Setting Up a Portable Tournament Floor

The short answer

How do tournament organizers set up a portable competition floor?

Organizers plan a portable floor by counting competition areas first, then choosing a surface that one crew can lay and pack in a day. Foam tiles work but need a trailer and taping. Single-piece inflatable 20x20 mats give one seamless area each and pack into bags. Buy for a season, or rent for one event.

How many competition areas does an event need?

Work back from the schedule. The number of divisions, the match length and the hours of the day decide how many matches have to run side by side, and that number is how many competition areas the floor needs.

A one-day local event often runs on a handful of areas. A larger open runs on more. The FlowSpace 8-mat system gives eight areas, one single-piece 20x20 mat each, for 3,200 sq ft of competition surface in total.

Foam tiles or single-piece mats?

Foam tiles are the incumbent. They are stable underfoot and familiar, but a full floor means a trailer to move them, a crew to lay and tape them, and the seams have to be checked through the day.

A single-piece 20x20 inflatable mat is one area with no seams between tiles. It inflates on site with an electric pump and packs back into its bag, so the floor travels in a van rather than a trailer.

How long does setup take?

With a single-piece mat, each area is one mat inflated rather than dozens of tiles laid and taped, so setup is much shorter. Exact timing depends on the venue, the number of pumps and the size of the crew, and is worth planning on the quote rather than guessing.

Should organizers buy or rent a floor?

It comes down to how often the floor is needed. For a single event a year, a one-day rental usually makes more sense. For several events a year, owning the floor saves renting it again each time.

Ask for both on the same quote and compare them against your event calendar.

How far ahead should a floor be ordered?

The 20x20 mats are made to order, with a lead time of 5 to 7 weeks. Put the event date on the quote request and order well ahead of it.

What should organizers know before choosing inflatable?

An air-held surface feels different underfoot from dense foam tiles. Competitors and referees who know foam will notice it, so set up an area and let your own staff work on it before committing a whole event.

We make no impact-certification claim. These mats have not been tested to ASTM F355 or any equivalent standard. If your event or insurer needs a tested figure, ask before you order.

Made to order means planning ahead: a 5 to 7 week lead time does not suit an event two weeks away.

Common questions