Telescopic Seating Innovation

Telescopic Seating Innovation

December 11, 2019

The introduction of technology into retractable seating has been a slow but welcomed process. For years, there had been no innovation in the industry with operation of retractable units being a manual process with the utilization of a fork truck to force the unit open and shut. This rudimentary approach greatly reduced the life-span of retractable seating as well as degraded the overall performance of the system evidenced by unstable platforms and endless repairs and costly upkeep. It also took much longer to set up the risers manually when one of the benefits of telescopic seating is supposed to be having an efficient set-up.

This all changed with the launch of a reliable operating system that allowed users to steer retractable systems when deploying and retracting. For dual-rise systems, additional operational features were added including diagnostics to allow users to better understand issues if the system were to have any problems. This also included the introduction of a back-up kit that could be used to operate each level of a dual-rise system independently should there be an issue with the overall control system. The objectives were to establish reliable systems, expand the life-span of retractable systems, and provide a means of operation should there be any issues including the loss of power as it is imperative that the change-over be completed.

Check out the video below to see a time-lapse video of how our dual-rise telescopic seating riser works.

Overall, the acceptance of this technology has been a welcomed, but sometimes slow to embrace. It takes time to change the man-handling mindset that has existed for years, but once the value that the new technology will make conversions easier, faster, and will expand the life of the equipment is seen, this new approach will continue to be used in more and more facilities. For those who have incorporated the advancements, they are very pleased with all these advantages and are able to have more efficient change-overs which, at the end of the day, helps the venue be more profitable.

Where is this innovation being used?

One of our more recent projects that uses a dual-rise system is Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI. This facility uses the technology incorporated with our TeleMatic 100DX2 to host hockey, basketball, and other events like concerts. It gives them the ability to change-over quickly which is sometimes needed when hosting different events on back to back nights. To learn more about the install at Little Caesars Arena, check out this blog post.

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