Barriers
Crowd barrier, stanchion and access control rental
Separating the audience from the stage, organising a queue and closing off a technical area. Not glamorous, but essential, and the first thing people miss if they haven't planned for it.
- Types
- Anti-crush, perimeter, stanchions
- Uses
- Stage, entrances, queues, technical areas
- Accessories
- Gates, skirting and signage
- Set-up
- Included
- Area
- Seville and province
What it is
Three different products for three different problems
People call them all «barriers», but an anti-crush barrier, a perimeter fence and a stanchion solve problems that have nothing to do with each other.
Anti-crush barrier
This is the metal barrier with a sloping foot plate used in front of the stage and at any front with crowd pressure. That foot is the whole point: when the crowd pushes, the person leaning on it stands on the base and the barrier becomes more stable instead of tipping over. They are linked together to form a continuous line, with gaps for security and first-aid staff to get through. It's equipment for concerts and high-capacity events, not decoration.
Perimeter fencing
This is the construction-site or venue fencing that closes off the perimeter of a space: it marks out the venue, protects the technical area, and closes off access to generators, trucks and the back of the stage. It can be dressed with banners or skirting to block the view and, at the same time, display the event's branding. Bear in mind: dressing it turns it into a surface exposed to the wind, so it has to be ballasted accordingly.
Stanchions
The classic posts with retractable belt or rope. They don't stop anyone: they organise. They're used to mark out the entry queue, separate the entrance aisle, mark the guest area or protect a carpet. At an official ceremony, a conference or an opening, they're what makes the route obvious without anyone having to give directions.
What it's used for
What barriers solve at an event
Almost every crowd flow problem is prevented here.
Front of stage
A corridor between the barrier and the stage for security, medical staff and photographers. It's the first thing any production asks for.
Access control
A defined entry point, with room to check tickets without causing a bottleneck.
Queue management
Zigzag queues with stanchions: more people fit in less space and nobody argues about whose turn it is.
Technical and backstage areas
Closing off access to generators, cabling, trucks and dressing rooms. Security and peace of mind for the artist.
Separating audience areas
VIP area, dance floor, bar area or guest space, with gates wherever they're needed.
Protecting the equipment
A sound control position in the middle of the audience needs its own enclosure if you don't want anyone leaning on the desk.
How it's planned
Barriers are drawn on a plan, not placed by eye
Putting up barriers without having thought through the audience route is the quickest way to create a bottleneck exactly where there shouldn't be one.
Before a single barrier is unloaded, four questions need answering: where people come in, where they go out, how they move around during the event and where the emergency services must be able to get through. From that we draw the perimeter, the access points, the containment lines and the service corridors.
Practical rules we apply
- The exit never narrows. An evacuation route can't end in an opening smaller than the flow feeding into it.
- Always a service corridor. Between the front barrier and the stage there must be room for people working and, if needed, a stretcher.
- Gates wherever they'll be needed. And signposted, because a gate nobody can find is just more barrier.
- Nothing leans on the barrier. No lights, no speakers, no heavy signs: barriers are not a load-bearing structure.
- Banners and skirting are ballasted. Dressing a line of barriers turns it into a long sail.
- Removal is planned for. At the end, the barriers are usually the last thing to be cleared, just when there's nobody left to help. It's included.
When the event has grandstands or a stage, all of this is drawn up together: audience routes, grandstand access and the front of stage are all the same problem.
Common mistakes
What people get wrong with barriers
- Using perimeter fencing as an anti-crush barrier. It has no foot plate and isn't designed to withstand frontal pressure. With a tightly packed crowd, it tips over.
- Ordering just the right amount. You always need more than planned: to close an unexpected gap, divert a walkway or reinforce a point.
- A single entrance for everyone. Entry, exit, suppliers and artists through the same gate is a guaranteed jam.
- Fencing without signage. If people can't see where to go in, they push wherever they can.
- Placing the front barrier right up against the stage. Without a service corridor, any incident has to be dealt with from above the crowd.
- Forgetting the ground. On albero (compacted sand) and grass the footing needs checking and sometimes ballast; on tiled floors you have to avoid marking the surface.
The service
What barrier rental includes
Planning on a site plan
We draw the perimeter, entrances, queues and technical areas using the venue details and the expected attendance.
Transport and orderly unloading
The equipment arrives in the order it will be installed, not piled up at the entrance.
Barrier installation
Continuous, linked lines, gates, ballast and dressing with banners or skirting where needed.
Check before opening
We walk the entire perimeter checking for gaps and weak points, and that the exits are clear.
Adjustments during the event
If the crowd flow changes, an entrance is reconfigured or a point reinforced on the spot.
Removal at the end
Full collection once the venue is empty, even in the early hours.
How many barriers do I need for my event?
It's calculated from metres of perimeter and frontage, not from the number of attendees. With the venue plan and expected attendance we'll give you a figure, and it's wise to allow a margin: on real installations there's always a gap that needs closing.
What's the difference between an anti-crush barrier and a standard barrier?
An anti-crush barrier has a sloping foot plate that people stand on when they lean against it, which stabilises it against pushing. Perimeter construction fencing marks out an area, but isn't designed to withstand crowd pressure from the front. Using one in place of the other is a real risk.
Can we add banners with the event branding?
Yes, perimeter fencing can be dressed with printed banners or skirting. Bear in mind the banner acts as a sail: the line has to be ballasted and, if strong wind is forecast, it may need to be taken down.
Do you also set up access control?
We install the infrastructure: entry points, queue channelling with stanchions, gates and route signage. Access control and security staff are provided by the organisers or a security company.
Can the same barriers be used for an entry queue and the front of stage?
It's not advisable. To organise a queue, stanchions or light barriers are enough; the front of stage needs linked anti-crush barriers. They're different needs, and mixing them usually goes wrong at exactly the worst moment.
Structure
The structure, built
Stages, truss and everything that holds up the sound and lighting.
Send us the venue plan
With the perimeter, entrances and expected attendance, we'll tell you what barriers you need and how to lay them out.
