Venues · Rigging and LED

Mandalay Bay: preparing rigging plans, LED walls and approvals

Before preparing an LED wall, sound system or lighting installation at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, identify the contracted room and layout. The rigging plot, electrical distribution and audience layout require different reviews.

Which space and approval apply to the installation?

Record the event name, room, level, contracted area and load-in, operation and load-out dates. Indicate whether the system is flown, ground supported or a combination. Attach the plan for the actual space: available points in another room do not confirm usable points in yours.

Mandalay Bay directs fire permitting to Clark County Fire Department (CCFD). Check the applicable process with that authority and keep its documents separate from the venue’s technical approval. The organizer’s agreement on a booth location does not approve its loads or connections.

Which space and approval apply to the installation?
Type of condition	What to identify
Authority permit	Authority, activity, space and configuration covered by the permit.
Venue rule	Accepted plan, room restrictions and installation conditions.
Exhibition rule	Location, height and scope allowed for the booth at that event.
Exclusive service or contract	Assigned provider, included tasks, hours and charges.
Technical check	Data, document or inspection still needed to close the design.

Who can install, fly and connect the system?

Contractor & Vendor Production Policies, effective August 2025, assigns tasks among Edlen, Encore and the General Service Contractor (GSC). It includes different conditions for concrete areas, meeting rooms and signage. Before booking labor, send the task list and ask the venue to confirm who performs each task.

For production rigging, the audiovisual guide assigns truss, motors and rigging work to Encore. Bringing a screen or sound system does not establish permission to install its suspension. Also confirm who supplies and connects power, who installs the ground-supported LED wall and who performs load-out. An answer naming only the AV provider leaves those tasks unresolved.

If the assignments you receive do not agree, hold booking for that task until you have written clarification for the room and installation. Keep the previous scope to compare the change; do not reassign connections or suspension during load-in based on your own interpretation.

Which date starts each deadline?

Build the schedule around the first equipment load-in and the use of each effect. These deadlines come from venue documents; they do not replace authority review times or the exhibition manual’s deadlines. Confirm receipt and status for each submission.

Which date starts each deadline?
Submission	Stated lead time	Reference
Rigging drawings, loads and agenda	21 calendar days before scheduled load-in; late submissions and changes may incur increased rates.	Audiovisual guide, section 5, p. 8.
Production schedule	30 days before load-in.	Contractor policies, section 7, p. 8.
Approved vendor list	14 days before load-in, submitted by show management to the CSM.	Contractor policies, section 1, p. 3.
Pyrotechnics, smoke or haze	Written request to the Convention Services Manager (CSM) 30 days before use.	Contractor policies, section 6, p. 7.

Submit the request through Encore’s Rigging Services form. Keep the submission number and drawing revision. An upload receipt confirms submission; acceptance is needed before the work proceeds. Request a current estimate for review, labor, equipment and surcharges, identifying its date and scope.

What should you check when a plan is returned with review notes?

Compare the submitted plan with the final equipment list. Identify dimensions, position, height and weight of every suspended item, including accessories and cabling. Show the revision and work schedule; load calculations must match that configuration.

If a weight or location is missing, complete the equipment data and resubmit the package. If the issue concerns room points or limits, ask the rigging team for an acceptable arrangement for that space. If structural documentation is required, assign its preparation to the appropriate professional. Do not divide total weight by motor count and treat each point load as approved.

Before installation, compare the accepted revision with the room, delivered equipment and proposed layout. A different size, device, point or position requires review before proceeding. The audiovisual guide requires drawing approval before rigging begins.

Does ground supporting the LED wall remove structural review?

No. Identify the structure, supports, ballast and equipment sharing the surface. The August 2025 policies publish these live-load values by area; request checks of concentrated loads and the load-in route for your project.

Does ground supporting the LED wall remove structural review?
Area listed in the document	Published live load
Bayside A–D and Shoreline Exhibition Hall	350 lb/ft²
Oceanside Ballroom	350 lb/ft²; expressly included in this group.
Bayside E–F Exhibition Halls	250 lb/ft²
Ballrooms and meeting rooms, general category	150 lb/ft²; identify the room and its specific conditions.

These values are not an authorized capacity per leg, wheel or base. Do not average a load over the whole room to accept a concentrated support. The audiovisual guide also requires building restraint for ground-supported structures 16 ft or taller and allows it to be required for unstable shorter structures. Coordinate the solution with venue rigging: ground support does not authorize your own fixings or improvised anchors.

How do you proceed when the plan, power or effects change?

Keep the approved plan and prepare a revision identifying the changes. Send changes in size, position, loads, power, audience layout or effects to whoever approved each part. Confirm which reviews and permits must be processed again. Keep the modification pending until confirmed; retain the previous configuration only if it remains approved and can be installed unchanged.

For smoke or haze, coordinate the required permit, supervision and fire watch with the venue before use. Do not disable detectors or arrange your own test. For a Class IIIb or IV laser show, also check projector and show documentation and the conditions of the applicable FDA variance approval. Sending forms does not mean that approval has been received. If a beam could extend outdoors, also review the FAA outdoor laser operations process.

During load-out, follow the agreed scope with the responsible providers. Include removal of suspension materials and the handover inspection. The downloadable worksheet records documentation and outstanding items; it does not certify calculations, inspections or authorizations.

Frequently asked questions

Can the organizer alone approve a flown LED wall?

No. Separate its approval of location and height from the venue’s rigging acceptance and applicable permits. Identify the drawing revision covered by each approval.

When should production rigging be submitted at Mandalay Bay?

The audiovisual guide requires drawings at least 21 calendar days before scheduled load-in. Include loads and an agenda, use Encore’s Rigging Services form and confirm acceptance; a submission receipt does not authorize installation.

Can I book all electrical work with one provider without identifying the room?

First request assignment by space and task. The policies distribute services between Edlen and Encore and include conditions for exhibition areas and meeting rooms. Include distribution, connection, LED installation and load-out in the written confirmation.

Does the published 350 lb/ft² authorize an LED base?

No. That value applies to the listed areas and does not define the allowable capacity of a base or concentrated load. Submit supports, loads and location for review of the actual installation.

What if equipment is added after the plan is approved?

Keep the approved revision and submit a new one identifying the changed equipment, weights and positions. Confirm which reviews and permits must be renewed before making the change.

Does rigging approval cover smoke, haze or a laser show?

No. Address effects separately with the venue and relevant authorities. Smoke or haze requests have their own deadline; Class IIIb and IV lasers also require checking the documentation and FDA variance conditions applicable to the show.