A well-designed stage has the power to transform how attendees experience your event. It’s more than just a place for performers or fancy lighting effects — it’s a blank canvas for creativity.
We know this because, at Eventbrite, we’re event enthusiasts. Between us, we’ve worked with event organizers from every niche, from backyard concerts to massive conferences and festivals.
In this article, we’ll provide a full rundown of what event stage design entails, and share inspiring examples and ideas that will elevate your next event.
Skip ahead to the stage setting designs section
What are the basics of event stage design?
Key components of a well-designed stage
Event stage design ideas and examples
What are the basics of event stage design?
Event stage design is about “setting and dressing” to create a sensory experience for attendees.
It requires setting up the space so the audience can clearly see and hear the action and dressing up the stage with props and visual effects.
Mastering stage design also means considering how elements work together. Colored lighting hues can create a sense of intensity, and when paired with dramatic sounds, you’ll completely elevate your attendees’ experience.
Key components of a well-designed stage
The best way to create a functional and captivating stage is to follow the five key design elements. Let’s break them down.
Functional event stage layout
Whether you’re finding a venue with a fixed stage or designing a custom stage with portable risers, you need to choose the layout that best serves your event’s purpose and considers your audience’s view.
There are five common types of event stage layouts:
- Arena stage: Usually rectangular with tiered seats where the audience gets a 360-degree view and surrounds the stage on all sides.
- Proscenium theater: Features a frame or arch separate from the stage where the audience all sits toward the stage.
- Theater in the round: The stage is centered in the middle of the room, and attendees sit all around the stage.
- Thrust stage: The stage extends into the audience on three sides, creating an intimate experience.
- Traverse stage: Attendees sit on two sides of the side, facing one other, with the layout resembling a catwalk.
The best way to choose an event stage layout is to think about how your audience and performers will interact in the space. Ask yourself:
- How many performers will be on stage?
- What type of experience am I aiming to create?
- Am I selling VIP tickets that allow attendees to get closer to the stage?
Once you’ve decided on the type of stage, focus on designing the space to accommodate your performers and ensure visibility for everyone in the audience.
Main considerations when staging:
- Dimensions: Determine the space you need to square off to allow performers to move around equipment safely and make safe transitions. For instance, for a solo act or a three- or six- member band, you’ll typically need about 16 feet x 20 feet x 4 feet (height).
- The purpose of your event: Use the purpose of your event to influence how you set up your stage. For example, if you’re organizing a live art show, divide the stage with a curtain to create a front and backstage area where performers can easily change into costumes and props.
- What visual equipment needs to be seen or hidden? Place your lighting, sound systems, and props to enhance the performance while keeping some things out of sight, such as electrical wires.
Once you’ve determined what type of event stage layout best suits your needs, move on to lighting design.
Lighting choice options
When designing your stage lighting, you need to ensure performers are visible from every angle, while also enhancing the audience’s emotional journey.
To better understand this balance, we chatted with Craig Rutherfold, owner of Blueshift Design and expert lighting designer with over 10 years of experience in the production industry.
He told us, “There exists a tendency to think of ‘practical’ and ‘creative’ lighting as being opposites; a zero-sum game where if one goes up, the other must necessarily go down. I’m not sure that this is the case. Creativity has different meanings depending on the context of the event.”
Consider these core lighting options:
- Spotlights: Powerful, focused lights that highlight key performers or elements, drawing attention to specific areas on stage.
- Moving lights: Lights that can pan, tilt, and change color or pattern dynamically, ideal for creating dynamic effects and adding motion in sync with performances.
- LED lights: Versatile, energy-efficient lights that produce a wide range of colors and effects — perfect for creating vibrant color washes and dramatic mood lighting.
- Wash lights: Broad-beam lights that provide even illumination across the entire stage or background — essential for consistent lighting coverage and setting the overall mood.
But, lighting design is not as simple as pointing lights and making sure everything is visible. It requires careful consideration of angles, intensity, and the overall mood you want to create for your event.
Throughout his career, Craig has worked on concerts and corporate event stages. Here are some insights he shared from his experience.
Tips about corporate event stage lighting:
- Presume there’ll be a large upstage video wall: Use side and top lighting to keep the video content as the star while making sure your speakers are well-lit.
