Request Callback

Orlando Video Wall — Truss-Hung LED Screens: How They Work and When to Use Them

Truss-hung LED screens deliver a clean, floating display with no visible ground support structures cluttering the stage or floor. When executed correctly, a flown LED wall creates one of the most polished visual setups available in live event production — and it is the standard configuration for general sessions, concert productions, award ceremonies, and large galas at venues across Central Florida. When executed without proper engineering, it is also one of the most dangerous.

This guide explains exactly how truss-hung LED systems work, what structural and rigging requirements apply, when fly rigging is the right choice versus a ground support system, what venue constraints determine feasibility, and what questions to ask before committing to a flown configuration for your event in Orlando. Whether you are planning a corporate keynote at a downtown hotel or a large-scale production at the Orange County Convention Center, this guide gives you the technical foundation to make the right call.

Get a Quote

LED Display Solutions for Every Venue and Configuration in Orlando

Orlando Video Wall designs and installs both truss-hung and ground support LED configurations across Central Florida — with full rigging coordination, certified personnel, and venue liaison included in every production engagement. Explore the right display solution for your event below.

Quick Reference

Truss-Hung vs. Ground Support — Decision and Specification Guide

Use this table to evaluate whether fly rigging or ground support is the right choice for your event, and to confirm the key specifications required for each configuration. Share this with your venue coordinator and LED vendor during the planning phase.

Factor Truss-Hung (Fly Rig) Ground Support
Venue Requirement Certified overhead rigging points with rated capacity documentation No overhead rigging required — floor space only
Minimum Ceiling Height 20 ft+ recommended (18 ft absolute minimum for small walls) 14 ft sufficient for most mid-size walls
Personnel Required ETCP-certified rigger mandatory; union rigger at applicable venues Standard production crew — no rigging certification required
Load Documentation Full load calc required; venue approval 2–3 weeks prior Structural spec sheet for frame — no venue overhead approval
Typical Load-In Time Added +60–120 min for motor hang and truss fly No additional time — faster overall
Cost Premium vs. Ground Support $2,000–$6,000+ additional (motors, rigger, venue fee) Baseline — no overhead rigging costs
Visual Result Floating screen — clean stage, no visible base structure Visible base frame — managed with drape or stage set design
Maximum Achievable Height Limited by ceiling and rigging point height — up to 30+ ft at OCCC Limited by frame engineering — typically 14–18 ft practical max indoors
Best Suited For High-production galas, keynotes, award ceremonies, concert events Most corporate events, breakout rooms, outdoor builds, trade shows
Safety Standard 7:1 safety factor on all overhead rigging hardware — non-negotiable Engineered frame rated for load — ballast or anchor as required

Fly rigging feasibility must be confirmed with the specific venue before it is included in an event production plan. Never assume a venue can support overhead rigging without written confirmation of rigging point locations and rated capacities. Contact Orlando Video Wall for a venue-specific rigging assessment.

Everything You Need to Know

Six Critical Areas for Planning a Truss-Hung LED Installation

Fly rigging an LED wall involves structural engineering, venue coordination, certified rigging personnel, and load calculations that go well beyond standard ground support installs. Every one of these areas must be addressed before a single panel leaves the floor.

Area 01

How a Truss-Hung System Works

A truss-hung LED system suspends the display from overhead structural points rather than supporting it from the floor. The typical configuration uses a horizontal truss beam — a rigid aluminum or steel structural element — positioned at height above the stage. LED panels hang from the truss via spigots, bolts, or specialized panel brackets. The truss itself is suspended from the venue's ceiling rigging points using chain motors (electric hoists) or static rigging hardware.

Chain motors allow the truss to be assembled at floor level, panels hung at working height, and the entire assembly raised to trim height as a unit — dramatically improving safety and installation efficiency compared to building a wall at height. A standard chain motor for event rigging handles 1–2 metric tons (2,200–4,400 lbs) per point and raises or lowers the load at approximately 16 feet per minute.

The number of motors required depends on the weight of the truss and panel assembly. A 16 ft × 9 ft LED wall with truss weighs approximately 1,200–1,800 lbs total. This load is typically distributed across 2–4 motor points, with the exact number determined by the truss span and load distribution calculation performed by the rigging engineer.

Area 02

Venue Rigging Point Requirements

Not every venue in Orlando can support a flown LED wall. Fly rigging requires certified overhead attachment points — structural beams, purpose-built rigging rails, or engineered dead hang points — that can accept the load of the motor, truss, and panel assembly. The venue must provide documentation of the rated capacity of each rigging point, and this capacity must be verified against the actual load before any rigging hardware is attached.

