Get the show on the road: mobile stages and special events.

Public opinion research shows that Americans value connections with family, friends and community. They also place a high value on leisure time and entertainment. As the role of parks and recreation professionals expands, they are expected to present more sophisticated programs, more often, and in more locations. Special events are beginning to make up a large segment of recreation programming. And as they continue to grow in popularity, many departments are beginning to use mobile stages in the planning and execution of those events.

Investing in mobile stages can be a major financial undertaking. However, evaluating whether your recreation department is ready to make the move can be broken down into three areas:

* Programming-how does the stage enhance your programming?

* Marketing--In what ways does the stage complement your overall marketing efforts?

* Financing--What is the financial impact of purchasing a mobile stage? Is it affordable?

Programming: Increase Flexibility

The most obvious benefit of a mobile stage is mobility and increased programming flexibility. Instead of a fixed-location venue like a band shell or amphitheater, mobile stages enable the show to visit a virtually unlimited number of venues. "Permanent band shells are expensive to maintain, and they're not used all the time anyway," says Joanne Larson, special events supervisor with the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "Our mobile stages enable us to copy the band shell concept in various areas throughout our community."

Because of their flexibility, mobile stages also free up valuable park space for other events. "After the event, the site quickly returns to normal because the stage simply closes up and is moved away," adds Larson.

And what venues can a mobile stage reach? "You name it--our mobile stages have been there," says Franklin Fischer, who schedules special events for the Ocean County Parks and Recreation Department in New Jersey. "We have as many as 45 summer concerts, spread across our long, narrow county--in parking lots, nature centers, church yards, nursing homes and even on the boardwalk with the ocean in the background."

Because a mobile stage can be transported to a number of different places, it can serve as the focal point for the full spectrum of special events--from small, community events like dedications, award ceremonies or children's concerts to sizable weekend music festivals attracting thousands of people.

"We recently used our mobile stage for performances of La Boheme by New York's Grand Opera," says Ben Schaffer, special events coordinator with Essex County Parks and Recreation Department in New Jersey. This was a full-scale production--complete with scenery, orchestra and lighting. "It was even better than being at Lincoln Center!" The average attendance each Friday night exceeded 20,000.

Today, because of improvements in acoustics and stage design, larger audiences can enjoy mobile stage performances. These enhancements should give park and recreation professionals confidence for staging larger, more compucated events.

Acoustic and design improvements have helped to create mobile stages that look more like the acoustical shells used in symphony halls behind the orchestra, and less like cutaway mobile homes. These technical improvements help to direct and diffuse sound toward the audience, greatly reducing the tendency for sound energy to reverberate inside the stage and bounce off the roof and canopy into the ground.

"The ceiling height above the stage is also an important factor to consider," notes Schaffer. "Low clearance restricts certain types of performances, including musicians on risers, theater with tall scenery or acrobatic dancers."

The ceiling height also impacts the quality of stage lighting when lights are mounted in the canopy. If lights are too close to the stage and not given adequate throw distance, they can not provide optimal coverage of performers. The audience may then find it difficult to see. Adequate ceiling height will ensure proper throw distances, and avoids the time and expense that would be necessary to erect separate light poles.

Today's more complex performances often require a full-size stage comparable to those found at indoor arenas. If a mobile stage features a recessed performance area, the stage width can be enlarged in one direction - toward the audience.

"If necessary, we can double the depth of the main 16 ft. x 32 ft. stage," says Art Turman, grounds maintenance manager for the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department. "To accommodate larger events, we add a lower tier of platforms in front."

Some mobile stages feature a thrust-style stage that provides the option of both widening and deepening the stage by adding platforms to the front and sides in a fan-shaped pattern.

For maximum flexibility with either style stage, it is important to select extension platforms that can be easily added to the mobile stage for large events, or set up alone for smaller events when a mobile stage alone would still be excessive. This flexibility simplifies handling and reduces required storage space. Manufacturers are working to ensure their mobile stages meet these criteria.

