Ropes and stanchions for conferences and events can help you keep the crowd in check at your next event, whether they're waiting in line for the opera house doors to open or queuing up to purchase tickets for the next concert. Ropes and stanchions are also a necessity at busy restaurants, particularly fast food establishments.

When it comes to making the most of ropes and stanchions for conferences and events, luckily you have a lot of choices. Traditional velvet ropes and stanchions lend an air of elegance to formal situations that are held indoors, such as a movie premiere or a gallery opening, but the heavy stanchions can tip over. You might rely on retractable belts for event crowd control stanchions, which you can easily move and store away after the event is over.

Answer the following questions to help determine which type of ropes and stanchions will be best for your event.

1. Consider the type of event when looking at rope and stanchions for sale.

2. Define the areas that require crowd control ropes and stanchions.

3. Make sure to measure the area properly and order extra to rope off additional areas.

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Preplan your crowd control efforts using ropes and stanchions

If you're planning a concert or a sporting event, it's important to plan your crowd control efforts in advance. Renting crowd control stanchions can help you keep attendees safe during the event.

I recommend: You can find crowd control stanchions to rent at All Time Favorites, an event planning source. Spare the expense of purchasing ropes and stanchions for expo crowd control at Anytime Rentals.

Weigh costs and relevant uses of ropes and stanchions for sale

Think about the tone of the event or type of business when determining whether to purchase traditional, formal velvet ropes and brass or chrome stanchions, or the easy and more economical retractable belt. Retractable belts may be a more sensible option as a temporary barrier, but lack the flair of velvet ropes.

I recommend: The Crowd Controller sells a wide variety of products from manufacturers of ropes and stanchions. Crowd Control Experts specializes in crowd control supplies, including ADA-compliant ropes and stanchions.

Figure your ropes and stanchion needs with accuracy

Make sure you order ropes and stanchions properly. For traditional ropes, you will want to add 3' to the overall length needed of each section for the appropriate drape; otherwise, the rope may pull and cause the heavy stanchion to fall over on a customer. When ordering retractable belts, you only need to know the maximum length needed for each belt as these ropes will be taut between stanchions.

I recommend: Concession Stands has a variety of retractable ropes and stanchions for sale. Stanchion Depot can help you determine your crowd control needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When using ropes and stanchions, take into account the availability of exits in case of emergency. While containing a crowd is important, they need to have a way to escape in a safe, orderly fashion if necessary.

Ropes and stanchions help keep crowds under control at conferences and events. Event planners, tradeshow exhibitors and conference planners all know the importance of crowd control. Ropes and stanchions are the tools they use to keep a smooth flow of attendees and to prevent crowds from becoming unruly.

Ropes and stanchions for conferences and events are relatively inexpensive items that provide a wealth of benefits. Available in a host of styles, sizes and materials, ropes and stanchions for conferences are must-have items:

1. Crowd control ropes and stanchions create a uniform maze to create lines at box offices, ticket counters, entryways and exits into events.
2. Ropes and stanchions create a border around booths at tradeshows to define entry and exit points of the booth.
3. Conference crowd control stanchions provide a point of entry for people to wait before the doors open.
4. Crowd control ropes and stanchions can provide additional safety measures to ensure that a crowd is in compliance with local fire department guidelines.

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Ropes and stanchions come in a variety of finishes

Whether your event is a VIP film festival or a high-traffic concert, you can find stanchions for sale in a variety of shapes and styles and ropes in a variety of colors to fit the ambiance.

I recommend: For a variety of square, circular and spherical stanchions for conferences, visit Crowd Control Warehouse. Alvarado Manufacturing Company makes wholesale stanchions and ropes for fixed queuing as well as portable queuing options, such as retractable stanchions for conferences or events. Signature Fencing’s stanchions come with optional sign holders and wall mounts. Displays2Go has a variety of stanchion accessories and post-top signs that guide event goers to the correct line.

