AV Production at the Baltimore Convention Center
Prime AV produces general sessions, galas, and multi room conferences at the Baltimore Convention Center with our own crew and equipment, working inside the building’s exclusive rigging, electrical, and labor rules.
We serve Baltimore from our Chantilly warehouse with the same crew and inventory we use in Washington DC, and we know the Pratt Street building’s docks, steel, and partners.
How we produce at the Baltimore Convention Center
Halls A through G, the ballroom, and 50 meeting rooms
The Baltimore Convention Center at One West Pratt Street has 300,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space across Halls A through G plus the Swing Hall, a 36,672 square foot ballroom with a 28 foot ceiling, and 85,000 square feet of meeting space in about 50 rooms. Exhibit hall ceilings reach 30 feet at center.
A general session in Hall E or F needs delay towers and a big LED wall; the ballroom needs a tighter, cleaner rig. We design for the room you booked and send a layout before the quote.
Rigging: Projection and IATSE Local 19
Projection is the exclusive rigging services provider, working with IATSE Local 19, which supplies all rigging and lighting labor in the building. Hall A has no pigeon holes and needs rigging bars; Halls B through D have 1,000 pound pigeon holes and 500 pound ceiling tracks; Halls E through G use 1,000 pound eye bolts on 15 by 10 foot centers, vertical loads only.
We design to those points, submit plans on the center’s deadlines, and plan the two rigger, four hour minimum calls into the budget up front. Meeting room airwall tracks only take 100 pounds static, so we ground support there.
Power, internet, and the exclusive partners
Edlen is the exclusive in-house provider for electrical, air, and water, and internet and telecom run through the center’s exclusive technology partner. Orders go in on their lead times, and we build our distribution and networking from their drops.
We tell you exactly what to order, size the power for the real show load, and bring our own distro, cabling, and cable ramps.
Docks on Charles Street and a marshaling yard
The center has 27 covered loading docks in two loading areas: the East Side dock, the Hall A roll up ramp on Charles Street, the West Tunnel roll up on Conway Street, and the Lower Pratt Lobby roll up. Drivers may be sent to the general contractor’s truck marshaling yard because the building has no staging space of its own.
We schedule our trucks around your contractor, check in with building security, and keep the dock footprint small. Carpenters handle display install, Local 19 handles lighting and rigging, and we plan the calls with you so the labor line has no surprises.
Working alongside the preferred provider
Projection is the center’s preferred, not exclusive, AV provider, and outside production companies produce general sessions, galas, and association programs here regularly. The rigging piece stays with Projection and Local 19.
We bring our own sound, LED, lighting, cameras, streaming, and crew, coordinate rigging and house patching with Projection, and give you one accountable producer and an itemized quote.
The details that change your budget here
The Baltimore Convention Center is a city owned building with published rigging and service rules. These are the ones that shape a quote, from the current service manuals and rigging guide.
Rigging deadlines
Miss them and the fee goes up.
Hang points by hall
Every hall is different.
Exclusive partners
Ordered through them, built on by us.
Trucks and docks
Charles Street, Conway Street, Pratt.
Frequently asked questions
Can we use an outside AV company at the Baltimore Convention Center?+
Yes. Projection is the preferred in-house provider and the exclusive rigging provider, and outside production companies produce general sessions and galas here regularly. We bring our own equipment and crew, follow the center’s rigging and labor rules, and coordinate with Projection on rigging and house systems.
Who does the rigging at the Baltimore Convention Center?+
Projection, working with IATSE Local 19, which supplies all rigging and lighting labor in the building. We design the rig to the published hang points, submit plans on the center’s deadlines, and ground support anything that does not need to fly.
How do we order power and internet?+
Electrical, compressed air, and water come from Edlen, the exclusive in-house utility provider, and internet from the center’s technology partner. We tell you what to order and build our distribution from their drops.
Do you serve Baltimore from Virginia?+
Yes. Our warehouse is in Chantilly, about an hour from Pratt Street, and we run Baltimore shows with the same crew and inventory we use in DC. Travel is itemized on the quote.
How far ahead should we start?+
Rigging plans are due 45 days before load in with final plans at 21 days, and utility orders have their own lead times. We like to start the advance eight weeks out for a general session and earlier for a multi day convention.
Planning a meeting or conference? Start with an RFP.
Download our free Event AV & Production RFP Template, fill in what you know, and email it to sales@goprimeav.com. We will help you build the scope.
Download the RFP TemplateProducing in Baltimore?
Send us the hall, the dates, and the agenda
You will get a layout, an itemized quote, and a clear note on what the center’s exclusive partners will charge for rigging and power on top. Same crew and gear from load in to strike.