.
7. Finalising Your Stage Design Ideas
Now you’ve addressed your variables –i.e. your limitations and your targets, goals, and style – it’s time to draft your actual event stage design. This can be a simple list of things that you want or as elaborate as a 3D model of what your space will look like.
Depending on the nature of your event and your organisation, you’ll have different people that will need to sign off on your design. It could be the local city council for safety precautions, it could be sponsors or your CEO.
8. Carrying out the Design
So, now that you know how to figure out what your stage design should look like, how do you go about making it happen? Generally speaking, there are two ways. You can do all the work yourself or get an event production company to do it for you.
In-house
You can do this all in-house, of course. However, this will likely involve liaising with several vendors and will take up a lot of time and effort. That being said, it does mean that you are in control of all the event planning. And if a job is worth doing right, it’s worth doing yourself.
If you are doing it all in-house, you’ll probably need help putting it all together. That could be in the form of paid staff or volunteers. In this case, you’ll want to read our ultimate guide to hiring and managing volunteers at your events.
Event Production Team
However, you don’t have to take on all this pressure and responsibility on your own. You can collaborate with an event production team to help you with your stage design efforts.
You don’t have to carry all the load yourself. An event prediction team can help with everything from the research and design to sourcing materials and vendors to installation. Moreover, our service at Eventflare is customisable, so if you only want help with a specific area –say sourcing vendors – then we’ll leave the rest to you!
Plus, there are many more benefits to hiring a production company for your events. Just read this guide to find out for yourself!
Wrapping up
So there you have it, the ultimate guide to event stage design. We hope you’re leaving us full of inspiration and good ideas. And of course, if you need a conference room or any other type of venue, then we’ve got loads on our platform, in every style and size, so go and check them out!
For content inquiries contact[email protected]
Get access to the event industry's inside scoop