Savannah Convention Center: rigging, floor plans and effects N086 | https://glmedia.tech/technical-help/savannah-convention-center-rigging-accesos/ Savannah Convention Center is on International Drive, Hutchinson Island, Savannah, Georgia, and is managed by GWCCA. Its expanded offering includes 200,000 ft² of exhibit space and two Grand Ballrooms; identify the contracted space before applying capacity data. Submit rigging plans to Encore at least 60 days ahead and complete orders and payment at least 30 days before the event starts. The guide includes both ceiling-hung and ground-supported suspension. Is a ground-supported portal outside exclusive rigging? No. The 2025 Event Planning Guide defines rigging as suspension of objects, whether ground-supported or ceiling-hung, and appoints Encore as exclusive provider. Obtain the space-specific CAD from the Event Manager and submit object, weight, points, heights and supports for review. For the main exhibit floor, page 27 lists a 350 lb/ft² distributed load. For meeting rooms and ballrooms, pages 27 and 53 conflict: do not adopt a capacity without confirming the space and its drawing. Check this guide’s floor-load section before selecting bases or ballast. Check | Scope Rigging plan | ≥60 days ahead Rigging order and payment | ≥30 days before event start Move-in/out plan | ≥60 days before move-in Insurance certificate | ≥45 days before license period How does exhibition equipment enter and leave? Coordinate the move-in/out plan at least 60 days ahead. Use the service yard, designated docks, freight doors and freight elevators, not lobbies, escalators or passenger elevators. Dock assignment depends on Public Safety and simultaneous events. Dock Master, Dock Control and Roamers are exclusive SCC roles. If the event allows exhibitor privately owned vehicle (POV) loading, the guide allows 20 minutes per vehicle to load or unload. Pack freight before requesting load-out access; if the dock is full, follow Dock Control’s waiting instructions instead of blocking access. What can another AV supplier provide? Encore is preferred for AV and exclusive for operating house sound. An external supplier may bring a stand-alone sound system; paging PA does not replace production audio. SCC Engineering Department exclusively supplies temporary electrical services; request capacity and connections for the actual equipment. Record planned effects, attendance and routes on the plan for SCC and Fire Marshal review. Rigging approval does not authorize lasers or haze. Insurance is due 45 days before the license period; changes after the 21-day point may incur fees and require renewed coordination of the affected scope. Is submitting the plan 30 days before move-in enough? Do not treat 30 days as the only deadline. Floor Plans on page 24 of the 2025 Event Planning Guide requests 30 days, while Fire & Safety on page 40 sets 60 days for plan receipt. Page 44 requires approval before booth sales, common-area submission 90 days before first move-in, and resubmission of changes to approved plans at least 30 days ahead. Confirm the applicable schedule with the Event Manager; do not use the shorter deadline to postpone review. Prepare a scaled PDF on the room CAD: date, revision, booth bases and heights, stage, LED, control position, storage, exits and fire equipment. Page 44 specifies a 30 ft × 30 ft utility grid, aisles at least 10 ft wide, 15 ft clearance at entrances and exits, and a 6 ft perimeter around Exhibit Hall columns. Check these dimensions against the contracted space drawing; do not transfer them to another building. SCC submits plans to the Georgia State Fire Marshal. Check that approval identifies the revision to be installed; submission confirmation is not acceptance. If corrections are returned, resubmit the revision before installing it. Keep the earlier plan and restore that layout only if it remains approved for the event. Can haze be used in a general session or exhibition booth? For a general session, obtain advance Event Manager approval and submit all emission times, including rehearsals, at least 30 days ahead. Page 25 requires water-based fluid and allows fire-system monitoring and Fire Watch to be required, with minimum charges. Authorization must cover the actual room, machine, fluid and schedule. The same section prohibits hazers in exhibition booths and other spaces outside that use. Do not transfer general-session approval to a booth or treat water-based fluid as automatic authorization. Before an authorized rehearsal, check with venue staff that any required monitoring and standby are arranged. If coordination is missing, the space changes or an alarm occurs, stop emission and follow SCC procedures. Revert to lighting without haze; do not disable detectors or reset alarms yourself. How does a pyrotechnics permit differ from an approved floor plan? Page 23 of the guide requires permits for effects such as lasers, flame and pyrotechnics and refers to Savannah. The city processes fire-protection permits through eTrac. Its Pyrotechnic Display Permit page requires submission at least 20 days ahead and recommends 30 days whenever possible. These periods do not replace the SCC schedule or guarantee approval. As of October 18, 2026, the published city rate is USD 400 per application for pyrotechnics or flame effects before a proximate audience, including review, issuance and initial inspection. If after-hours standby is required, it lists USD 272 for up to four hours and USD 68 for each additional hour or fraction. Confirm the actual permit charge; these are not general laser or haze rates. Separate State Fire Marshal floor-plan approval, the city effect permit and SCC acceptance. Check that the application and inspection match the intended product, location and schedule. After changing the effect, hold the revised version and submit the change; an application receipt does not replace authorization. Can LED, control equipment or a booth use a wall outlet? First identify the space use and assigned outlet. Page 22 provides for one 20 A, 120 V outlet per rented meeting room and one for the organizer’s own booth, but excludes the listed exhibit or registration uses from complimentary service. Page 53 limits use of 20 A outlets with a 10 ft distribution reference; that condition does not authorize power for vendors, booths or special uses. Page 54 explicitly prohibits table-top exhibits from using wall outlets. Give SCC Engineering the equipment list, voltage, phases, required current, connectors, location and distribution route, including setup, rehearsal, event and strike hours. Ask for an order identifying the included supply and any connection or distribution to be installed by the SCC