Venues in Orlando that commonly support truss-hung LED installations include the Orange County Convention Center (engineered rigging grid throughout), major hotel ballrooms with rated ceiling beams (Rosen, Marriott, Hilton properties), and purpose-built performance venues. Venues that cannot support fly rigging include spaces with drop ceilings, drywall ceilings without exposed structural elements, historic buildings with unrated overhead structure, and most outdoor tents without a purpose-built roof rigging system.

Always request the venue's rigging point map — showing location, type, and rated capacity of each point — before specifying a flown configuration. If the venue cannot provide this documentation, fly rigging is not feasible at that location and a ground support system is the correct alternative.

Area 03

Weight, Load Calculations, and Safety Factors

Every component of a flown LED system has a known weight that must be summed and compared against the rated capacity of the rigging points and motors. A full load calculation for a truss-hung LED system includes: panel weight (typically 7–10 kg per indoor rental panel), truss weight (varies by span and section type — typically 8–15 kg per meter for box truss), motor weight, rigging hardware (shackles, slings, safety cables), and power and data cables routed through or alongside the truss.

Industry standard safety factor for overhead rigging in live events is 7:1 — meaning each rigging point and its attachment hardware must be rated for seven times the actual load applied. A load point carrying 500 lbs of actual load requires hardware rated to at least 3,500 lbs. This safety factor is not optional — it is an engineering and liability requirement.

For events at venues where an in-house rigging coordinator is involved, the load calculation must be submitted and approved before load-in. At the OCCC and major hotel properties in Orlando, this documentation is required — not requested. Plan for this submission to happen 2–3 weeks before the event date, not on load-in day.

Area 04

Certified Riggers and Who Must Perform the Work

Fly rigging is not a task for general production crew. In Florida, overhead rigging for live events must be performed by or under the direct supervision of a certified rigger — an individual who holds a recognized rigging certification such as the ETCP (Entertainment Technician Certification Program) Rigger credential. At unionized Orlando venues, the requirement may be even more specific: only IATSE or IBEW union riggers may perform overhead attachment work regardless of the production company's own personnel qualifications.

When requesting a flown LED configuration from any vendor — including Orlando Video Wall — confirm that certified rigging personnel are included in the production plan and that their credentials are appropriate for the specific venue. A vendor who proposes a fly rig without mentioning certified riggers, load calculations, or venue rigging point verification is a vendor who has not planned the job correctly.

Certified rigger labor is typically billed separately from LED hardware rental and may carry a higher hourly rate than general production labor. For events at union venues, the union rate schedule applies. Factor this into your total event production budget when evaluating a flown versus ground support configuration.

Area 05

Truss-Hung vs. Ground Support — Choosing the Right System

Choose truss-hung (fly rigging) when: the venue has certified overhead rigging points, the ceiling height allows for adequate trim height above the stage, the production requires a clean stage with no visible support structure, the wall needs to be positioned higher than a ground support frame can achieve within the room's ceiling clearance, or the event is a high-production-value conference or gala where visual cleanliness is a priority.

Choose ground support when: the venue does not have certified rigging points or cannot provide rigging documentation, ceiling height is insufficient for a flown configuration with adequate clearance, the event is in an outdoor or semi-outdoor space without overhead rigging infrastructure, the production budget does not accommodate certified rigger labor and motor costs, or the wall size is small enough that ground support is structurally clean and unobtrusive.

Ground support is not a lesser option — it is the appropriate choice for a large proportion of Orlando events, including most hotel breakout rooms, many outdoor events, and any venue where rigging infrastructure cannot be confirmed. A well-designed ground support system is structurally sound, fast to install, and invisible to an audience when positioned correctly behind or alongside the stage set.

Area 06

Cost Difference: Truss-Hung vs. Ground Support

Fly rigging adds meaningful cost to an LED wall rental. The additional line items for a flown configuration typically include: chain motors ($200–$600 per motor, with 2–4 motors common for a single wall), additional truss sections for the horizontal beam ($300–$800 depending on span), certified rigger labor ($600–$1,500+ for a single-wall rig at a standard Orlando venue), and venue rigging fees if the venue charges for access to their overhead points ($500–$3,000+ at major hotel and convention properties).

Total fly rig premium over a comparable ground support configuration: typically $2,000–$6,000 for a single indoor LED wall at an Orlando event, before any union labor premium that may apply at specific venues.

For events where the visual impact of a flown wall is worth the premium — high-profile galas, keynote general sessions, award ceremonies — the investment is justified. For events where a ground support wall serves the room equally well, the fly rig premium is cost that adds no audience value. Discuss both options with your LED vendor and make the choice based on your room, your audience, and your production goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Truss-Hung LED Screens — Questions Answered

The rigging and structural questions we hear most from event planners considering a flown LED wall configuration at Orlando venues.