Material improvements have made mobile stages easier to handle by reducing the weight of these platforms by more than half. Twenty years ago, a 4 ft. x 8 ft. platform weighed 220 pounds and required three to four people to lift. In the 1990s, the same size platform weighs just over 100 pounds and can be easily lifted by two people.

In recent years, mobile stage options have increased significantly. When Henry Ford introduced his Model T, customers could buy it in any color--as long as it was black. Just as the automotive industry changed to meet customer preference, stage manufacturers today offer many options, giving parks and recreation departments the flexibility to select the features and capabilities they want. Some of the many options now include custom graphic treatments, upgraded electrical systems, remote-controlled hydraulic leveling, optional lighting packages and sound systems, and electric wheelchair lifts.

Marketing: Improve Visibility

What if the stage and performers are ready, but there's no audience? Special events fizzle without attendees, and mobile stages help ensure success by improving event visibility and complementing marketing efforts.

"Our mobile stage immediately identifies the city's involvement in the special event," says Larson. "Organizations or companies usually don't have their own mobile stage. It's unique and distinctive--providing much greater visibility and onsite marketing than banners, balloons or signs. Ours has very colorful graphics and lettering, including the city logo."

Larson notes that festivals bring a great number of people together and offer a lot of bang for the buck. The City of Ft. Lauderdale grosses $1 million each year from festivals, with an average weekend attendance of 30,000.

"Our newspaper ads and programs list every concert during our season, and people follow the stage around," notes Fischer. "They're sitting in their lawn chairs before it arrives, and they even applaud when it's set up."

To market a special event effectively, it's vital to work with each sponsoring group to help them organize their events. "They're the ones who will be able to draw people," says Schaffer. Essex County is the most densely populated county in the country, with many different ethnic events happening each week.

To break through this clutter and ensure each event is covered by the media, Schaffer's department and the sponsoring organization each send out press releases independently about the events. This ensures coverage. Schaffer also calls the media to follow up on the release and answer questions. This personal touch is important.

Corporate sponsors are attracted by the mobile stage's visibility. This may help make them more willing to help underwrite special events in exchange for recognition, such as signs and banners on site, and mention in programs and other promotional materials.

"Our local paper, The Thousand Oaks Star, has produced our Concerts in the Park series for the past six years," says Steve Wiley, recreation services manager with the Conejo Recreation and Park District in Thousand Oaks, California. "In exchange for free display ads and financial support, the paper's name is prominently displayed on stage. This partnership has generated a tremendous amount of goodwill for the paper, and has been a big marketing boost for us."

In addition to local newspapers, Wiley also recommends that parks and recreation departments enlist the help of radio and TV stations. "TV weather forecasters have a great deal of flexibility in their broadcasting," adds Wiley. "It's a tremendous marketing tool to them to broadcast live from your event."

TV stations are often looking to increase their presence in the community, while adding variety and interest to their newscasts. It's a good idea to send a program schedule with your key events high-lighted to the station's assignment editor, who handles staff scheduling.

Financing: Focus on Value and be Creative

By necessity, the financial aspect of a large expenditure like a mobile stage is critical. In an era of budget tightening, all equipment must deliver long-term value. A mobile stage can produce substantial cost savings over time when compared to the alternatives, making it an investment that pays for itself in two important ways: decreased labor costs and increased revenues.

"If we didn't have our new mobile stage," says Larson, "We'd have to hire production companies to handle staging and sound. That money adds up quickly."

In fact, when compared to the expense of repeatedly erecting scaffolding-style stages for different events, a mobile stage can pay for itself in as few as two years, depending on the department's level of activity.

And while mobile stages still require setup, recent innovations have made that process faster and less labor-intensive. Labor costs can add up quickly, particularly because most work crews at special events earn overtime.

Hydraulic leveling is an innovation that saves time and money - the simplest mobile stage now can be set up by two people in less than five minutes. To add enough stage extensions to double the stage size, setup would take 30 minutes. This compares to several hour's time and four people with older mobile stages, or even more time and people for platform or scaffolding systems.

