What pixel pitch do I need for a 12-foot LED wall viewed from 10 feet?

P2.6 is the correct spec for a 10–12-foot viewing distance. P1.9 is overkill unless you have front-row VIPs or press sitting closer than 8 feet; P3.9 will look grainy and pixelated from that range. If your wall is also serving as a background for a hands-on product demo where attendees stand 4–5 feet away, step down to P1.9 for that zone and tile a secondary P2.6 wall for the main presentation area. Confirm the rental house can deliver matching cabinets in both pixel densities so the seams align if you're mixing pitch across a single wall surface.

How do I sync cold spark machines to a lighting cue?

Most cold spark machines accept a DMX trigger via XLR input, so patch them to your lighting console as fixtures on a dedicated universe. Assign each machine a DMX address, then program a cue that fires the spark channel to full (255) simultaneous with your blackout-to-reveal transition. The spark ignition takes 200–300ms to climb to visible height, so offset the DMX trigger 1 second before your LED wall fade-up so the sparks peak exactly when the product image appears. If you're using a rotating variant, program a slow pan during the 8-second burn so the column sweeps stage-left to stage-right, adding motion to the static reveal frame.

Where should the show caller sit during the event?

Position the show caller at front-of-house mix, typically center-room 40–60 feet from stage, with direct sightline to the presenter, LED wall, and press riser. They need a wired headset to the stage manager, lighting board operator, and A1 (audio lead), plus a monitor feeding the confidence screen so they can read the script and timecode in real time. Never bury the show caller backstage or in a green room; they lose visual context for cueing followspot pickups, haze bursts, and the reveal blackout. At smaller venues under 2,000 square feet where there's no mix position, put them stage-right wing on a stool with a clear sightline through the wing curtain.

What's the load-in timeline for a 200-person product launch?

Budget 8 hours for a clean load-in at a raw venue like Pier 27 or the SF Design Center. Hour 1: truck unload and stage build. Hours 2–3: LED wall rigging, power distribution, and truss grid assembly if you're flying overhead lighting. Hours 4–5: lighting focus, haze calibration, and followspot positioning. Hour 6: audio setup and playback sync. Hour 7: full tech rehearsal with the reveal cue, speaker walk-on, and B-roll camera tests. Hour 8: polish and contingency buffer. If the venue has union labor requirements (IATSE in most SF convention spaces), add 30% to the timeline for crew breaks and jurisdictional handoffs between electrics, rigging, and AV techs.

Do I need a fire permit for indoor cold spark effects?

Not universally, but confirm with the venue 10 days before the event. Pier 27 allows cold spark with advance notice to the Port of San Francisco; the SF Design Center requires a fire watch if you're using more than two machines simultaneously; The Midway permits them outdoors without restriction but bans them in the indoor hall. Cold spark machines burn titanium powder at 200°F, well below the ignition point of fabric or wood, but the visual resembles pyro enough that fire marshals treat it as a special-effect trigger. File a one-page description of the effect with the venue's ops team, including machine model, duration, and cue placement in the show script, and budget $150–$300 for a fire-watch labor call if required.

Product Launch & Reveal Event Production Guide

Production rental guide for Bay Area product launches and reveal events — LED walls, reveal effects, speaker staging, and atmospheric lighting.

May 11, 2026

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Published on

May 11, 2026