Access hire solutions for safe indoor festive installations

December has arrived, and with it comes the annual rush to turn shopping centres, retail parks and indoor venues into magical, festive wonderlands. Whether you’re hanging giant baubles in an atrium, installing sparkling overhead lights, or setting up a show-stopping centrepiece, creating Christmas displays on a commercial scale is an event in itself. It brings crowds together, sets the seasonal mood and helps every store feel just that little bit more enchanting.

But while the results are spectacular, getting everything safely up in the air is another story. Working at height in busy public spaces comes with plenty of challenges, from navigating tight aisles to reaching awkward overhead spots, which is exactly where powered access hire makes all the difference. At Smiths Hire, we’ve been supporting businesses, shopping centres and contractors for over 50 years, supplying safe, reliable equipment to help festive installations run smoothly from start to finish.

So before you start balancing on stockroom ladders or stretching to reach that “just out of the way” beam, here’s how the right powered-access equipment can make your Christmas décor projects safer.

Making height work feel simple

If you work in commercial décor, visual merchandising, or as part of a specialised event installation team, you already know how demanding shopping centre ceilings can be. Most festive installs begin with the main overhead features. Once the structural anchor points are confirmed, it becomes a lot of steady height work, covering wide sections of the centre. This is where electric scissor lifts really come into their own. They are smooth, consistent and give operators a platform that feels solid even when handling larger pieces of décor. The narrow units are especially useful for getting you into those hard-to-reach spaces between shop fronts without slowing down.

Every centre has those awkward little areas that are too tight for anything wide but still need height access. Mast lifts slip through standard doors, move cleanly in service corridors and give you the reach you need without feeling cramped. They’re the lifts you turn to when you just need something compact that will not fight the space you are working in.

Booms and spiders for the awkward parts every centre throws at you

There is always that one feature that refuses to sit in an easy place. Maybe it’s hanging over an escalator. Maybe it sits above a kiosk. Maybe it’s tucked behind a decorative beam. Either way, this is where a compact electric boom lift becomes incredibly useful. The outreach lets you position the basket exactly where you need it without moving half the centre around to make room. It keeps your working area smaller and public spaces clearer, which is a win for everyone.

Then there are the atriums. These are usually the heart of a Christmas display, and they always look great when finished, but they can be a bit of a headache to work with. You need serious height, but you also need to protect the flooring, which is often polished or delicate. This is where spider lifts come in. They spread their weight evenly, they feel stable, and they let you reach impressive heights without risking the surface beneath you. If your main centrepiece is going up in the atrium, a spider lift will almost certainly make that installation less stressful.

Why seasoned installers trust the right machines

When you are working to a tight seasonal deadline, you don’t want your equipment slowing you down. You want lifts that navigate the building easily, operate quietly during early morning or evening slots and stay reliable for long shifts. Good kit stops a lot of the common problems you see on rushed festive installs. No overstretching. No balancing acts. No last-minute workaround solutions because the lift cannot reach.

And because shopping centres remain open throughout most of the build, it helps to work with machines that feel smooth in public areas. Electric access equipment keeps everything calmer and quieter, which makes the whole project feel more controlled. When your equipment is working with you instead of against you, it shows in the final result. Installs look neater, timelines stay on track, and the whole job feels much more professional.

Get set up for a smoother festive season

If you are prepping for your Christmas installation schedule this year, it pays to have the right access hire equipment ready. At Smiths Hire, we have a full range of electric scissor lifts, mast lifts, compact electric booms and indoor spider lifts that have been tried and tested across countless shopping centre projects. Everything is maintained to a high standard and delivered quickly so your team can stay focused on the job rather than the equipment.

With 18 depots across the North West and Yorkshire, including Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, and Leeds, we are always close by when you need us. Give our team a call on 0333 323 2100, and we will make sure you have the machines that will keep your festive installs running smoothly from start to finish!