- Focus on good front lighting: Good front lighting is key for corporate events, but it’s tricky! You have to manage tough angles, avoid light spillage, and keep the stage evenly lit with no bright spots or shadows. Angle and diffuse your lights just right to get consistent illumination.
- Light the “drape”: “Corporate events often use pipe and drape — fabric panels used to hide less attractive parts of the venue — so lighting these drapes as part of the scenic design is important,” says Craig. You can make them part of the design by adding “up-lights”(a light that’s positioned low and shoots a beam of light upwards) or colored wash lights to them.
Tips about concert and creative event stage lighting:
- Start with the narrative: Think about the overall vibe or story the artist wants to share. Pick your lighting fixtures to match and enhance that narrative.
- Use strong side lighting and high angels: Lots of artists, especially younger ones, aren’t fans of front lighting. To keep that moody vibe, use strong-side lighting and high angles instead.
- Don’t hide behind strobe lights, but do match your colors: Craig pointed out two major mistakes that “show a lack of taste”: “blazing strobes into the eyes of your audience all night” and “not matching your colors.” He pointed out that it’s essential to use strobes sparingly and make sure your lighting design is cohesive.
If you’re still unsure what to do, start by using a simple “three-point lighting” system with key, fill, and backlights. Adjust this base setup according to your venue and needs, adding more filler or backlighting as required.
Fully immersive stage backdrops and visual effects
Building a stage with a fully immersive stage backdrop with captivating visual effects is one of the best ways to make your attendees feel like they’ve been transported to another world.
Just take a look at the work of creative agency Sila Sveta, which teamed up with Sphere in Las Vegas to create an unforgettable experience for Phish’s concert. Sphere’s visuals weren’t just stunning; they were also spot-on with each of Phish’s songs.
Some fully immersive backdrop ideas and visual effects include:
- LED video walls: Place large screens made of LED screens at the back of your stage. For example, a tech conference might display high-resolution graphics that change with each speaker.
- Augmented reality (AR): Overlay digital elements into the real world to make presentations interactive. For instance, at a product launch event, AR can show a 3D model of the new product.
- Holographic displays: Create 3D images that appear to float in mid-air. For example, at Thunderdrome, Excision used a giant holographic Shrek during his performance to terrify his audience.
- 360-degree projection: Projects visuals on all sides of a space. For instance, at a rave event, you can surround the audience with mesmerizing visuals that pulse and change with the music.
When it comes to choosing the right stage backdrop and special effects for your event, ask yourself: Does it just look cool, or is it going to enhance the overall experience for your attendees?
The next step is to look at what goes onto the stage itself.
Interesting stage decoration, props, and furniture
In her chat with It’s Nice That, Es Devlin, the set designer behind iconic productions like Beyoncé’s “On the Run II” tour, talks about how the look of your stage sets the vibe for the whole event and helps create a realistic world that the characters exist in.
For example, at Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball concert, she used towering mirrored walls, oversized geometric shapes, and custom-designed furniture to create a surreal, otherworldly stage that perfectly matched Lady Gaga’s avant-garde style.
Here are a few design ideas for your next event:
- Conferences: Incorporate sleek, modern furniture, such as modular seating and contemporary podiums, and then add branded decor elements, such as customized backdrops or digital banners.
- Art exhibitions: To highlight the artwork, use minimalist props and decor, such as clean, white plinths and stylish partitions. Also, change up the audience seating by using elegant benches instead of chairs.
- Concerts and live performances: Use eye-catching props that interact with the performers and enhance the visual impact. For example, include large sculptures that fit the event theme of the performance, such as a futuristic robot.
The Bell House is a fantastic example of how to use decor to create visual interest and set the vibe of their event. Their clever use of props, furniture, and decor elements enhances the overall atmosphere and engages the audience right from the start.
Now that we’ve discussed the visual aspects of stage design, let’s move on to the importance of event stage sound design.
High-quality audio design
Stage design isn’t just about what you see — it’s also about what you hear.
Great audio design ensures that every note, word, and sound effect is crisp and reaches your audience, no matter how far from the stage they’re sitting.
