Creating unforgettable experiences in sports venues: dUCKS scéno expertise

Whether it’s an entertainment stage or a soccer, handball or tennis pitch, sports or cultural venues can be scenographed and have fascinating similarities. Nevertheless, it’s important to emphasize the differences between them when it comes to scenography. Find out from Willy Pestel, Theater and performance space planner at dUCKS scéno, how these environments meet and differ, enriching every spectator’s experience.

“We believe that the design of a sports facility should offer the same magic and precision as that of a performance venue. Imagining and designing a sports hall means offering perfect visibility and total immersion, enabling fans to feel truly connected to the action on the pitch or on stage. It also means thinking about the spectator’s approach sequences, so that he or she is immersed in a visual and emotional experience: creating an unforgettable “wow” effect!

By offering a wide range of seating options, from Premium seats to more affordable categories, each spectator must enjoy a stunning view and a captivating atmosphere, with the aim of bringing the audience together in front of the sporting performance.

To achieve this, we make sure that the flow of traffic in the stands is optimal, facilitating movement and ensuring maximum safety, in compliance with all current standards and regulations.

To enhance the “spectator experience”, sports facilities often include ancillary services such as drinks sales, bodegas and snack bars, making each visit a pleasant and practical experience.

 In our scenographic approach, we push back the limits of modularity by imagining bleachers that can be transformed from one sporting configuration to another (basketball, handball, volleyball…) in the simplest possible way. This flexibility makes it possible to meet both sporting and cultural requirements, enriching the space’s potential as a venue for concerts or major shows.

Each project is unique, with multiple hall concepts and operating perspectives. To support the polyvalence of these sports venues, solid infrastructures and scenic networks must be anticipated, facilitating hanging, lifting, lighting and audiovisual management. 

Because a sporting event is also a “show”, we like to put our scenographic expertise at the service of these “sporting” venues to increase their potential… to transform every moment into a memorable souvenir!”

Willy Pestel, Theater and performance space planner at dUCKS scéno

At dUCKS scéno, sports projects arrived gradually after an awareness of the obvious similarities shared by this type of space with any performance venue. Willy, whose career has always been marked by a fascination for backstage in sports venues, but also by the impressive architecture of large stadiums, refers to “feats of engineering”. The fascinating organization of these venues, whether cultural or sporting, has always captivated him. He joined dUCKS 22 years ago, and as a true sports enthusiast, it’s only natural that he should incorporate this passion into his work. “Sports news is never-ending, and the design of venues dedicated to sports is constant and always innovative. Above all, it’s a show like any other, and it’s this vision that led us to take part in sports venue projects.”

Sporting and cultural spaces: similarities

Artist or athlete: same objective

Among the many similarities between the worlds of sport and show business, let’s start by looking at the artist rehearsing for his or her performance, and the stage fright felt before the curtain rises. This dynamic is very similar to that of the athlete who trains, prepares his performance and feels the same anxiety at the thought of losing his competition.

Rehearsals and training

Whether they are in a dressing room or a cloakroom, artists and sportsmen and women have here a final space for concentration and preparation before the big moment, when they take to the stage. To rehearse or train on a daily basis, they work with a whole team, surrounded by stage managers and technicians for some, trainers and doctors for others.

Spaces and audiences

On a more concrete level, whether it’s a rugby pitch, a football field, a tennis court, an athletics track or a basketball or handball court, these spaces are surrounded by stands for spectators, just like a tiered seating area in front of a stage. Whether in a stadium or a theatre, spectators need to enjoy good visibility and be perfectly immersed so that they feel part of the action… or the plot!

The “Wow” effect

Another key element is the ” wow ” effect that the architecture seeks to provoke. Whether entering a large symphony hall or a stadium, the impression of grandeur and immersion is similar and creates an unforgettable and captivating moment.

