Upstaging
Upstaging is a privately held, founder-led live-event production services company founded in 1972, offering integrated lighting, trucking, fabrication, installation, and turnkey production services to concert tours, museums, corporate events, and performing arts venues from its Sycamore, Illinois headquarters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersSycamore, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Upstaging does
Upstaging, Inc. is a privately held, founder-led live-event production services company headquartered at 821 Park Avenue, Sycamore, Illinois, operating continuously since its founding in 1972. The company delivers an integrated suite of five core services — production lighting, specialized trucking, custom fabrication, turnkey production services, and on-site installation — for concert tours, museums and exhibits, corporate events, and performing arts venues. Its core technology portfolio spans professional-grade lighting fixtures (IP-rated and weather-resistant units from Elation, Robe, Chauvet, ACME), custom fabricated truss and scenic systems, LED video walls, media servers, and a 24,000 sq ft technical rehearsal facility with 40-foot ceilings and 3,000-amp three-phase power. Notable proprietary or co-developed capabilities include the Follow-Me Proximity lighting system deployed for The Rolling Stones, a custom articulating truss spanning nearly 200 feet for Coldplay's Music of the Spheres tour, and a trucking fleet uniquely equipped with Auxiliary Power Units in the event production industry.
The business model is project-based professional services revenue with quote-based pricing and no publicly disclosed rates. Revenue streams are organized around five integrated service lines: lighting design and operation, production trucking with $50M umbrella and $5M per-tour insurance coverage, custom fabrication (carpentry, CNC routing, metalworking, scenic painting, custom graphics), turnkey event production (LED walls, projection, graphics/signage, logistics, staffing), and on-site installation. A secondary revenue stream exists via sales of retired trucks and trailers from the fleet replacement program. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven: the company maintains direct relationships with production managers, tour managers, lighting directors, and event planners, and the bulk of new business enters through word-of-mouth referrals from touring bands and production teams already engaged with Upstaging. Geographic reach is global for touring work with operational authority covering the United States and Canada.
Upstaging serves an enterprise customer base that includes top-grossing touring artists (The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam, Paul McCartney, AC/DC, Keith Urban, Sam Hunt), major cultural institutions (Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, Scottish Rite Theatre, Lana'i Ocean Theater at Four Seasons Manele), and corporate clients such as Salesforce. The company emphasizes family-ownership values, founder continuity ("the garage crew that founded the company still leads it today"), and a single-vendor turnkey model in which the same crew handles design, build, transport, programming, and on-site execution — a positioning intended to eliminate the coordination burden of working with multiple specialty vendors. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, no parent company, no executive leadership changes, and no public financial statements.
Upstaging firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upstaging
- Legal name
- Upstaging, Inc.
- Website
- https://upstaging.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Upstaging is a privately held, founder-led live-event production services company founded in 1972, offering integrated lighting, trucking, fabrication, installation, and turnkey production services to concert tours, museums, corporate events, and performing arts venues from its Sycamore, Illinois headquarters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upstaging industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Event Production Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio-Visual Equipment Rentals (Sound, Projection, Screens) (HSACAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Event/Commercial Setup Labor (Trade Shows, Pop-Ups, Staging) (HSAKAMAJ)
Keywords
Where Upstaging is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sycamore
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Upstaging business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Production Lighting Services: Provides state-of-the-art lighting equipment and creative design for concerts, corporate events, exhibits, and live performances. Services include design, installation, and operation of lighting systems.
- Production Trucking Services: Transportation of production sets and equipment for touring productions. Services include 24-hour logistics support, secure transportation, and full insurance coverage ($50M umbrella, $2M cargo per vehicle, $5M per tour).
- Custom Fabrication Services: Design and build of custom set pieces, signage, exhibits, and scenic elements. Includes CAD design, carpentry, metalworking, welding, CNC routing, scenic painting, and custom graphics.
- Turnkey Event Production: Comprehensive event production services including graphics/signage, video systems, LED walls, projection, camera systems, media servers, logistics, staffing, and on-site management.
