Venues · Rigging and LED
Navy Pier: rigging, LED and load-in at Aon Grand Ballroom and Festival Hall
At Navy Pier Event Center in Chicago, Illinois, identify the contracted space first. Aon Grand Ballroom, Festival Hall, meeting rooms and East End Plaza have different conditions. The general address is 600 E. Grand Avenue; obtain the event’s loading route before scheduling a truck.
What changes between Aon Grand Ballroom and Festival Hall?
Record the room, level, activity, dates, stage and loading route. Oak View Group manages the Event Center; also identify the organizer and the party contracting each service. Acceptance of a booth or program does not approve loads, electricity or effects.
Compare the contracted plan with the space’s specifications. Dome height is not usable installation clearance, and a list of connections does not mean reserved power. For Festival Hall, confirm what the C designation represents in the contract rather than assuming a third independent hall.
Keep five checks separate: authority permits for the activity; venue conditions for the space; organizer rules for the event; contractual exclusivities and task assignments; and technical checks used to prepare the design. A calculation or one party’s acceptance does not replace the others.
| Space | What to check |
|---|---|
| Aon Grand Ballroom | Stage, balcony, door and rigging plans. The sales sheet lists a 100 psf floor load; this does not authorize a concentrated leg, wheel or ballast load. |
| Festival Hall | A/B sector or combined layout; the website also labels C. Published loading doors are 14 ft wide × 10 ft high; confirm actual clear opening and route. |
| Meeting rooms / East End Plaza | Obtain their own conditions. Do not apply Aon or Festival Hall loads or points to these spaces. |
Can I hire outside AV and install my own points?
The services page identifies Show Services as the Event Center’s exclusive AV provider; the FAQs also allow outside vendors subject to conditions and potential union support charges. Describe what you want to supply, install, connect, operate and remove, and obtain written assignments for each task. Permission for outside vendors does not waive every exclusive service.
For Aon, the Production Guide reserves rigging equipment and labor, point installation and removal, and chain hoist supply to the venue. Obtain the current scope of that reservation and the engineering procedure before proposing your own motors. Organizer approval does not change the venue contract.
Electrical work, audio, projection and certain decorating and set/strike tasks require union labor under the FAQs. Confirm the trade, minimum calls, schedules and supervision for your work; a trade name alone establishes neither a rate nor authorization to install.
What should I submit for hanging LED or adding lights to the house truss?
Prepare a rigging plot with revision, position, height, dimensions, complete weights, accessories and point loads calculated by the responsible technical professional. Request Aon’s current DWG and authorized point identification. Do not add point capacities or divide weight by motor count as a substitute for calculation.
Aon’s Production Guide calls for the rigging plot two weeks before the event; it also specifies that lead time for sound, lighting and electrical requirements and weights added to the house truss. Confirm the revision and applicability before scheduling: the PDF has no printed revision date. Permits and the event’s own manual have separate schedules.
The guide allows the house truss to be raised but not removed; additional fixtures require prior approval, and moving it incurs labor. Obtain an accepted plan and configuration for the event before relying on that provision. Arch, beam, pipe and motor limits differ: an isolated PDF value does not identify an available point.
| Submission | Expected outcome |
|---|---|
| DWG + rigging plot | Venue-recognized points and revision, final equipment loads and an identified engineering lead. |
| Equipment and task list | Supply, installation, operation and removal assigned, including accessories and lifting equipment. |
| House truss / added fixture | Acceptance of the addition and movement, with costs and usable height confirmed. |
How do I resolve conflicting door, stage and floor-load information?
Aon’s sales sheet lists a loading door 8 ft 6 in wide × 8 ft high; the Production Guide reverses those dimensions. Obtain clear-opening and turning measurements along the route, including frames, hardware and protection. Do not ship a near-limit case using the more favorable dimension.
Stage depth also differs: the sales sheet lists 29 ft and the technical table 28 ft at center; the stage and power drawings do not show the same depth. Obtain a confirmed dimensioned plan and place screens, supports and circulation on that revision. Nominal room height does not resolve balcony or overhead obstructions.
For the floor, list loads at each support, ballast, racks, wheels and the full route, rather than LED weight divided by its area. Aon’s 100 psf does not establish allowable point load or Festival Hall capacity. Keep the affected support or move pending when that check is missing.
| Discrepancy | Next step |
|---|---|
| Aon door: width and height reversed | Confirm both clear dimensions and the route before packing or shipping. |
| Aon stage: 28 ft / 29 ft | Use an accepted dimensioned plan for the final layout. |
| Unidentified floor or point capacity | Request the limit for each support and area; do not transfer values from another room. |
How do I plan power, haze and lasers without merging approvals?
Separate consumption, voltage, phases, connectors, distribution location and schedules. Aon’s Production Guide describes 208 V three-phase services: 100 A at each backstage side; 200 A and 400 A at each north and south balcony; 100 A at the east balcony. These are document references, not reserved circuits or confirmed simultaneous availability. Ask the electrical lead which service can be ordered and who connects and removes it.
For haze, smoke, lasers or pyrotechnics, submit equipment, fluid or material, SDS where applicable, location, beam paths and schedules. Establish the venue condition and the applicable Chicago process separately; do not reuse rigging approval or another center’s deadline. Without effect acceptance, retain a program version that omits it and do not modify fire detection.
For lasers, also check Illinois state obligations with IEMA-OHS and Part 315, alongside FDA projector and show documentation. Outdoor use also requires reviewing FAA procedures. A registration or federal document does not replace the other reviews. The laser lead must confirm applicable notices, controls and permits before operation.
How do I finalize costs and changes while preserving the approved revision?
Request a quote listing tasks, exclusive equipment, labor, minimum calls, extra hours, house-truss movement, engineering, inspections and removal. Separate venue services, organizer charges and authority fees. There is no single rigging price for all spaces.
If the screen, motors, ballast, connections or route change, mark the difference and send the revision to each affected reviewing party before implementing it. Keep the accepted file; it remains usable only while the actual configuration still matches.
Also confirm load-in and load-out windows, cancellations and late-change charges in the event contract. The downloadable worksheet records responsibilities and open items; it does not calculate loads or establish approval, inspection or a permit.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Aon guide authorize the same points in Festival Hall?
No. They are different spaces. Obtain the point plan, limits and approval for the contracted sector; an Aon capacity does not authorize suspension in Festival Hall.
Can I bring my motors because the organizer allows outside vendors?
Do not assume authorization. Aon’s Production Guide reserves chain hoist supply to the venue; confirm that condition and each exclusive task in writing.
Is two weeks the deadline for every permit?
No. It is the lead time listed by Aon’s Production Guide for certain technical submissions. Confirm applicability to the event and the separate authority and organizer schedules.
Which door measurement should I use for a large case?
Neither without confirmation. The sales sheet and guide reverse width and height. Obtain clear door, turning and route dimensions before defining packaging.
Does 100 psf allow any floor-supported LED screen?
No. An area load alone does not determine capacity for a leg, wheel or ballast. Submit concentrated loads and the route for review of the specific floor.
Does approved rigging also approve haze or lasers?
No. Identify venue conditions, local procedures and applicable state and federal obligations for the effect. Keep it out of the program until those reviews are resolved.