Hey Gavin,
You have noticed this very good.
The reason why we use the plaforms is to raise the tweeter level since a lot of visitors don't sit on a chair and...the second and more important reason is to isolate the speakers from the floor to get a tight bass.
Most floors in exposition situations are not as stabile as in private situations.
The type of floor for example in a lot of hotels is thin with a lot of internal air due to the space to lead the tubes of wire and heating. This type of floor makes the bass boomy and untight. By using the platforms we decouple the bassmodule to have better sound and so,... more music.
The VR 35 in Denver we placed on the floor with spikes since I noticed the floor of the Marriott was firm enough. Also the tower was heigh enough to get a nice soundstage while standing.
So, every situation needs a specific investigation to get a good sound.
That is our expertise to figure out what to do. A good mix of room acoustics and a nice looking system making a realistic sound of music.
Don't tell anybody ey.

Cor