To achieve this, there are a few key elements to consider:
- Strategic speaker placement: Proper placement helps cover the entire audience area, preventing ‘dead zones.’
- Sound level settings: Getting your sound levels just right is the key to clear, distortion-free audio. This means using a sound pressure level meter to balance the volume so it’s loud enough to be heard clearly but not so loud that it causes distortion or discomfort.
- Acoustic assessment: Every venue has unique acoustic properties that can affect sound quality, so you may need to use sound-absorbing materials to manage echoes and reverberations.
The specifics of your audio design will depend on the size of your event stage, the stage layout you choose, and your event venue. For example, a proscenium stage usually needs three output channels (left, right, and center) to effectively cover the entire audience.
Here are some key considerations when designing audio:
- Outdoor stages: Wind can affect the optimal sound levels and sound distribution. Using weather-resistant equipment and positioning speakers to minimize wind interference can help maintain audio clarity.
- Conference halls: Large event spaces often have hard surfaces that reflect sound, causing echoes and reverberation. To combat this, use sound-absorbing materials — like carpets and drapes — and place speakers near the front of the stage.
- Auditoriums: Architectural features like balconies and overhangs can impact sound, so cover all seating areas by adjusting volume levels.
Once you’ve chosen all your event stage design fundamentals, it’s time to market your event. With Eventbrite, you can create engaging social media copy, conduct A/B split testing on different “leaked” images of your stage, and track all your results in real time in one place.
Find out more about Eventbrite’s marketing tools.
Event stage design ideas and examples
Sticking to a theme will help you decide on design features, so it’s important to choose one that relates to your event’s purpose.
Here are a few stage design ideas to try.
Simple stage design ideas
Sometimes, keeping your entire stage design simple can make the largest impact. For example, if you’re organizing an acoustic concert, minimizing props can create an intimate atmosphere, like the cozy setup at TV Eye.
Here are some simple stage designs:
- Black box theater: Utilize a black backdrop with focused lighting. For example, take a look at how Run The City LLC used The Delancey’s moody “lower bar space.”
- Minimalist elegance: Create a clean and focused atmosphere. For instance, during their performance at the Brooklyn Monarch, Black N Blue Bowl only used microphones — no props or elaborate sets, just raw energy and a focus on the mosh pit.
Use the image above as a starting point, and then add key elements that enhance your theme. For instance, add soft lighting like spotlights and a curtain to make stage exits smooth.
Creative event stage design ideas
Design an immersive experience that captivates your target audience. For instance, Tomorrowland’s event stages aren’t just a podium for performers — they’re a main attraction.
Here are some creative stage designs:
- Fun-land: Dress up your stage to look like a carnival with colorful tents and oversized props, like the Cartoon Rave by Bounce Empire.
- Back to nature: Set up your stage to look like an enchanted forest, like JunXion did when they hosted their New Dawn event.
Use the above 3D stage as an example of how to create an engaging atmosphere. Choose a venue with interactive walkways for your audience that you can illuminate with LED lights, and then use projection mapping to transform your backdrop into a sea of dynamic visuals.
Corporate event stage design ideas
Corporate events showcase some of the most innovative event stage design ideas we’ve ever seen. For example, Adobe Max events use giant screens and dynamic lighting to give attendees a close-up look at new creative showcases.
Here are some corporate stage design ideas:
- Welcome to the future: Turn your stage into an embodiment of your product. For instance, the 2023 Google I/O event used multicolored strips and a textured backdrop to make the stage look like their logo.
- It’s everywhere: Design your stage as an all-encompassing brand experience. For example, Samsung Galaxy’s launch events featured green lighting and multimedia elements to create an immersive atmosphere.
Set up a traverse stage where the audience sits on either side, with a walkway down the middle. Place a podium in the middle to focus the attention, and add some green plants on either side to give the setup a touch of nature.
Get ready to master your event stage design
Think of your event stage as the centerpiece. Sure, it needs to have practical elements so everyone can see and hear what’s happening, but it also needs to wow them.
Remember, the more creative you are with your stage backdrop and lighting, the more memorable your event will be.
Here’s the plan: You focus on your vision, and we’ll handle the logistics, like planning how many people can fit in and keeping everything running smoothly.
Together, we’ll be unstoppable.
