“I am enthusiastic about this system and looking forward to our customers’ creative ideas for using it in their events. At the same time these new grandstands allow us to make an additional, attractive offer that opens up new possibilities to use our halls, which are already quite flexible,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of HMC. “We are receiving these grandstands at a perfect time since we are seeing a major change happening in the events business – a trend towards larger stages and more sophisticated performance scenarios. For example, these grandstands can be used for annual general meetings and other corporate events similar to the arrangements made by major US corporations.”
A total of twelve 361-seat units, each weighing 26 tonnes, are now available. Major benefits of the system include space-saving storage and much faster set-up times compared to scaffold-type grandstands. With steel frames as load-bearing structures, these units feature wood and linoleum flooring as well as upholstered seats, are retractable and can be stowed along the walls of an exhibition hall without taking up much space or interfering with exhibition operations.
Setting-up or stowing the units takes about one day. Erecting a scaffold-type grandstand of the same size would take five days, and dismantling it three-and-a-half days. HMC is currently training six of its own team members and about the same number of employees from an external partner company in handling the system.
The decision to invest 3.8 m euros in the grandstand system was based on extensive market research during the years 2019 and 2020. In parallel, the local prerequisites such as floor loads, hall door dimensions and moving paths on the Hamburg exhibition campus were analysed to make sure all requirements were met before a call for bids was issued all across Europe in September 2021. The components were manufactured at a factory in Slovenia between February and June 2022, and delivered in 52 truck loads for a two-month final assembly at the Hamburg site.
“The new grandstands make Hamburg Messe und Congress even more attractive as a venue. The combination of the recently re-opened CCH, the centrally-located exhibition halls and Planten un Blomen Park between them allows Hamburg to offer a unique event campus which is now enhanced by another special infrastructure feature,” said Bernd Aufderheide.
To download photos and a video featuring the mobile grandstands go here.
