Flexibility and multi-functionality are vital for sports stadia and venues to maintain a competitive edge in today’s market for sporting and cultural events, key to which is easy and safe accessibility to power and water supplies.
Multi-purpose venues have been created to be able to host a multitude of different events, not simply their primary sport, football. It is a business model that enables stadium owners to capitalise on a public appetite for major events that has never been stronger.
Figures from UK Music, for example, showed that music gigs attract 30m people in the UK per annum, and it is estimated that the country saw a 76% rise in music tourism between 2011 and 2016. Staying competitive and attracting major events – whether that is entertainment, cultural or sporting – means having the right infrastructure in place to adapt to requirements.
The safe provision of electricity and water to outdoor spaces is, therefore, crucial for both the staging of many different event formats and maintaining spaces and grass pitches with ease.
This dual requirement was one of the key drivers behind the development of the range of Pop Up and In-Ground Power Units by UK manufacturer Pop Up Power Supplies®. Its range of products, which have already benefited stadia including Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, are designed on the principle that they are ‘there when you need them and hidden when you don’t.
When power or water is required, the Pop Up Units are raised out of the ground with a simple turning handle. After use, they are simply lowered back into the ground. The Pop Up Power Supplies® range of In-Ground Units (or flip lid units) features a simple open-and-close mechanism where maintenance personnel and events staff can access the power points and water supply with ease.
The units provide the scope for stadium managers to host any type of event that can function providing that a dependable power source for lighting, sound systems, signage, television screens, etc. is available. With this ready to use connectivity, any stadium has the potential to host major entertainment acts or alternative sports, as Tottenham Hotspur will do by being the UK’s new NFL American Football venue.
Pop Up Power Supplies® In-Ground Units can be operated with the lids locked down, and the lids for both solutions are also recessed to accommodate any infill surface material, whether it is stone, paving or grass. When retracted, this ensures that units blend seamlessly with the surrounding surfaces, upholding the integrity and aesthetics of the stadium and its outdoor spaces.
Safety is crucial too. No stadium operator can afford to take health and safety risks as the consequences could be catastrophic. Here, retractable service units from Pop Up Power Supplies® offer major advantages too. Traditional outdoor power supplies, such as power generators, are hazardous in their operation, and trip hazards come through long lengths of trailing power cables. Generators take up space too and allow members of the public to get too close to what is a potential electrocution hazard.
With in-ground or pop-up units from Pop Up Power Supplies®, safety is optimised as the power source is discreet to minimise the potential for accidental contact. The cables that connect into the units are generally short as used can be placed near the power units, and these are covered with ease by cable protectors.
Find out more at www.popuppower.co.uk
