Who should own this checklist?

One person on your side and one on the production side. Shared ownership of a pre-show checklist is how items quietly go unconfirmed — assign it to a named individual with authority to escalate.

When should each item be confirmed?

Equipment and crew at booking, power and rigging after the recce, timings two weeks out, and content 72 hours before. Anything still open 48 hours out should be treated as a risk, not an action.

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.

Stage & Truss Fabrication Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day

Category: Checklists
Read time: 7 min
Sections: 3
Updated: May 2026

Key takeaway

Before show day, confirm the stage & truss fabrication equipment list with exact model numbers, the spares that travel with it, sanctioned power and generator changeover, rigging sign-off, named crew, the load-in and rehearsal slots, final content files and a single named show-caller. Missing any one of these causes most event AV failures.

Key takeaways

Exact models, not categories, on the equipment list
Spares for anything that would stop the show
Power sanction plus generator changeover confirmed
One named show-caller holding the cue sheet

Stage & Truss Fabrication: pre-show checklist

Equipment & specification

Deck systems confirmed: Layher Allround and aluminium-framed modular decks with published load ratings
Live load design confirmed: Typically 500 kg per square metre distributed for performance stages
Truss types confirmed: 300 – 600 mm box and triangular truss, specified from manufacturer span and load tables
Chain hoists confirmed: Electric hoists in 500 kg – 2 t capacities, rated well above working load, inspected per build
Rigging safety factor confirmed: Hardware used within rated capacity with the factor appropriate to lifting over people
Itemised list naming exact models, not categories
Spares for mics, cables, processors and any single point of failure

Power & safety

Venue sanctioned load confirmed in writing against the rig's draw
Silent generator sized with automatic changeover
Earthing check completed and logged
Rigging certification and load calculations signed off
Cable covers on every walkway and crowd line

People

Structural designer named and briefed
Crew chief named and briefed
Lead rigger named and briefed
Stage carpenter named and briefed
Competent person on site named and briefed

Timings

Load-in slot agreed with the venue in writing
Sound check and line check scheduled
Full technical rehearsal booked with real presenters and real content
Venue curfew and strike window confirmed

Content & handover

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
All video, audio and slides delivered 72 hours ahead in the agreed format

What this checklist is protecting you from

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.
What can go wrong
Stage gaps and unprotected edges become an injury risk once performers and guests are moving fast.
How we prevent it
Deck gaps are closed and taped, edge protection and handrails are fitted to code, and the carpenter walks the whole deck surface before anyone is allowed on it.
What can go wrong
Lifting continues while other crew work underneath because the build is behind schedule.
How we prevent it
All lifting is controlled from a single position with the area cleared, and the crew chief has explicit authority to stop a build that is being rushed.

Want this tailored to your event?

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

Published 3 May 2026 by the Prime AV Solutions production team.

FAQ

Stage & Truss Fabrication Checklist: What to Confirm Before Show Day: FAQs

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