Man Lifts for Exhibition and Event Build-Up in the UAE

Exhibition and event build-up runs on tight windows, at venues such as ADNEC in Abu Dhabi, Dubai World Trade Centre, Expo City Dubai and Expo Centre Sharjah, and stand builders, riggers and AV crews often need to work at height at the same time. The right man lift, delivered to the right door at the right time, saves hours. This guide covers how to choose and plan access equipment for exhibition and event work.

Read the Venue Rules First

Check the rules the venue and the show organiser set for contractors before you book. Look for what they say about diesel or battery-electric machines indoors, tyre type, operator certificates, harnesses, registering equipment before build-up, and floor loading limits. Send those rules to your equipment supplier with the booking.

Scissor Lifts for Most Hall Work

Electric scissor lifts suit much of the work in a hall: hanging banners, fixing lighting, building stand structures and dressing walls. They are quiet, produce no exhaust and have a large platform for people and materials. Their limit is that they only go straight up, so they need clear floor space under the work.

Boom Lifts for Reaching Over Stands

When the work is above a stand that is already built, or above seating, staging or displays, a boom lift reaches up and over without the base standing underneath. Articulating booms suit tight halls, and telescopic booms give the most outreach for high rigging points. Indoors, choose an electric or hybrid boom that meets the venue's rules.

Measuring What You Need

• ✓Highest working point, such as the truss or the top of the stand, then subtract about 2 m to get the platform height needed
• ✓Outreach: how far the work is from the nearest point the machine can stand
• ✓Platform load: people, tools and the heaviest item lifted, such as a lighting fixture or signage panel
• ✓Doors and routes: width and height of the hall doors, ramps and service corridors

Our guide to platform height and working height explains how to turn the height of the job into the right machine size.

Plan Around Build-Up and Breakdown

Most event jobs have two busy windows, build-up and breakdown, with the show days in between. Ask for a price both ways: two short hires with an off-hire during the show, or one hire covering the whole period. Book the delivery time with the venue and share it with your supplier, so the machine arrives when the hall is open to you.

Operators and Safety on a Busy Floor

• ✓Check whether the venue or organiser requires certified operators, and bring the certificates
• ✓Follow the venue's and your company's harness rules for boom and scissor lifts
• ✓Keep a clear zone around the machine; exhibition floors are crowded with other trades
• ✓Never drive a raised machine over cables, ramps or floor covers that have not been checked

Seven Lift rents scissor and boom lifts, including electric scissor lifts with non-marking tyres for finished floors, with a certified operator if you need one. Our dispatch team operates 24/7. See man lift rental in Dubai and man lift rental in Abu Dhabi for local details.