How early should I book?

Six to eight weeks in the October–March peak season, three to four weeks outside it. The binding constraint is usually inventory and crew availability on your specific date, not design time.

Who coordinates with the venue?

Our production manager does — power sanction, rigging approvals, load-in windows and curfew timings are handled directly with the venue's technical team so you are not relaying messages.

Do you provide structural load calculations?

Yes, on every build. We produce calculations covering the dead load of the structure, the live load of performers and crew, the suspended load from every department, and wind load outdoors. The point-load report per leg goes to the venue or your structural engineer for sign-off before load-in.

How much weight can be hung from a truss grid?

It depends entirely on truss type, span, support spacing and hoist capacity, which is why it is calculated rather than quoted from memory. The practical answer is that we publish a suspended-load budget at design stage and every department books their weight against it, so the grid is never discovered to be overloaded on the day.

What wind speed is safe for an outdoor roof?

There is no single number, because it depends on the structure, the banner area and the ballast scheme. What every outdoor roof must have is a documented wind management plan with staged thresholds — a speed at which banners are removed, a higher one at which the roof is lowered or the show stops — an anemometer on site and a named person empowered to act on it.

How high should the stage be?

Indoor seated audiences are well served at 0.6 to 0.9 metres. A standing audience more than fifteen metres deep needs 1.2 metres or more, and a large concert stage runs 1.8 to 2.4 metres. Going too low saves a little on deck and then costs far more in IMAG screens for the people who cannot see.

Can you build on grass, sand or uneven ground?

Yes, with an assessment first. Ground bearing capacity determines whether we use load-spreading base plates, a scaffold base, or a different anchoring approach. Soft and wet ground is the common cause of structures going out of plumb overnight, so we re-check level and plumb after the first night of any multi-day build.

How to Plan Stage & Truss Fabrication: A Producer's Guide

Key takeaway

Plan stage & truss fabrication by fixing guest count, venue and run of show 4–8 weeks out, running a site recce, approving a technical drawing, then protecting a full rehearsal slot before show day. A named show-caller and written backups are what separate a smooth show from a rescue.

Key takeaways

T-6 weeks: Load case and design
T-4 weeks: Calculations issued
T-3 weeks: Site and ground assessment
Show day −3 to −1: Build

How stage & truss fabrication is actually delivered

Structure is the one department where getting it wrong is not an aesthetic problem. Every stage and truss build starts from a load case: the dead load of the structure itself, the live load of performers and crew, the suspended loads of lighting, audio and LED, and — outdoors — wind load on any banner, roof or solid surface. We specify from manufacturer load tables for the exact truss type and span, with chain hoists rated well above the working load and point loads calculated per leg. Decks are Layher or aluminium framed systems with a published uniform load rating, and a performance stage is typically designed for 500 kg per square metre of distributed live load.

From enquiry to load-out

T-6 weeks
Load case and design
Dead, live, suspended and wind loads established from every department's requirements, then truss and hoist capacities specified.
T-4 weeks
Calculations issued
Structural calculations, point-load report and ballast scheme sent to the venue or the appointed structural engineer for sign-off.
T-3 weeks
Site and ground assessment
Surface bearing capacity, levels, access routes and anchoring feasibility checked on site for outdoor builds.
Show day −3 to −1
Build
Decks, towers, grid and roof built in documented sequence with bolt torque and hoist inspection recorded.
Show day −1
Load and structural check
Departments load the grid, then a structural check is performed with the rig in place and again before doors.
Show +4 to +24 hours
Strike
De-rig in reverse build order with lifting operations supervised and the area cleared of all other crew.

Who is on site

Structural designer
Produces the load case and the calculations, specifies truss and hoist capacities and signs the point-load report.
Crew chief
Owns the build sequence and the clock, and holds the authority to stop the build if anything departs from the drawing.
Lead rigger
Inspects hoists and hardware, controls all lifting from a single position and signs off before anything goes to trim.
Stage carpenter
Builds decks to level, fits stairs, handrails and edge protection, and closes every gap a heel or a cable could find.
Competent person on site
Performs the structural checks after loading and before doors, and owns the wind management decisions on an outdoor roof.

What you should receive

Deliverables

Structural load calculations covering dead, live, suspended and wind cases
Point-load report per leg issued to the venue or structural engineer
Stage and truss CAD drawing with dimensions, heights and trim
Hoist and rigging hardware inspection records for the build
Ballast or ground-anchoring scheme with the overturning calculation
Wind management plan with staged thresholds for outdoor roof systems
Signed build completion and pre-doors structural check record

What we plan around

What can go wrong

How we prevent it

What can go wrong
Departments add lighting, LED and audio beyond the load the grid was designed for.
How we prevent it
A single suspended-load budget is published at T-4 weeks and every department's weight is booked against it; anything added later triggers a recalculation before it is hung.
What can go wrong
A banner-clad roof becomes a sail and the structure approaches its overturning limit in a squall.
How we prevent it
The wind management plan sets a numeric speed at which banners come off and a higher one at which the roof is lowered, with an anemometer on site and a named person empowered to act.
What can go wrong
Ballast is placed on soft or wet ground and begins to sink, taking the structure out of plumb.
How we prevent it
Ground bearing capacity is assessed before the build, load-spreading plates are specified for soft surfaces, and plumb is re-checked after the first night.
What can go wrong
The venue quotes a rigging capacity that turns out to be an assumption rather than a calculation.
How we prevent it
We require written sign-off on point loads and, where it is not forthcoming, quote a ground support system that carries its own load to the floor.

The detail that matters

Ground support and roof systems are where wind becomes the governing factor. A solid or banner-clad roof is a sail, and the force on it rises with the square of wind speed, so every roof design comes with a wind management plan: a speed at which banners are removed, a higher speed at which the roof is lowered or the show stops, and a ballast or ground-anchor scheme calculated for the site's surface. Ballast is not a number we guess — concrete blocks or water ballast are specified against the structure's overturning calculation, and soft ground needs load-spreading plates or a different anchoring approach entirely.

Start the conversation

Get an itemised quote from Prime AV Solutions within 24 hours — call +91 93093 80958 or WhatsApp our producers.

Published 5 May 2026 by the Prime AV Solutions production team.

How to Plan Stage & Truss Fabrication: A Producer's Guide

How stage & truss fabrication is actually delivered

From enquiry to load-out

Load case and design

Calculations issued

Site and ground assessment

Build

Load and structural check

Strike

Who is on site

What you should receive

What we plan around

The detail that matters

Start the conversation