Serious Stages supplied one of their 25m two-bay Space Roofs for the main stage at the new Hedgestock Festival at Knebworth House, complete with 8.4m wide x 15m high video and PA wings.
The exclusive two-day corporate event with music–headlined by The Who as part of their Teenage Cancer Trust work–describes itself as a “festival of networking” for the Hedge Fund Industry–with the adage “because conventions don’t have to be conventional.”
The target clientele were some of the brightest financial brains in the country, and the event received a great amount of commercial and investment bank interest and sponsorship. Much effort therefore went into providing the very best of production values for a rock concert.
Production manager Nick Fisher coordinated the supply of all the technical production and infrastructure, which also included Entec (sound) and PRG (lighting) for event organizers Albourne Partners. Aleksis Zarins led the Serious team of 20 crew and riggers.
The site build started 14 days in advance and was completed in two sections–with Serious’s modular black decking going in first. The stage was built on uneven ground, with the stage left side 1.5m higher than the stage right side. Serious also supplied all decking, ramps, steps handrails, etc. for the main stage, decking for several large corporate hospitality arenas around the arena, plus a 12m Orbit structure for the ‘second’ stage, FOH platforms for both stages and a two follow spot towers for the main stage.
The stage roof was erected second. The main stage ‘Space Roof’ was finished in standard silver and black skins. A feature of the Space Roof is its high quality and streamlined aesthetics, making it perfect for a premium event like Hedgestock.
Serious launched the ‘Space Roof’ last year. It’s specifically designed for large festivals and concerts, maximizing space and efficiency for all working personnel and performers. The roof is built from Space truss, a space-efficient steel truss system also used for a range of building structures of up to 60m in span.
The Roof utilizes a new flatter profile with vertical “legs.” The modular main arches are spaced 4.8m apart so clients can tailor the stage depth to their exact requirements. The Roof’s feature a flat rear gable end which maximizes the usable covered area and an angled, load bearing “cantilever” arch providing front-of-stage cover and convenient rigging points for front lighting.
The standard maximum trim height is 15.8m for the 25m roof. Each standard arch has a distributed load capacity of 11 tons, with the front cantilever arch supporting a distributed load of over 6 tons.