Do you run a rodeo? One of the most important elements of your planning is the seating.
After the actual rodeo performance, bleacher seating is one of the most critical factors in your visitors’ experience — they want a safe place to sit with a great view of the action. Bleachers provide the most seating per frontage, which is always a limiting factor at rodeos. If your location doesn’t have permanent seating, mobile bleachers are an excellent option. If you have some permanent seating but need more, consider renting mobile bleachers to supplement.
There are a few important factors to consider when planning seating for your rodeo.
How many seats do you need at your rodeo? What is your expected attendance? What is the maximum number of seats you can fit around your arena? These are all questions to consider when planning.
An issue faced by most rodeos is the limited amount of frontage in front of their most popular shows. How do you get more seats when you can’t extend further out? Go up! Mobile bleachers are available as high as 15 rows tall. If you’re currently using 5-row bleachers, you could literally triple your seating capacity by upgrading to 15-row bleachers!
You might be thinking: “Big bleachers sound great, but they’re expensive.” Consider the alternative — visitors have nowhere to sit in front of the main show and leave disappointed. What is a happy, returning customer worth to your event?
Say you can add 500 more seats around your arena. At $20/ticket with 2 performances, that’s an extra $20,000 in revenue — a strong return on your investment.
Because our bleachers are quick and easy to set up (15–30 minutes per unit, with just 1 person), they are far more cost-efficient than on-site built bleachers. Our rural pricing starts at $5/seat, plus delivery.
“But aren’t there cheaper bleachers out there?” If you think renting safe bleachers is expensive, try renting unsafe ones. The liability of bleachers that don’t meet building code and insurance requirements will cost far more in the long run.
As an event organizer, it is your responsibility to keep your guests safe — and that includes the seating you provide. Building codes exist for good reason: they reduce your liability and make your event more accessible to guests with mobility challenges, seniors, and children.
While rules vary slightly by state or province, the International Building Code (IBC) has set standard guidelines for bleachers — covering stairs with handrails, side and back rails, gap sizes between rows, and more. You can learn more in our Bleacher Safety Series.
Whether buying or renting, insist that your bleachers meet both IBC and local building code standards. Any reputable bleacher supplier should be able to confirm compliance. For indoor events, also check for local fire code requirements.
👉 Download our free Bleacher Safety Checklist to review your bleachers.
Don’t underestimate the look of your rodeo grounds. Visitors notice, and it shapes their overall impression of the event. Old, run-down bleachers signal a run-down event. State-of-the-art mobile bleachers, on the other hand, elevate the experience — and give visitors a reason to come back.
A real example: In just 7 years, we grew the Norfolk Rodeo (Simcoe, ON) from 600 seats with wooden 5-row bleachers to 3,400 safe seats around the arena — while increasing ticket prices and improving the overall visitor experience. Upgrading the seating was one of the key drivers of that growth.
Bleacher seating is a major consideration for any rodeo. When planning, think about how many seats you need (and can realistically fit), whether the bleachers meet safety standards, and how your seating choice affects the overall appearance of your event.
Have questions about bleachers? We’re happy to help. Whether you’re looking to rent or purchase bleachers, we can provide a quote or connect you with a reputable company in your area.
Krista is the co-founder of Bleacher Rentals and co-organizer of the Norfolk Pro Rodeo. She loves to share her knowledge on event planning, temporary seating solutions, and bleacher safety gained from years of experience supporting rodeos, fairs, festivals, and sporting events.