You'll want to set up an environment that can withstand the load of researchers testing against it, anticipating at least hundreds of requests per second for an extended period. This means preparing your application and infrastructure to handle the surge in traffic, as well as being mindful of potential impacts on sensitive areas, such as contact forms that might direct users to internal teams. When deciding between a production or staging environment, consider factors like business objectives, capabilities, and sensitivities, weighing benefits like minimizing impact on production clients/users, protecting personally identifiable information, and testing the latest version of your application. Ultimately, choose an approach that aligns with your organization's needs and resources.