[Part 1] It stared with a Wang!
29 May 2008
Tracey Doran is managing director of Doran Design, a design consultancy specialising in exhibition stand design systems. In the first of a six part series, Tracey reflects on a new concept design for a modular stage set system!
I was once asked by a production company to look at a project for ‘Wang’ and ‘Cisco Systems’.
It was for a stage set at their European managers sales conference. The venue was the Hotel Biblos in southern Spain. A lovely hotel but unfortunately the conference room left a lot to be desired. Access was fine, great view, helpful management. However, the room had a raked ceiling which meant an ‘off-the-shelf’ stage set could not be utilised. Therefore, the choice was to use ‘stock flats’ which would need to be all cut down to fit, or come up with a bespoke design.
The first choice is often used, but not very practical. It gets over the initial problem at the time, but you are left with a lot of short walls that may never be used again.
The second choice is definitely the ‘less used road’. It’s not the cheapest, but the budget was reasonable (good for a stock stage set, tight for a bespoke). The client had approached the production company in good time (which makes a change), so we thought that we would have time to look at the bespoke route. Little did we know where it was going to take us!
Designing a one off stage set is relatively easy, but what if we could produce a set that could be reusable, have a changeable height and screen size, but still have that bespoke look.
After weeks of research looking at existing systems, talking to construction, production and AV kit hire companies, we came up with a whole new concept design for a modular stage set system!
We made up the first system and after trying it out in the workshop used it on the ‘Wang’ and ‘Cisco systems’ conference project. I must admit it wasn’t 100%, but it did look really good and did include a lot of the flexibility we were hoping for. After a lot of further development we ended up with a system we felt we could put on the market.
The system is basically a metre modular platform of 3 different heights, self supporting columns from 2 metres up to 5 metres with cross rails that take fabric stretched between columns and rails. With no central support framing you can both front and back project. The basic structure can then be dressed for that individual look. Because the system uses a lot of textiles, we called the system ‘Texset’ and formed a new company called ‘SetHire.com’. Now 4 years on, we have developed a second system called ‘View Light’ which is a grid system with translucent plastic covering, and the rest as they say is history.
The company has gone from strength to strength supplying sets to production companies for major national and international clients in the UK and Europe. House hold name include: BA, O2, FIFA, Rolls Royce, Toyota, Toshiba, M&S, Barcardi, Metropolitan Police and AXA.
Other Press Releases By This Company
- 23/07/2014 - Latest news from Doran Design
- 29/05/2008 - [Part 6] Back to basics
- 29/05/2008 - [Part 5] Shake it all about!
- 29/05/2008 - [Part 4] Exhibiting - the boring bits!
- 29/05/2008 - [Part 3] Are you sitting comfortably?
- 29/05/2008 - [Part 2] What’s in a name?
