Morial New Orleans: rigging, floor loads, power and effects

Can the exhibition contractor rig a general-session screen?

Page 13 of Guide to Success 2026–2027 reserves rigging to the in-house team in Great Hall, La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom, meeting rooms and New Orleans Theater, and in exhibit halls for General Sessions and Specialty Events. Licensed General Contractors have only the stated exception for Exhibit Show Floors and corresponding first-floor lobbies. Confirm the event assignment in writing rather than inferring it from the hall name.

Submit space CAD, points, complete weights, motors and reactions. Motor models in a rate sheet do not establish roof WLL. Rigging outside Exhibit Halls requires Floor Protection Packages. Added LED or changed space use requires renewed provider, point and protection review before proceeding.

The 2024 manual’s general rigging language does not broaden the 2026–2027 commercial exception: verify space use and assigned provider before applying a load limit.

Does the 1000 lb point limit apply to every ceiling?

No. Operational Procedures, printed pages 28–31, distinguishes peak ceiling areas, finished ceilings, lobbies and rooms. For Exhibit Hall peak ceiling areas it states a maximum of 1000 lb per hanging point and an assembly not exceeding 10 lb/ft² of roof area or 1000 lb within a 10 × 10 ft roof area. Check both limits; distributing weight across motors does not remove the area limit.

In that zone, more than 250 lb per point requires plans and written authorization 60 days before move-in, with attachment at a structural panel point. The advance-authorization exception for light rigging up to 250 lb does not establish every beam’s WLL or remove 2026–2027 exclusivities. Obtain CAD with identified points, simultaneous reactions and assigned-provider acceptance before loading.

The manual prohibits using sprinkler pipes, operable-wall tracks, conduits, roof purlins or cross-bracing as points. Hall F has a different ceiling arrangement. If a point does not match the contracted-area plan, stop that suspension and review the design rather than transferring another zone’s limit.

Can the floor carry a ground-supported LED wall, ballast and lift?

Compare location and route with Operational Procedures, printed pages 17 and 19–20. These are area-load limits, not approved pressures under wheels, feet or ballast. Submit total weight, support reactions, contact footprints and travel route.

Exhibit equipment in Exhibit Halls exceeding the stated limits requires original-load and redistribution plans certified by a licensed structural engineer, 90 days before move-in. Protective sheets alone do not demonstrate acceptable structural load distribution.

Does 208 V service include all installation?

No. Page 3 of Guide to Success 2026–2027 includes installation labor for 120 V services and one hour for 208 V services; special wiring, materials and extra labor are additional. Distinguish single- and three-phase 208 V; submit phases, current, connector, distribution and rehearsal hours. Do not energize until service and connection are confirmed.

Advance pricing applies at 30 or more days; standard below 30 days; onsite starts at first move-in. These are changeable 2026–2027 document categories, not technical approval deadlines. Confirm quotation, overhead service and room floor conditions before ordering.

Operational Procedures, printed page 11, reserves building-source connections to NOENMCC personnel: contractors may not access floor boxes or panels, or connect or disconnect high-voltage/current temporary Cam-Loc cables. Confirm the delivery point with the venue electrician; an available connector does not authorize intervention.

Can a multicore run on the floor or under a doorway?

Printed page 6 requires prior approval of routing and installation/removal dates, submitted at least 45 days before the event. Cables may not run through doorways or emergency stairwells. Cables over 1/4 in diameter must be flown; only cables of 1/4 in or less may be taped to the floor.

For backstage, it identifies Pro120 and Polyken 105C tape and trays or ramps as protection. This does not override diameter limits or permit doorway crossings. Mark the entire route on the plan and obtain acceptance; redesign an unsuitable route before laying cable. Remove cable, tape and residue at strike.

When must laser, haze or pyrotechnic requests be submitted?

Operational Procedures, printed page 19, requires written venue requests at least 45 days before move-in for lasers, smoke machines, pyrotechnics and other listed effects. An advance demonstration may be required. Fire Watch is mandatory for pyrotechnics and may be required for other effects at the contractor’s expense; it is not a combined permit for all systems.

The manual prohibits projectile-type pyrotechnics such as comets and mines; it describes a separate process for line rockets that must not be treated as general acceptance. Prepare equipment identification, material or fluid, location, beam or effect path where applicable, and rehearsal/emission times for evaluation. These preparation details do not replace applicable legal forms and permits.

Do not operate the effect or independently alter alarms to test it. Changes to machine, fluid, position or sequence from the accepted scope require submission and renewed acceptance; meanwhile retain the show version without that effect.

Where does the plan go, and what if FOH moves?

Printed page 13 requires dimensioned plans to the Event Manager at least 60 days before move-in for Exhibit Halls, Great Hall, La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom and New Orleans Theater. Include all contracted first-level space, entrances, exits, airwalls, drape, booths, staging, LED, platforms, FOH and wall/column references. For rigging, page 28 adds a Production Rigging Authorization Request Form, plans, elevations and point loads.

The Event Manager and Campus Operations perform internal review and manage submission to NOFD; the manual says not to send the plan directly to that department. Every revision must be resubmitted and approved before move-in. Moving FOH, an LED support or a drape can change circulation and loading: retain the accepted revision until the change is approved.

Does venue approval replace NOFD approval?

No. Page 34 of Guide to Success 2026–2027 separates New Orleans Fire Department processing from city and state permits that production must obtain. It suggests a single PDF covering all first-floor space, La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom and Theater where applicable, submitted more than 60 days out for greatest savings. This commercial criterion does not guarantee approval or set each effect’s legal deadline.

Show actual LED, staging, supports, circulation and exits. Venue acceptance, organizer authorization and authority permits are separate approvals. The internal effects process is detailed in the effects section; it does not by itself establish legal laser or pyrotechnic compliance. If a required approval is missing, retain the program without that effect.

Does an ESCA-WIS badge allow event entry and any loading dock?

No. Printed page 1 distinguishes ESCA-WIS worker credentials from event access: the organizer may require additional accreditation. The manual requires the badge to be visible and scanned at designated entry desks. Check both access requirements before assigning a load-in call.

Pages 15 and 21–22 require freight coordination with the general contractor; the venue does not receive event freight or supply carts or dock plates. Submit the schedule 30 days before occupancy and confirm the assigned bay, pass and contractual time slot. Vehicles enter at Henderson Street and exit at Julia Street; this does not authorize other docks.

Freight must use freight elevators, never passenger elevators or lobby glass doors. Confirm dimensions and capacity along the actual route and the availability and rating of dock plates. If the dock or access does not match the assignment, hold dispatch until corrected.

Can a projector or rack stand on a catwalk?

Access alone does not permit equipment placement. Printed pages 35–36 limit Great Hall and La Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom catwalks to cable runs, without equipment placed on them. Authorization and venue accompaniment are required during installation and removal. Access to Truss 22, between Exhibit Halls E and F, is prohibited.

On Exhibit Hall utility trusses, certain production equipment is allowed only at the cement ends under venue supervision; that exception does not extend to every span or catwalk. Identify the structure and position on the plan. Without acceptance, choose an authorized equipment position rather than using the walkway as a support.