How much does it cost to rent a platform?

It depends on the size, the height, the ground, the access, and the schedule. A camera platform on a ballroom floor and a two-level viewing deck on a hillside are different builds. PM1 prices by the build: a site address, the scope of what you'd like PM1 to deliver, and a rough count of attendees are enough to start a drawing and an estimate.

What is a stage platform?

A stage platform is a deck raised to a set height on legs or scaffold. Several together make a stage; one on its own holds a speaker, a band, a camera, or a console. PM1 builds them from 4' x 8' decks to the size and height the event needs.

What sizes do platforms come in?

The standard deck is 4' x 8', so platforms build in four-foot steps: 8' x 8', 16' x 8', 24' x 16', and larger. Rolling risers come in 8' x 8' and 8' x 12'. PM1 has built everything from a single deck to a 40' x 240' exhibit deck on the National Mall.

Yes. Stage risers, drum risers, rolling risers, camera risers, and press risers, each drawn on the same layout as the stage and the seating.

Can you build a platform on a slope or uneven ground?

Yes. PM1 checks the ground on the site walk and levels each platform to the surface, on scaffold bases where the grade needs it. Grass, sand, asphalt, hillsides, and lakeshores are all ground PM1 has built on.

How high can a platform go?

As high as the sightline needs. As a rule, a freestanding platform stands no taller than it is wide or deep. Ballast or tie-downs let PM1 build taller, and anything elevated gets engineering stamped by licensed engineers where the job requires it.

What can a platform hold?

PM1 sizes each platform to its load: consoles and crew at FOH, followspots and operators, cameras and tripods, or a deck full of guests. The load goes on the drawing before anything ships.

What access comes with a platform?

Stairs, handrails, and guardrails come with every elevated platform. Where guests or crew need ADA access, PM1 adds a ramp or a lift sized to the height and the site, drawn on the same layout.

What's the difference between a platform and a stage?

A stage is built for the performance. A platform holds a position: FOH, lighting, control, cameras, or guests. When the show needs a stage, PM1 builds that too. See stage rental.

Can you build platforms under a tent?

Yes. PM1 builds raised, level platforms under tents on grass or a grade, and full tent floors when the whole footprint needs one.

Do you deliver, set up, and take down the platforms?

Yes. PM1 crew delivers, builds, and strikes every platform, with a PM1 lead on site. The crew that built it is the crew that knows it.

How far ahead should we book platforms?

As early as you can. The drawing, the engineering, and the permits all improve with runway. Thirty days is ideal, and during peak season 60 days or longer gives you certainty. Some jurisdictions require 30 days from permit submittal to event date. PM1 can deliver inside five days when it has to, but that isn't ideal.

Where does PM1 deliver platforms?

Our main bases are Detroit, DC, and Orlando, and PM1 works worldwide when called.

Platform Rental: Stage, Camera & VIP Event Platforms

Aerial view of a PM1 court platform with a competition volleyball court on the field at Memorial Stadium, University of Nebraska

The Build

What Platform Rental From PM1 Includes

Every PM1 platform rental includes the drawing, the delivery, the build, and the strike. The platform goes where the show needs the position, at the height the sightline needs, on whatever ground is there.

A scaled CAD layout of every platform, stair, ramp, and rail, approved before anything ships.
Platforms leveled to the site: grass, slopes, sand, asphalt, or a hillside.
Key positions raised for the show: FOH, lighting, control, and camera, sized to the gear and the crew on them.
Access drawn in from the first layout: stairs, handrails, guardrails, and a ramp or lift where the site needs ADA access.
PM1 crew delivers, builds, and strikes it, with engineering stamped by licensed engineers where the job requires.

Read the event staging guide

Uneven Ground

Built on the Ground That's There

Most event sites aren't flat. PM1 levels platforms on scaffold bases over hillsides, lakeshores, sports fields, and parking lots, then ties the stairs and rails into the same structure. The same method put a competition volleyball court on the field at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium for the 2023 match that set the world attendance record for women's volleyball, and an exhibit platform under the Poppy Wall of Honor on the National Mall. The site walk sets the plan. The drawing shows every leg before load-in.