Technical and operational aspects

In technical and operational terms, there are also many similarities between sports and cultural venues. For example, the flow of public traffic in the stands must be optimal. And in both cases, safety must be ensured and effective evacuation guaranteed. During the interval of a show or half-time of a match, spectators will be looking for a foyer, a lounge, a bar or a refreshment area to share a moment of conviviality with the other spectators. The lighting of sports grounds is again similar to stage lighting, with requirements for luminosity, quality and shadow management. Sound systems also call for the same technical rigour, whether it’s an amplified concert or an announcer in a sports stand.

In conclusion, whether we’re talking about the stage or the pitch, they are both spaces that justify our involvement… they are “scenographic” spaces!

Differences in operation

Although these types of venue have some fascinating similarities, there are some notable differences in terms of scenography.

Scale and complexity

For a start, the scales of measurement are different and often more than tenfold. For example, a theatre will hold 200 spectators, while a stadium will hold 20,000. The size of sports facilities must therefore be adapted to this increased scale. In a theatre, there is a frontal relationship between the stage and the hall. In a sports arena, on the other hand, the stands surround the pitch at 360 degrees. This makes the design of the stands more complex, but this complexity opens up new possibilities, which is where imagination and uniqueness are born. In a sports facility, the management of public flows requires greater expertise in order to correctly dimension the circulation and evacuation systems. What’s more, these large-scale venues require specific ancillary facilities: integration of press or television camera areas, private lounges for partners, different seating categories, and catering areas, which are less common in cultural venues.

Specific requirements for sport

The sports ground must also meet specific requirements depending on the sport that will be played on it. For example, handball or basketball floors must have a bounce approved by the federations. For rugby or football, the question is whether to opt for synthetic or natural turf. On these sensitive surfaces, you need to allow for the paths of maintenance vehicles, but also for the passage of “flying cables” and sports anchors (posts, nets, goals, etc.).

Key words: modularity and flexibility

Today, more and more exciting and ambitious programmes are emerging, in which it is possible to move from a sports configuration with supporters seated around the pitch, to an amplified concert configuration with spectators seated standing and a front stage. The challenges of a cultural venue and a sports venue come together. To meet the needs of these mixed spaces, the scenographic approach must push back the limits of modularity and transformability. This includes using bleachers that can be telescoped, retracted, dismantled and combined, while meeting the requirements of comfort, visibility and safety… whatever the chosen configuration! This modularity, when properly anticipated, means that bleachers and pitch dimensions can be adapted to meet specific needs, whether for basketball, tennis, handball or other sports. To support the versatility of these buildings, which combine sports and culture, appropriate technical infrastructure must be provided under the roof, which plays a crucial role! Not only does it house the bleachers, but it can even open and close above the pitch. Above all, it must have the hanging and lifting infrastructure needed to suspend the sound and lighting equipment. Catwalks, technical grids and rolling beams are designed to meet both cultural and sporting requirements, for example: when players enter the stadium with pyrotechnic effects, during half-time shows, during concerts with LED screens or for cup and medal ceremonies.

Flexibility and a new experience

In this type of venue, where sports and shows come together, modularity means that a stand can be folded away to free up an area for a concert, or a demountable stage or motorised stage platform can be installed. Anything is conceivable and can be reconfigured!

The versatility and flexibility of the pitch must also be anticipated, so that it can be used for a variety of purposes: concrete and removable sports flooring, fixed turf and removable protective panels for standing audiences, turf on a platform, etc. A multi-purpose venue creates diversity by attracting a variety of audiences: sports fans can come to a concert, and showgoers can attend sporting events. This generates a buzz about the venue, as confirmed by regular visitor surveys.

Operational adaptability

This operational adaptability can be found in all our sports and cultural arena projects, offering spectators a different and renewed experience every time they visit. “Transforming a space from A to Z, going from a Concert configuration to a Match configuration, is disconcerting, almost magical for the spectator,” explains Willy. It requires an enormous and exciting amount of architectural and scenographic work, to offer a renewed experience according to the events.

“Culture and sport are intertwined and require the same technical and scenographic devices. Putting our expertise at the service of sports venues to increase their potential is generating new ideas and innovations. The aim is to turn every moment into a memorable souvenir, whether for a show or a sporting event. That’s what our job is all about.”