We are thrilled to announce our partnership with ESITS (The Event Structures Industry Training Scheme) as their lead modular staging product partner.

ESITS delivers training, accreditation, and competency assurance in the event and entertainment industries. We are delighted to collaborate with them to provide insight and best practice for the safe use and installation techniques of our products.

With over 30 years of experience, Steeldeck Rentals has been at the forefront of designing, building, and installing bespoke temporary staging and seating solutions across the UK and Europe. With operations in London and Manchester, we cater to all event types – from theatre, film and TV to music festivals and fashion shows. Our expertise ensures accurate and effective solutions without compromising on design.

Mike Dean, Scheme Director at ESITS, shared his excitement about our partnership, highlighting our position as leaders in modular staging and seating solutions, to deliver guidance to professionals to handle temporary demountable structures safely.

Our aim is to address industry training needs and uphold the highest standards of safety and best practice. From design to installation and de-rig, our meticulous approach ensures safety at every step. Being recognised by ESITS as a product partner is testament to our expertise in the field.

Commitment to health and safety is our priority, and this partnership allows us to share our expertise and mitigate risks effectively. Together, we can shape the future of event safety training, ensuring every event is not just memorable but also safe for all involved.

Over the past two years, Steeldeck Rentals has been instrumental in constructing stage extensions and camera platforms at the versatile event space Victoria Warehouse for the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival in Manchester. We collaborated with Production Manager Frankie Tee of EnTEEtainment, who oversees production management for the festival on behalf of BBC Live Events.

Given the occasional limitations of the venue stage, we were able to extend it using Steeldeck platforms tailored to match the same height. As these performances are all livestreamed on iPlayer, we were able to build platforms for static cameras, a raised platform for a camera dolly track in front of the stage, and a large raised platform to accommodate a jib camera.

In addition to the structural elements, we also offer dry hire equipment such as rolling risers and other platforms as requested by individual acts.

The University of Manchester Chorus enlisted Steeldeck Rentals to supply choir riser tiers for their 2024 Spring Concert at the prestigious Whitworth Hall, a Grade II Listed venue renowned for its elegance. This multipurpose space, accommodating up to 600 people, is also utilised for meetings and serves as a recognised filming location.

With the removal of the wooden risers, the Chorus urgently sought an alternative for their upcoming performance. We devised a solution using our hire kit, designing tiers that seamlessly integrated with the venue’s layout. Positioning the front tiers on the auditorium floor which extended up onto the raked stage, the tiers were flanked by the majestic pipe organ. We elevated the front row to ensure that the choir could be seen over the orchestra and fitted the front row with a low guardrail to ensure safety and prevent any mishaps during the concert.

The University of Manchester Chorus, comprising over 200 members, and is one of the largest choral societies in the UK, and annually perform at the elegant Whitworth Hall twice a year.

At Steeldeck, we are committed to working towards minimising the environmental impact of our hire services and operations as we strive to become fully carbon neutral by 2030.

In line with our Environmental Policy, one of our initiatives is to encourage recycling within our depots and installations. In 2023, Steeldeck helped to recycle 2,180 sqm of carpets – that’s nearly a third of a football pitch!

We are delighted to have recently collaborated with carpet specialists MJ’s Event Services. MJ’s are committed to reducing waste and recycling a minimum of 95% of the material they supply. The carpets that we install are rolled up at the derig and stored at our depot, ready for MJ’s to take away to recycle whilst delivering new carpet for our next project. Clients we work with often ask if we can reuse the carpet, and we are pleased to provide MJ’s details as a preferred supplier.

International Women’s Day is a significant reminder of the ongoing challenges that women still face in achieving gender equality. To help raise awareness of this year’s theme ‘inspire inclusion’; we discussed the importance of female mentorship with two members of our Manchester team.

We spoke with Project and Site Coordinator Cam Thomson who gave us an insight into his journey so far at Steeldeck Rentals, and how the pivotal role his mentor Katie Mountain, Technical Director, has helped to support and develop his career path.

Cam was first introduced to Katie during his employment with a subcontractor on a Manchester project where Steeldeck had outsourced additional support for a staging and seating installation. Impressed by his work ethic and attention to detail, Katie immediately hired him as part of the crew team – and Cam became the youngest member to join Steeldeck.