Get a confirmed load list before ordering power
Give the venue a specification for the complete proposed LED system, not just “a 12 m² screen”. Ask the supplier to identify the panel model and count, processing and playback equipment, and the electrical information needed by the venue's technical team. The responsible electrical specialist then confirms the supply and distribution arrangement for that installation.
Your role as the buyer is to ensure the right information reaches the right people before arrival. You do not need to select protective devices or guess which sockets can be combined. A photograph of a socket may help identify a question, but it cannot confirm the capacity and suitability of the complete supply.
Separate three different numbers
| Figure | What it describes | How the buyer should use it |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum specified power | A manufacturer's or supplier's stated maximum for the identified equipment. | Include it in the technical load list; have the specialist establish the design basis. |
| Average or typical power | A figure tied to stated operating or test conditions. | Use only with its assumptions; ask how representative it is of the show. |
| Energy in kWh | Consumption accumulated over a period of operation. | Use for an explicitly qualified energy estimate, not to specify a connection. |
ROE Visual's Ruby brochure lists maximum and average consumption separately. The important buying lesson is to retain the labels: do not pass an average value to the venue as if it were the maximum requirement.
Worked example: reading a preliminary equipment list
Assume a hypothetical system with 24 panels. For this exercise only, each panel is listed at 200 W maximum and 100 W under a stated typical test condition. Processing and playback add a hypothetical 300 W maximum. These figures are not a specification for any REX Lab product.
Panel maximum subtotal: 24 × 200 W = 4800 W.
Listed system maximum subtotal: 4800 W + 300 W = 5100 W, or 5.1 kW.
If the panels actually average 100 W each for six hours, their energy would be 24 × 100 W × 6 h = 14.4 kWh.
The last figure excludes processing, playback, setup time and other equipment. It is a conditional arithmetic example, not a forecast. The 5.1 kW subtotal is also not a circuit design: the electrical team still needs the equipment documentation and venue details to decide the actual distribution and protection.
Now suppose the organiser adds two side displays and a second playback computer. The approved list has changed. Send the revision to the venue; do not assume the original allowance covers it because the main LED wall is unchanged.
Make the handover between supplier and venue explicit
Ask the LED supplier to send one dated equipment list and a contact for technical queries. Ask the venue to confirm what is available, where the supply point is and who provides the distribution from that point. Put the agreed boundary on the plan so that a missing cable or distribution unit does not become an arrival-day surprise.
The UK's HSE event electrical guidance highlights supply information, environment, cable routes and timing as planning inputs. For your event, the electrical team must apply the relevant local requirements and venue rules. This guide is a briefing tool, not an electrical installation method.
Questions worth resolving before arrival
Availability: when is the agreed power available for assembly checks, rehearsal, the event and dismantling?
Scope: does the booked allowance cover only LED, or are sound, lighting and other exhibitors sharing the arrangement?
Route: where do the supplier's planned cable routes meet doors, public areas, scenic work or vehicle access?
Environment: what conditions will the panels, connections and distribution equipment actually face?
Responsibility: who makes the connection, completes the required checks and authorises operation?
Change or interruption: whom does the operator contact, and what is the agreed restart or shutdown procedure?
Specify what “backup power” covers
If resilience is required, list the equipment that must continue operating and the event outcome you need. Keeping a control computer running is different from keeping the full LED wall lit. Have the technical team state the protected loads, intended duration and tested behaviour. A battery device in the equipment list should not be interpreted as whole-system backup.
Include the venue's confirmed supply information with your LED rental brief. The screen specification and technical support scope should refer to the same equipment revision.
Further reading
ROE Visual: example of separate maximum and average ratings; HSE: practical event electrical planning in the UK. Neither replaces the project-specific electrical plan.