Staging, Truss and Rigging
Stage decks, truss structures, ground support and flown rigging for corporate events, galas and conferences. We own the rigging, we employ the crew, and we do the math before anything leaves the ground.
The part of the show nobody notices when it is done right
Nobody walks out of a general session talking about the truss. What they notice is that the screen was at the right height, the lighting came from the right angles, the stage felt like a set instead of a platform, and nothing looked like it was about to fall on the CEO.
All of that is rigging and staging. It is also the part of production where the consequences of getting it wrong are physical rather than cosmetic, which is why we keep it in house. We own the truss and the motors, we employ the crew that hangs them, and we work out the loads before anything goes up rather than after.
Staging
Stage decks
Modular decking built to the height and footprint the room needs. Low stages for panels and head tables, taller stages for general sessions where the back row has to see over standing heads, and multi-level builds when you want a band riser or a separate lectern position.
Skirting, stairs and rails
Skirting in a color that matches the room rather than generic black when the event calls for it, stairs with handrails wherever people step up and down, and safety rails at the back of anything high enough to matter. Presenters in heels and executives in the dark are a combination worth engineering for.
Stage picture
What the audience actually sees: where the lectern sits, how far the screen is from the speaker, whether there is a set wall behind, how the whole thing frames on camera if you are recording. We design that with you rather than delivering a platform and leaving the composition to chance. Set dressing usually comes together with drapery and design lighting.
Truss and rigging
Ground support
Towers and goalposts that carry the load from the floor rather than the ceiling. This is what goes in when a venue will not allow rigging points, when the ceiling structure is unknown, or when the room is a tent, an atrium or a converted space with nothing rated to hang from. Ground support takes floor space and setup time, and we tell you that up front.
Flown rigging
When the venue has rated points and will let us use them, flying is cleaner: no towers in sightlines, no base plates in the walkway, and the truss sits where the design wants it rather than where the floor allows. We handle the point drawings, the venue paperwork and the motors.
What goes on the truss
Lighting fixtures, LED wall, projection, speakers, drape, signage and the occasional unexpected request. The structure gets designed around the total load and its distribution, not around a guess. Our LED video walls can be ground-stacked or flown at 12 ft and 16 ft, and the rigging for that is ours as well.
How we plan a rig
- We get the venue’s rigging information and capacity, and we read it rather than assume it
- We total the load, including cable, and we distribute it across points rather than concentrating it
- We check the load-in path, the door heights and the freight elevator, because a truss that does not fit through the door is not a plan
- We build a schedule that puts rigging first, since everything else hangs off it
- We assign crew who have done this specific kind of build before rather than whoever is free
- We inspect before load is applied, and again before doors
When a venue requires their own house riggers or a union crew, we work with them. That is normal in convention centers and larger hotels, and our crew is used to coordinating rather than competing.
One company, distinct crews
We are the same company that runs your audio, lighting, video and DJ, but the rigging crew is a specialized division within it. They overlap with the rest of the team and they know the show, but the person putting a motor in the air does that for a living.
The practical benefit is accountability. When the lighting designer wants a fixture eighteen inches further out, that is a conversation inside one company instead of a change order between three vendors. And when something needs to move at 6am on show day, the people who hung it are the people on site.
Where we work
We rig most often in the Piedmont Triad, the Triangle and Charlotte, and we travel the East Coast including Virginia and South Carolina. We are the in-house AV company at Legacy Stables & Events in Winston-Salem and The Merrimon-Wynne House in Raleigh, where we already know every point, every load path and every quirk of the buildings.
Questions we get about staging, truss and rigging
Do you provide rigging plots and load calculations?
Yes. We produce the point drawings and load information the venue needs, and we do the math before the build rather than on the day. If a venue requires stamped drawings for an unusual structure, we will tell you early so it does not become a last-minute problem.
Our venue will not let anyone hang from the ceiling. Now what?
Ground support. Towers or a goalpost carry the whole rig from the floor. It works in almost any room, including tents and atriums, and the tradeoffs are floor space, a bit more setup time and base plates that have to be planned around traffic. Plenty of great-looking shows are entirely ground-supported.
Can you work with the venue’s in-house riggers?
Yes, and in convention centers we usually have to. Our crew is used to coordinating with house riggers and union labor. We handle the paperwork and the scheduling on our end so you are not the one relaying messages.
How high can you build?
That depends entirely on the room, the ceiling and the load, which is why we ask for the venue before answering. Most corporate general sessions live in a range that any competent rig handles comfortably; the constraint is almost always the building rather than our inventory.
How long does a rig take to build?
For anything involving truss and a video wall we prefer to load in the day before. A stage, a rig, a wall and a lighting focus is several hours of work plus troubleshooting time, and doing it the day before means show morning is rehearsal instead of construction. When the room is only available same-day, we start early and build the schedule around it.
Do you rent truss and staging without crew?
To other production companies deploying with their own qualified labor, yes. To end clients, no. Rigging is the one area where we will not put gear in the field without our own people, and we would rather pass on the rental than take that risk.
What does staging and rigging cost?
It is quoted as part of the production rather than as a separate rental, because the structure depends on what is going on it. Entry-level corporate production starts around $4,000 and a typical 100 to 500 person single-day event runs up to around $50,000. Large single-day builds with multiple video walls and a full rig have run in the $80,000 to $100,000 range for a 1,200-person event.
Can you provide power for the rig?
Yes. Distribution comes on every job, and when a site has no usable power we can provide quiet generators, or solar and battery solutions where noise is a concern.
Are you insured, and can you send a certificate?
Yes. We carry general liability, commercial auto and workers’ compensation insurance, and we issue certificates of insurance naming your venue or client as additional insured, usually the same day you ask. Most hotels, convention centres, hospitals and campus buildings require one before load-in. Send us the venue’s requirements and we will deal with their risk department directly.
Send us the room
Venue, date, headcount and what you want in the air. We will design the structure around it and quote in simple line items.