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Configurations

Platform Rental Options

Each platform is drawn to the position it holds, the ground under it, and the people who use it. If the position isn't listed here, call it in.

FOH and Control Platforms

Raised mix and show control positions with clear sightlines to the stage, room for the consoles and the crew, and stairs to get on and off.

Lighting and Production Platforms

Followspot positions, lighting platforms, and production desks, set at the height the throw or the view needs.

Camera Risers and Press Platforms

Camera positions and press platforms sized to the shot, with room for tripods, operators, and cable runs. Camera risers are placed for the main camera's line, and press risers are sized to the pool.

Stage Platforms and Risers

Stage platforms and risers for speakers, bands, and choirs: drum risers, rolling risers in 8' x 8' and 8' x 12', and multi-level risers built to the room. When the show needs a full stage, PM1 builds that too.

Audience Risers

Tiered seating for the audience, theater, classroom, and dinner style, lives on Audience Riser Rental.

VIP and Viewing Decks

Single and two-level viewing decks for sponsors and guests, with guardrails, room for canopies, and access stairs.

Courts and Exhibits

Competition courts raised over a stadium field and exhibit platforms on public ground. The platform carries the floor, protects what's under it, and gives play or a crowd a level surface.

Tent Platforms

Raised, level platforms under tents on grass or a grade. PM1 builds full tent floors when the whole footprint needs one.

Access

Stairs, handrails, guardrails, ramps, and lifts, drawn into the layout so every platform has a safe way on and off.

Tell us what you're building

The PM1 Way™

From Site Walk to Load-Out

Every PM1 job runs the same five steps. One crew carries it from the first site walk to load-out.

Discover

Four questions start every job: what you're building, where it lands, scale and timeline, and what's already in motion. Scope and budget get defined before anything else does.

Design

A site walk, then a CAD layout drawn to scale. Stage, seating, structures, cameras, power, and access on one drawing, coordinated with the venue and stamped by licensed engineers where the job requires.

Plan

The advance. Permitting, logistics, crew calls, and a load-in schedule every crew can use. This is where the show gets won.

Produce

Load-in to load-out, led on site by a PM1 production manager or structural site lead. One show caller. One show file. Doors open when every check is signed off.

Review

A debrief and a financial review that closes the job. What worked, what could be tighter, and what the site taught us.

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Specs

Platform Sizes, Heights, and Surfaces

Stage, camera, press, and VIP platforms built from the same deck system as PM1 stages.

PM1 platform and riser system
Spec	Value
Deck system	StageRight AF aluminum-frame decks
Deck sizes	4' x 8', 4' x 6', 4' x 4', 3' x 8', 2' x 8', plus curves and wedges
Rolling risers	8' x 8' and 8' x 12'
Heights	4" (deck only) to 13' on stocked understructure; entertainment scaffold above 13' to any safe height
Surfaces	Gray carpet, custom carpet cut to deck size, black textured fiberglass, plywood that takes scenic screws, aluminum
Edges and access	42" guardrails in 2', 4', and 8' sections, chair rail, stairs and handrails, skirting; ADA ramps or lifts as an option
Load	125 psf (4,000 lb per 4' x 8' deck), StageRight's standard rated capacity. Options above the standard rating on request.
Typical build	Under 1 day (average)

Questions

Platform Rental FAQs

Platform rental at PM1 covers the design, delivery, build, and strike of every platform, priced by the build. These are the questions planners ask before they book.

A large-scale outdoor event production in Hart Plaza, Detroit, Michigan

The Build Starts Here

Solutions for Every Stage™

Wherever you are in the build, this is where the next call goes.

Tell us what you're building

Production infrastructure partner for high-visibility live events. Staging, seating, and structures for the builds that can't go wrong.

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Contact

Email
hello@pm1pro.com
Phone
888-476-1776
Locations
Detroit • DC • Orlando • Worldwide

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Event Platform and Stage Riser Rental