electrician. A physically accessible outlet does not establish an available, dedicated circuit or an included service. Before connection, have authorized staff verify that the delivered supply matches the order and actual equipment. If capacity, identification or a compatible connection is missing, leave that branch disconnected and correct the order; do not use a neighboring booth’s power or move the load to another outlet without review. Which floor load applies when the guide lists 150 and 100 lb/ft²? Do not choose the higher figure or treat the lower one as approval. Load Limits on page 27 lists 150 lb/ft² for lobbies, meeting rooms, ballrooms and terraces; Maximum Occupancy/Load on page 53 of Meeting Rooms & Ballrooms lists 100 lb/ft². Both figures appear in the same linked guide and do not, by themselves, identify the condition applicable to your room. Obtain written capacity confirmation for the contracted space and entire transport route from the Event Manager, with the applicable drawing and revision. Submit LED, structure, equipment, base and ballast weights; support dimensions, wheel loads and cart or lift routes. A surface’s distributed load rating does not define the allowable load at each support, wheel or threshold. Until the difference is resolved, hold any installation or transport that depends on that capacity. Do not try to compensate for an unknown capacity by adding plates or ballast yourself. If an approved alternative exists, check that it still covers the equipment, room and route before returning to it. Why are room lighting or temperature different during rehearsal? Compare contracted hours with rehearsal hours. Page 25 provides 50% lighting in Exhibit Halls during move-in/out and full lighting during opening hours; full lighting normally begins one hour before the event. Standard presets are provided, but a custom production pattern may require coordination with Encore or Engineering and service charges. Record which zones need lighting or dimming, when camera or LED checks take place and which lighting state must be restored for opening. Coordinate a check of the authorized preset before rehearsal: if the image changes with room lighting, distinguish that effect from a processor or content change. Do not assume setup lighting is show lighting. The same section states that HVAC does not operate in Exhibit Halls with freight or roll-up doors open during move-in/out. Coordinate door closure, lighting and rehearsal HVAC with the Event Manager; service outside normal hours may incur charges. If the intended environment is unavailable, reschedule that check before finalizing settings that depend on those conditions. Are 60 days and 30 days the same deadline? No. The 60-day requirement is for rigging plan submission; the 30 days before event start are for order receipt and payment. Confirm the plan’s reference date against the license period. Does the freight contractor have complete dock exclusivity? The guide keeps access control with SCC and describes an open dock policy without automatic GSC or drayage exclusivity. Confirm organizer rules and assigned space without confusing them with venue control. Can an operable wall be moved during setup? Initial placement follows the contracted specifications. Changes require labor planning, available time and mechanical review; limits and fees may apply. Return to the approved division if the change is not authorized. Can a water-based hazer be brought to an SCC booth? No. Page 25 prohibits booth hazers. The option to approve water-based haze applies to general sessions with defined schedules, rehearsals and fire coordination; it does not authorize other spaces. Do the 30 days in Floor Plans override the 60-day safety deadline? No. The guide contains both. Obtain a space- and revision-specific schedule from the Event Manager; page 44 also sets 90 days for common areas. Using the shorter deadline does not establish compliance or approval. Does the city parks permit cover effects inside SCC? These are different processes. The Special Events page addresses public spaces, parks and rights-of-way; its 90-day deadline does not automatically apply to the room process. Separate SCC plan review and each effect’s fire permits. Can an external supplier operate the installed AV in Oglethorpe Auditorium? Built-in AV in Meeting Rooms, Ballrooms and Oglethorpe Auditorium is an exclusive facility service contracted through the Event Manager and Encore, according to page 52. Bringing a stand-alone system into a meeting room does not authorize operation of installed equipment or establish the permitted scope in the auditorium. Confirm equipment, patches and operators in writing; leave venue equipment unused if that integration has not been agreed. Can the guide’s prices be used to quote 2026 services? They are not confirmed current rates. Page 14 explicitly limits its Pricing Guide to January 1 through December 31, 2025. Use it to identify cost items, not to promise 2026 prices. Obtain a dated quotation for the space, connections, hours and staff, and record how changes from the estimated installation are charged. Venue conditions and deadlines refer to the linked documents. Confirm the applicable revision and event addenda; a booking or service order does not replace technical approval or authority permits. SCC — Event Planning Guide 2025 — https://www.savconventioncenter.com/docs/SCC%20-%20SCC%20Event%20Planning%20Guide%20(2025)%20.pdf SCC — Planners — https://www.savconventioncenter.com/planners/ SCC — Floor Plans — https://www.savconventioncenter.com/planners/floor-plans/ Savannah — Pyrotechnic Display Permit — https://www.savannahga.gov/2996/Pyrotechnic-Display-Permit Savannah — Special Events (public spaces) — https://www.savannahga.gov/3604/Special-Events Use the worksheet to record the approved scope and unresolved items before installation. It includes the full guide. Event, room and first move-in date: Approved plan: revision and date: Equipment, total weights and loads per point or support: Requested voltage, phases, current and connection: Rigging and electrical service responsibility: Planned effects and outstanding approvals: Authorized door, route, dock and time slot: Insurance, permits, inspections and pending changes: Effect: equipment, fluid/material, location, authorized rehearsal and emission: Plans and permits: authority, revision, dates and outstanding documents: Power: assigned outlet/circuit, voltage, phases, current, connector, distribution and included hours: Floor: written resolution of the 150/100 lb/ft² conflict, drawing, revision, support/wheel loads and route: Rehearsal: lighting preset, freight doors, HVAC, authorized hours and state to restore: