Venues · Rigging and LED
GRB Houston: exclusive rigging, power and convention haze
George R. Brown Convention Center is at 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston, Texas. Its service pages distinguish preferred AV from exclusive rigging, house patches, utilities and effects.
What can an outside AV provider supply?
Staging Solutions is preferred for AV and exclusive for rigging and house patches; the specific page includes atmospheric effects. Separate AV equipment and operation from building connections, motors and rigging work. Submit room, points, complete weights, trim and layout to the Convention Services Manager and exclusive provider before finalizing installation.
The linked Exclusives Overview is version 1.6, October 31, 2017. It describes DXF, DWG, VWX or MCD CAD and a 21-day interval, but pricing and conditions need event-specific confirmation. Its 250 lb threshold is neither roof WLL nor an automatic LED exemption. Obtain current CAD and limits by point, beam and system.
How should power, floors and freight be prepared?
Smart City exclusively supplies telecommunications and utilities, including electricity and plumbing. Submit loads, voltage, phases, current and rehearsal/show hours; confirm services and connections in writing. An available outlet does not establish reserved power.
Before selecting supports or a lift, obtain distributed, concentrated and wheel limits and the room route. The 2017 packet requires venue-supplied Masonite under lifts in General Assembly Theatre and George Bush Ballroom: confirm the current system and do not treat protection as structural reinforcement. No unsupported floor or roof rating is published here.
Does the rigging deadline include haze or laser permits?
No. The checklist places rigging, utilities and COI at three months; exhibit/registration plans need review before booth sales. At one month it lists final documents and Houston Fire Department permits. These are venue planning milestones, not universal statutory deadlines or automatic acceptance.
Confirm atmospheric equipment with Staging Solutions and detection/Fire Department conditions with the venue. The linked packet requires hazers to be rented through that provider and their hours declared. Lasers and other effects need separate evaluation; without acceptance of equipment and sequence, retain operation without emission. Resubmit weight, location or effect changes before execution.
Frequently asked questions
Can the rigging packet rates be used as a current quote?
No. The linked PDF contains 2017 rates and the linked Rules & Regulations were adopted in December 2019. Obtain current contractual revision, scope and quotation rather than budgeting a current event from those amounts.
Official documentation
Confirm the revision and appendices for the contracted space. Published data do not establish installation acceptance or replace permits or inspections.