Grandstands
Modular grandstand and bleacher rental
When there are more spectators than a row of chairs can hold, the answer is to raise them up. It's also the installation with the least margin for error on safety: there are people sitting on it.
- Format
- Modules, number of rows to measure
- Components
- Seats, steps, handrails, toe boards
- Uses
- Sport, concerts, ceremonies and competitions
- Set-up
- Our own crew, always included
- Area
- Seville and province
What it is
Raising the audience so the show can really be seen
A grandstand is a tiered structure that places each row above the one in front. Without it, from the third row back the audience sees only the backs of heads and stops watching.
It's built from modules: a metal structure with steps, the platform for each row and the seats, plus the safety elements. It is assembled and dismantled on site, which makes it possible to install temporary stands in sports halls, squares, pitches, warehouses and venues that have no seating of their own.
When you really need one
- Competitions and sporting events at facilities with no stands or insufficient capacity.
- Concerts and shows where part of the audience needs to be seated with a good view.
- Official ceremonies and parades with dignitaries and guests in a VIP stand.
- Broadcast events: a full, visible grandstand completely changes how it looks on camera compared with a scattered standing crowd.
- Long, narrow venues where the stage is far away and visibility is lost after a few metres.
If you also need to separate areas or protect the front of the stage, the grandstand is planned together with the crowd barriers and stanchions, as they share audience routes and control points.
Safety
Why a grandstand can't be improvised
It's the element of the installation with the most people on it, at the greatest height. There's no room here for «nearly right».
A full grandstand carries the weight of a lot of people, but above all it carries movement: the audience stands up together, claps, jumps, goes up and down the stairs. That dynamic load is what drives the calculation, and it's why a grandstand is built to different criteria from a riser for a lectern.
What we check on every installation
- Firm, level ground, with the load spread under each support. Outdoors it's the first requirement and sometimes means moving the location.
- Handrails and toe boards on the sides and the top row, so that nobody and nothing falls over the edge.
- Access stairs with handrails and steps of uniform depth: the classic trip is one step that differs from the rest.
- Sufficient aisle width so the audience can get in and out without bottlenecks, including a quick exit.
- Full bracing of the structure and load testing before opening to the public.
- The area under the grandstand closed off: it's a space that attracts children and the curious and must not be accessible.
For all these reasons, installation is always carried out by our own staff and the equipment is never handed over loose. It isn't a commercial condition: a badly braced grandstand or a sunken support is exactly the kind of failure that gives no warning until it's too late.
How it is sized
What you need to tell us
| Item | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| Number of spectators | Determines the rows and the length of the module |
| Available space | The depth required grows with each row added |
| Sightline height | Depends on where the stage or pitch is and at what height |
| Ground type | Concrete, albero (compacted sand), grass or parquet: it changes the supports and the floor protection |
| Indoors or outdoors | Outdoors, wind, drainage and the weather forecast come into play |
| Access and evacuation | Number and width of stairs, and where the audience enters and exits |
| Standing or seated audience | Seating changes the capacity and the layout of each row |
Common mistakes
What usually goes wrong in planning
- Calculating capacity without counting aisles. Stairs and walkways take up places. The number of usable seats is always lower than rows multiplied by length.
- Not leaving enough depth. Each extra row pushes the structure further back. If there's a wall two metres behind, the planned rows won't fit.
- Facing it into the sun. In Seville in the afternoon, a west-facing grandstand empties itself.
- Forgetting accessibility. You need ground-level places for people with reduced mobility and their companions.
- Not closing off the space under the grandstand. It ends up as an improvised storeroom and walkway, which it must not be.
- Leaving installation until the last day. A grandstand needs time, working space and truck access, and all of that clashes with the other suppliers if it isn't scheduled.
The service
What grandstand rental includes
- A study of the location, capacity and audience routes before we propose anything.
- Modular structure, platforms, seats and steps.
- Handrails, toe boards, stairs with handrails and closing off the space underneath.
- Transport, set-up, load testing and take-down by our own staff.
- Floor protection in sports halls and on delicate surfaces.
- Coordination with the stage, barriers and PA system so that audience routes fit together.
How many people fit on a grandstand?
It depends on the rows, the length and how many aisles and stairs need to be left. With the number of spectators you expect and the dimensions of the space, we'll give you a specific configuration and the real capacity, which is always somewhat lower than the theoretical figure.
Can a grandstand be set up inside a sports hall?
Yes, it's very common. The sports flooring has to be protected, access for bringing in the equipment checked, and the venue's emergency exits kept clear. It's an installation best planned with the facility manager.
Do grandstands come with handrails and seats?
They come with the safety elements the installation requires: side and rear handrails, toe boards and stairs with handrails. Seats are included depending on the configuration; grandstands can also be built with platforms for a standing audience.
Can it be installed on grass or albero?
Yes, by spreading the load under each support and levelling the structure. The ground must be firm: on waterlogged or freshly dug ground we don't build until the support can be guaranteed.
Do you need permission to install grandstands?
For public events, technical documentation for the installation is usually required, and on public roads a permit to occupy the space as well. The application is handled by the event organiser; we provide the technical data for the installed structure.
Can you set up and take down on the same day?
For small grandstands it may be feasible. As soon as the number of rows grows, we need to set up the day before and take down the day after, especially if the venue only allows truck access at certain times.
Structure
The structure, built
Stages, truss and everything that holds up the sound and lighting.
Tell us how many spectators you expect
With the capacity, the available space and the type of ground, we'll propose the grandstand that fits.
