The Customization of Telescopic Seating Risers
The Customization of Telescopic Seating Risers
April 21, 2023
For years, venues have been using telescopic seating risers as part of their daily operations. The newer trend is to expand the size and scope of these units to allow more flexibility and therefore lead to better profitability. They help venues increase profitability because they create the opportunity for the venues to host different events like basketball arenas hosting hockey games or concerts, and football stadiums hosting basketball games which means more events and less dark days.
Over the years, the basic design concept has not changed. Telescopic risers deploy forward for seating and retracts for storage just like they always have, but as venues broaden the various types of events they host, the need for customization has steadily increased.
Here are some of the ways that telescopic seating risers are being customized and how these customizations help venues be more profitable.
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Hosting different events may require less seating or more floor space. Implementation of courtside press or suite areas, or the need to accommodate pro hockey dashers make this feature important for operational functionality. This has created a need to program stops in the system with the ability to add guardrails for only the first few rows of seating. This way you don’t need to deploy the riser in its entirety or remove a portion of the riser which allows you to either save storage space or avoid crowding the area next to the floor which can cause egress issues.
Bunker Suites
Bunker suites are a relatively new feature in many stadiums and arenas. They’re areas built underneath the precast seating where patrons will pay a premium price and will usually entertain guests. These suites don’t have any views of the field of play, so patrons will walk down a hallway to access the game and will usually be in premium seats like the 50 yard line, courtside, or behind home plate.
Bunker suites created the need to access seating areas from behind the seating systems. This requires a custom opening within the seating system along with guardrails and access stairs.
Surface Options
The need for an improved spectator experience has increased recently as venues compete for events and seek to maximize revenue. The deck surface for telescopic seating risers has typically been aluminum, but this results in loud foot-traffic. New decking options that minimize this foot traffic noise and emulate the fixed seating experience have become very popular.
As the demands and parameters associated with different events change, the telescopic seating systems will continue to change with them.
Along with the customizations we’ve covered above, conversion speed, minimal storage requirements, and a premium seating experience are imperative for high-demand venues and will continue to be for years to come.