What is ground support and when do I use it instead of flying truss?

Ground support is a self-supporting truss system that stands on the floor using vertical tower sections, base plates, and often outriggers or ballast for stability. The horizontal truss spans between the towers, and production gear can be hung from the horizontal truss just as it would be on a flown system, or the Truss structure can be erected as a stand alone element on which additional loads can then be applied later. Self-climbing ground support structures can be a great way to expedite a load in as more people can get around the truss while it is down and hang the production elements faster.

Ground support is used when the venue has no overhead rigging points (hotel ballrooms, outdoor sites, tent structures, convention halls with low ceilings or no rated points). It's also used for outdoor festivals and temporary stages where there is no permanent overhead structure. The tradeoff is that ground support towers occupy floor space and the maximum height and load capacity are limited by the tower system's engineering. Your Production Rigger will determine whether flying or ground support is the right approach based on venue conditions.