A truss-hung LED wall is suspended from the venue's overhead rigging points using chain motors and a horizontal truss beam — the display floats above the stage with no visible floor-level support structure. A ground support LED wall is held up by a freestanding frame that sits on the floor behind or alongside the stage. Both deliver the same image quality. The difference is visual cleanliness, cost, venue requirements, and installation complexity. Truss-hung systems require certified overhead rigging points, certified rigger personnel, and load documentation submitted to the venue in advance. Ground support requires only floor space and a structurally adequate frame — no overhead approval, no certified rigger, and faster installation.
Request the venue's rigging point map from the venue coordinator — a document showing the location, type, and rated capacity of every overhead attachment point in the space. If the venue cannot provide this document, fly rigging is not feasible there. If the document exists, share it with your LED vendor, who will confirm whether the point layout and capacities support your wall size and motor plan. Venues that commonly support flown LED in Orlando include the Orange County Convention Center, Rosen Shingle Creek, the Orlando World Center Marriott, and the Hyatt Regency Orlando. Smaller hotel ballrooms with drop ceilings or drywall overhead cannot be rigged and require ground support.
For a single indoor LED wall at an Orlando event, fly rigging typically adds $2,000–$6,000 over a comparable ground support configuration. This covers chain motors ($200–$600 per motor, with 2–4 motors typical), additional truss hardware ($300–$800), certified rigger labor ($600–$1,500+), and venue rigging access fees ($500–$3,000+ at major hotel and convention properties). At union venues, rigger labor is billed at union scale with minimum call times, which can push the total premium higher. The fly rig premium is justified for high-production events where the clean visual result is part of the event's brand statement — for most standard corporate events, ground support delivers an equally effective display at significantly lower cost.
Yes — without exception. Overhead rigging in live events must be performed by or under the direct supervision of an ETCP-certified rigger. This is an industry safety standard enforced at all professional venues and required by the liability frameworks of most event venues in Orlando. At unionized properties, the requirement extends further: only IATSE or IBEW union riggers may perform overhead work at those facilities, regardless of whether your production company employs certified personnel. Any vendor who proposes a fly rig configuration without explicitly including certified rigger labor in the production plan is not planning the job to professional safety standards. Always confirm rigger credentials before load-in day.
The minimum practical ceiling height for a flown LED wall installation is 18 feet — and that is tight for a small wall with limited truss clearance. For a standard mid-size wall (16 ft × 9 ft), a 20–22 ft ceiling is the recommended minimum to achieve a usable trim height while maintaining adequate clearance above the display for rigging hardware. Venues with 25–30 ft ceilings provide comfortable working height and allow larger displays to be flown without clearance compromises. The Orange County Convention Center's main halls, with ceiling heights of 30–40 ft, support very large flown configurations. Hotel ballrooms in Orlando typically range from 14 to 24 ft — confirm the exact height at your position within the room, as ceiling heights often vary across a single ballroom floor.
At most Orlando venues that require rigging approval — including the OCCC and major hotel properties — rigging documentation should be submitted at least 2–3 weeks before the event date. This gives the venue's in-house rigging coordinator time to review the load calculations, confirm point availability on their grid, and issue written approval before load-in day. Submitting documentation late — less than one week before the event — risks delays, required revisions, or outright denial of the rigging plan with no time to pivot to an alternative configuration. Your LED vendor should initiate this submission process as soon as the production design is confirmed, not the week before the event.
Yes. With over 23 years of experience supporting events across Central Florida, Orlando Video Wall has executed flown LED configurations at major venues throughout the region — including the Orange County Convention Center, Rosen Shingle Creek, the Orlando World Center Marriott, and many other hotel and convention properties. The team manages the full rigging engagement: load calculation documentation, venue submission and approval coordination, certified rigger scheduling, motor and truss specification, and on-site rigging supervision during load-in. When requesting a quote for a flown configuration, provide the venue name, the ceiling height at the intended screen position, and your target screen size, and the team will confirm feasibility and build a complete production plan before any commitment is made.
When engineered, rigged, and installed correctly, a truss-hung LED wall is as safe as any other permanent structural element in a venue. The 7:1 safety factor applied to all rigging hardware means each component is rated for seven times the load it actually carries. Safety cables (secondary retention) are attached to every motor and truss connection point to catch the load in the event of a primary attachment failure. The chain motors used in professional event rigging are designed and maintained to entertainment industry standards and inspected before every deployment. The risk is not in the system when done correctly — it is in cutting corners: using unrated hardware, skipping load calculations, employing uncertified personnel, or failing to inspect equipment before use. A vendor with a documented safety record, certified personnel, and transparent rigging practices is the only correct choice for a flown LED installation over an occupied space.