Retractable stanchions for conferences or events

Retractable belt stanchions for conferences are a good choice for high traffic areas. The belts are easy to wipe clean, and since the belts retract back into the stanchion base, you don't need to store any ropes.

I recommend: MARKSTAAR sells retractable belt stanchions in lengths of seven feet and in a number of colors. EquiCross has a selection of retractable stanchions including wall-mounted stanchion belts, retractable bases and dual retractable belts. The stainless steel and black enamel stanchions at Stanchions 4 Less are guaranteed to stand up for five years.

Portable crowd control ropes and stanchions

Manufacturers of ropes and stanchions make portable, rust-resistant versions that are ideal for outdoor sporting events, concerts and festivals. Lightweight and easy to store, portable stanchions and ropes are a good option for event venues that use them rarely.

I recommend: Instawares Restaurant Supply sells lightweight, portable plastic stanchions and chains. Visiontron Corp. offers heavy gauge aluminum and powder-coated, rust-resistant outdoor stanchions. At Mr. Chain, options include portable plastic stanchions, heavy-duty stanchions and stanchions that can be filled with sand or gravel for extra stability.

Rent ropes and stanchions for temporary use

For event crowd control, stanchions are a necessity. If you're holding a one-time event and don't want the expense of purchasing ropes and stanchions, consider renting.

I recommend: AAA Rental System rents out affordable stanchions for conferences and events and will ship nationwide.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Improve the effectiveness of ropes and stanchions with signposts offering handy instructions, such as 'ticket holders line', 'box office line' or 'will call.'
• •  When using stanchions for conferences or events, always keep some slack in the ropes. If there is no slack in the rope, the stanchions are more likely to tip over when bumped.
• •  Most local party and event rental vendors provide ropes and stanchions for rent. Check your local yellow pages for party or event rental supplies.

Crowd control ropes and stanchions are a great way to delineate your booth space at a conference. Unfortunately, some stanchions and their ropes can be quite expensive. However, there are a number of things you can do to set your booth off from those of other vendors by using event crowd control stanchions that won't cost you a fortune.

The simplest way of saving money on ropes and stanchions for conferences and events may be to invest in sturdy event crowd control stanchions that can withstand the test of time. Even though the initial outlay of funds might seem prohibitive, getting several years' use out of your stanchions more than offsets the purchase costs. You can also work with manufacturers of ropes and stanchions to get a better deal.

As you look for other ways to save money on ropes and stanchions for conferences and events consider the following:

1. The minimum number of crowd control ropes and stanchions you need to purchase.

2. The general configuration of the ropes and stanchions you would normally need for a conference booth.

3. The portability of the event crowd control stanchions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy wholesale ropes and stanchions for conferences and events

While some dealers may say their prices are wholesale, shop around. Wholesale stanchions and ropes are quite a bit cheaper than their retail counterparts.

I recommend: Crowd Control Warehouse has a large selection of high-quality ropes and stanchions for conferences and events. You can also find a large selection of wholesale crowd control ropes and stanchions at CrowdControlExperts.com. This company can also brand the conference crowd control stanchions with your name.

Find multipurpose stanchions for conferences

Don't settle for stanchions that just have one rope connector. Purchase stanchions that allow you a variety of options as you configure your booth space.

I recommend: Crown Industries offers expo crowd control stanchions that you can also adapt as sign holders. You can also find multi-purpose stanchions for conferences from Lavi Industries.

Change the look of your crowd control ropes and stanchions

Simply changing the color of your ropes can dramatically change the look of your booth space. If you have clients that you see in a variety of conference settings, it's important that you keep your booth space looking fresh and not the same 'box' that they saw at the last conference. Other options include rearranging your stanchions into a unique configuration.

I recommend: Use the various ropes and stanchions colors from International Patterns to configure your displays in a different way each time you need to use them. Changing the look of your booth can be as easy as changing out worn ropes and replacing them with new ones from HMC Display.