"Our new stage is lighter and much easier to handle," adds Fischer. "Set up now requires only two people, when our old one required four. Less manpower saves money, and this savings was a key selling point to get approval to buy it," says Fischer.

Built-in sound or lighting systems are also designed to save parks and recreation departments time and money. "Having lights built into our mobile stage's roof canopy is a labor-saving asset, too," notes Fischer. "We don't need to erect separate fight poles--it's easier and more compact."

In addition to cost savings, many departments find that income from renting out their mobile stage can help offset purchasing, operating and maintenance costs. However, most agree that mobile stages should not be considered a major profit center.

"The rental fee set by our board is meant to facilitate community use, not make a profit per se," says Wiley. "The fee covers rental, setup, tear down and mileage." Wiley's district uses its mobile stage approximately every other week in the summer and sporadically throughout the rest of year.

"Renting covers some costs, but we primarily bought it for our own use," explains Larson. "All three of our mobile stages are kept pretty busy." In Ocean County, the mobile stage is too busy to rent. "The 33 communities in our county are all asking to use it," says Fischer.

Although cost savings and rental income can be significant, parks and recreation departments often find it difficult to afford a mobile stage, which can cost between $50,000 and $70,000. One innovative option that is gaining popularity among parks and recreation departments is a joint purchase with a nonprofit organization, such as an arts foundation or performing arts association.

The City of Ft. Lauderdale used this same strategy and recruited a local foundation for the arts who funded 50 percent. "The cooperative effort benefits everyone," explains Larson. "This mobile stage enables the arts to go into the community--out of the band shell, performing arts center or auditorium."

Fischer sees a growing spirit of cooperation between the parks and recreation field and other civic-minded organizations, such as arts foundations or tourism departments. His 22-year tenure with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts gives him a unique perspective, and he's seen changes over the years.

"Not too long ago, arts organizations would never think about partnering with parks and recreation, and vice versa," says Fischer. "I think parks and recreation used to consider any arts activity, like listening to a concert, a waste of time because it wasn't athletic."

"But communities are realizing that combining assets can benefit everyone. This is also true with tourism," continues Fischer. "Without our cultural attractions, all we have is the beach. With our mobile stage, this beach is the site of a symphony orchestra concert every Wednesday evening in the summer, attracting thousands of people."

If partnering with a nonprofit is not possible, there are other creative options. The City of Hollywood, Florida recently found a unique way to purchase its new mobile stage. The city's police department has a Law Enforcement Forfeiture Fund (LEFF), which collects money confiscated in illegal activities and invests it back into the community. LEFF funds were designated for a new mobile stage, to be used for a wide range of city activities, including music, dance, theater and crime prevention programs.

"It takes creative thinking and a good working relationship among city departments," explains Dr. Ellen Manning, Hollywood's superintendent of cultural affairs and special events. "Additional LEFF and Community Redevelopment Agency funds enabled us to add enhancements like a sound system and lighting upgrade."

"Getting our new stage took a real grass roots effort," says Wendell Anderson, manager of cultural services for Racine Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services in Racine, Wisconsin. Anderson is a member of the Tuesday Optimist Club of Racine, which formed a citizens committee to raise funds to replace the city's 23-year-old mobile stage several years ago.

"Local businesses, service clubs, school groups and hundreds of individuals contributed," notes Anderson. "The programming was very popular and benefited a wide range of organizations--it was grafifying to have such an outpouring of support." The effort began in the fall and was completed by summer; a permanent sign behind the stage lists all contributors.

"Our old stage is now a permanent venue at our county fairgrounds and we receive free indoor storage of our new unit for 10 years in exchange for our d nation," adds Anderson.

Manufacturers are also willing to work with parks and recreation departments to develop creative financing programs. Many offer lease/purchase programs that lower annual payments to less than $8,000 and allow old mobile stages to be traded in toward the purchase of newer models.

For parks and recreation professionals, the growth in special events shows no sign of slowing. The public's value of leisure time will only increase the demand for special events and activities. A mobile stage can be a valuable asset to effectively and creatively meet these challenges today--and in the future.