- Truck and Trailer Sales: Sale of retired tractors and trailers from their fleet replacement program.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Upstaging product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upstaging is a B2B live event production services company that designs, builds, transports, installs, and operates lighting, video, scenic, and rigging systems for concert tours, corporate events, museum exhibits, and performing arts venues. Its core offerings cover Production Lighting, Production Trucking, Custom Fabrication, Installation, and Turnkey Production Services delivered from a 150,000 sq ft facility in Sycamore, IL with 24,000 sq ft of dedicated rehearsal space.
Product overview
Upstaging is a physical production services company offering an integrated suite of live-event and touring production solutions. Its core portfolio comprises Production Lighting (high-impact stage lighting for concerts, tours, corporate events, and exhibits), Trucking (specialized production transportation across the US and Canada), Fabrication (custom build of sets, signage, and scenic elements with full in-house manufacturing), Production Services (turnkey event production including graphics/signage, video/LED systems, technical rehearsal facilities, and logistics), and Installation (on-site setup and assembly). The company operates from a 150,000 sq ft facility near Chicago with a machine shop, wood shop, graphics department, and 24,000 sq ft technical rehearsal space. Products are designed to work together as a full-service package, allowing clients to engage Upstaging as a single turnkey provider rather than coordinating multiple vendors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Production Lighting State-of-the-art lighting equipment and creative design services for concerts, tours, corporate events, exhibits, and special events, including full-system assembly, testing, and on-site installation by the same technicians who built the system. Intended for production managers, event planners, and exhibit directors.
- Production Trucking Specialized transportation services for production sets and equipment with a young APU-equipped fleet, 24-hour logistics support, secure transport features, and industry-standard insurance coverage ($50M umbrella, $2M cargo per vehicle, $5M per tour). Service area covers the US and Canada with full operating authority.
- Custom Fabrication Custom design and build services for set pieces, signage, exhibits, and scenic elements, supported by in-house carpentry, CNC router cutting, scenic painting, sculpture, foam carving, metalworking, welding, machining, milling, and custom graphics. Used by touring productions, exhibits, and corporate events.
- Turnkey Production Services Comprehensive turnkey event production covering graphics and signage, video systems (LED walls, projection, cameras, media servers), technical rehearsal facilities, logistics, staffing, and full-service event management. Allows clients to engage Upstaging as a single provider for any or all production elements.
- Installation Services On-site setup and installation services for lighting, rigging, video, and scenic elements covering the full lifecycle from design consultation through delivery, assembly, testing, and safe operation at the venue.
- Used Trucks and Trailers for Sale Retired tractors and trailers from Upstaging's fleet replacement program, sold to interested buyers in the secondary market.
Quantifiable outcome
- Custom lighting solutions that react to performer proximity in real-time
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Upstaging
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Upstaging technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Upstaging partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- LightswitchcoreCollaborated on Lana'i Ocean Theater outdoor amphitheater project. John Featherstone of Lightswitch designed the lighting for the venue at Four Seasons Manele on Lana'i. Upstaging supplied and installed equipment under this partnership.
- OSA (Outdoor Stage Architecture)corePartnered with OSA to create the Lana'i Ocean Theater outdoor amphitheater. OSA contributed to the architecture and staging design of the venue.
- RadicalMediacoreBrought The Blue Paradox ocean plastic crisis exhibit to Chicago as a permanent installation at the Museum of Science and Industry. Upstaging installed video screens, trusses, and immersive lighting.
- ElationcoreSupplier of IP-rated lighting fixtures for Coldplay's Music of the Spheres Tour. Elation's Proteus Maximus, KL Panel XL fixtures were used for weather-resistant stage lighting.
- RobecoreSupplier of lighting fixtures including iFORTE LTX units positioned on towers for The Rolling Stones tour.
- ChauvetcoreProvider of PXL Bar 16 fixtures used for footlights on The Rolling Stones tour, configured with Follow-Me Proximity technology.
- ACMEcoreSupplier of lighting fixtures including Solar Impulses for Scottish Rite Theatre renovation and various touring productions.
- ElationcoreProvided Proteus Maximus, KL Panel XL fixtures for Pearl Jam's Dark Matter tour after fixture shootout in Los Angeles.
- ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls)coreSupplier of ColorSource V Spots, Fresnels, and Deep Blue PARs for Blue Paradox Exhibit installation. Provided ION XE 20 consoles and Neutron gateways for playback control.
- RoscocoreSupplier of Miro Cube 2 UVs and X-Effects for Blue Paradox Exhibit immersive lighting system.
- MA LightingcoreProvider of Grand MA 3 Full Size Consoles for lighting control at Lana'i Ocean Theater and other installations.
- Nighthawk VideocoreCollaborated on custom LED panel design for The Rolling Stones tour - a moving light panel that integrates with LED wall tiles for touring.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Upstaging competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Production Resource Group (PRG): PRG is the largest global provider of entertainment and event production solutions, offering lighting, video, audio, and rigging services across concert touring, corporate events, and broadcast — directly comparable to Upstaging's integrated production services for top-tier tours and live events.
- Solotech: Solotech is a major North American AV and entertainment production company providing lighting, audio, video, and rigging for concert tours, corporate events, and special productions — a close peer to Upstaging with overlapping touring, corporate, and integration capabilities.
- Bandit Lites: Bandit Lites is one of the largest concert lighting production companies in the world, providing lighting design, equipment, and crew for major touring acts — directly comparable to Upstaging's production lighting services and shared touring customer base.
- Tait Towers: Tait Towers designs and fabricates staging, automation, scenery, and rigging for major concert tours and live events — a direct peer to Upstaging's fabrication and custom scenic/rigging capabilities for touring and permanent installations.
- Clair Global: Clair Global is a leading touring audio, lighting, and communications production company serving major concert tours and live events — a direct peer to Upstaging with comparable touring customer base and integrated equipment-plus-crew service model.
- Atomic Lighting: Atomic Lighting provides production lighting equipment, design, and crew for concert tours, corporate events, and theatrical productions across the US — directly comparable to Upstaging's production lighting services for mid-to-top tier tours.
- LD Systems / LMG: LMG (formerly LD Systems) is a US-based provider of video, lighting, audio, and LED systems for corporate events, live broadcasts, and touring — a direct peer to Upstaging's turnkey production services, with particular overlap in the corporate and event vertical.
- Christie Lites: Christie Lites is a major entertainment lighting rental company providing fixtures and crew for concert tours, theatre, and live events across North America — directly comparable to Upstaging's production lighting equipment rental business and touring customer base.
- Pyrotecnico: Pyrotecnico is a North American provider of pyrotechnics, lasers, and special effects for concert tours, sporting events, and live productions — comparable to Upstaging as a fellow live-event spectacle production company serving touring and event clients.
- VER (Video Equipment Rentals): VER is a major North American rental provider of video, LED, camera, and broadcast equipment for live events, concert tours, and corporate productions — directly comparable to Upstaging's video systems, LED walls, and integrated production services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Upstaging social profiles
Digital presenceUpstaging financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upstaging leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Upstaging funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upstaging M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Upstaging
What does Upstaging do?
Upstaging is a B2B live event production services company that designs, builds, transports, installs, and operates lighting, video, scenic, and rigging systems for concert tours, corporate events, museum exhibits, and performing arts venues. Its core offerings cover Production Lighting, Production Trucking, Custom Fabrication, Installation, and Turnkey Production Services delivered from a 150,000 sq ft facility in Sycamore, IL with 24,000 sq ft of dedicated rehearsal space.
Is Upstaging a public or private company?
Upstaging is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Upstaging founded?
Upstaging was founded in 1972. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Upstaging based?
Upstaging is headquartered in Sycamore, United States, in the North America region.
How does Upstaging make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Production Lighting Services are the primary driver. The others are production Trucking Services, custom Fabrication Services, turnkey Event Production and truck and Trailer Sales.
Who are Upstaging's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Production Resource Group (PRG), Solotech, Bandit Lites, Tait Towers, Clair Global, Atomic Lighting, LD Systems / LMG, Christie Lites, Pyrotecnico and VER (Video Equipment Rentals).
Does Upstaging have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upstaging.
What industry is Upstaging in?
Upstaging's product category is Live Event Production Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACAFAF, Audio-Visual Equipment Rentals (Sound, Projection, Screens), with a secondary code of HSAKAMAJ, Event/Commercial Setup Labor (Trade Shows, Pop-Ups, Staging). Its NAICS code is 561920.