Is Freeman Canada the right LED wall rental choice for your next live event?

You’re 3 weeks out from a 1200 person corporate conference in Toronto, your client just upgraded their stage design to include a 30ft wide LED wall, and you’re stressing out because you need a reliable rental company that won’t disappear the day before load in. If you’re researching LED wall rental options in Canada, you’ve definitely come across Freeman Canada. I’ve been an AV project manager for 14 years, working events across Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary, and I’ve rented from pretty much every major LED wall supplier in the country. I’ve used Freeman for 11 different events over the last 7 years, I’ve seen them absolutely nail perfect executions, and I’ve also seen them make costly mistakes that almost derailed entire events. This is my completely honest, unsponsored breakdown of what you can actually expect when you rent an LED wall from Freeman Canada, what they’re good at, where they fall short, and when you should pick them over the competition.

Let me start by saying Freeman is not the cheapest option out there, not by a long shot. But anyone who’s been in this industry long enough knows you don’t rent AV equipment based on the lowest quote. You rent based on who will show up with working equipment, experienced technicians, and who will fix problems fast when they happen at 2am the night before the event. I learned this the hard way back in 2018 when I went with a random cheap rental company for a 500 person product launch, they showed up with panels that had 30 dead modules, their tech had never worked with that specific processor before, and we spent 12 hours rebuilding the entire wall from scratch. Never again. Price matters, but reliability matters way more.

First let’s talk about what you actually get when you rent an LED wall from Freeman Canada, because their quotes are usually pretty transparent compared to a lot of other companies that nickel and dime you for every extra.

Standard in every Freeman LED wall rental package:

• All the panels, rigging, processors, and cables you need for the wall size you ordered
• Delivery to the venue, load in, build, calibration, tear down, and load out
• On site technician for the entire duration of the event, from load in through load out
• 24/7 emergency support line if something goes wrong outside of regular tech hours
• Pre event testing of all panels at their warehouse 3 days before your event
• 10% extra panels on site as spares, just in case something gets damaged during build or the event
• Full color calibration matched to your specific venue lighting conditions

The one thing that’s almost always extra is content management. If you need someone to run the wall during the event, switch between presentations, play videos, that’s usually an additional technician charge. Make sure you ask about that upfront, don’t assume it’s included. I made that mistake once, showed up to an event thinking we had a content tech included, had to pay rush fees to get someone out there last minute. Cost me an extra $850, lesson learned.

Here’s a current price comparison for standard indoor LED wall rental packages from Freeman Canada, as of Q3 2024, for a 3 day event (1 day load in, 1 event day, 1 day load out) in a major city (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary). These are actual prices I’ve received on quotes in the last 2 months:

Important note: these prices are for standard 3 day events. If you need the wall for longer, each additional day is usually 15-20% of the 3 day price. If your event is in a smaller city or more remote location, expect to pay 20-30% more for travel and accommodation for the technicians. Also, peak season (April-June and September-November) is usually 10-15% more expensive, and you need to book 2-3 months in advance to guarantee availability.

Now how does this compare to other rental companies in Canada? Freeman is typically 15-25% more expensive than mid sized local rental companies, and about the same price or slightly cheaper than other big national companies like PRG or Christie Lites. The big difference between Freeman and smaller local companies is inventory depth. Freeman has literally thousands of panels in warehouses across every major Canadian city, so if you need a 60ft wide wall for a big convention, they can do it no problem, where most local companies would struggle to pull together that much inventory without bringing panels in from out of town.

Let’s talk about what Freeman Canada is actually really good at, and where they have room for improvement. I’ve worked with them enough times to know exactly what you’re getting into.

The biggest advantage of going with Freeman is their reliability. In 11 events over 7 years, they have never once been late for load in. Not once. They always show up exactly when they say they will, with all the equipment they promised, with experienced technicians who know what they’re doing. I can’t tell you how rare that is in this industry. I’ve had other companies show up 4 hours late, forget half the cables, send a tech who’s never worked with LED walls before. Freeman just doesn’t do that. They have systems in place, they check everything multiple times before it leaves the warehouse, and they don’t cut corners on preparation.

Their panel quality is also extremely consistent. All their indoor panels are 3840Hz refresh rate, NationStar or better LEDs, perfect for photography and video. I’ve never had issues with color matching between panels, no dead modules showing up, no flickering on camera. They calibrate everything properly at the warehouse, then recalibrate again on site once the wall is built and all the venue lights are on. The end result always looks professional, clients are never disappointed with how the wall looks.

Another huge advantage is their cross country support. If you’re doing a tour with events in multiple cities across Canada, you can work with one single point of contact at Freeman, and they’ll handle all the logistics for every city. You don’t have to find and coordinate with 5 different local rental companies in 5 different cities. They have standardized equipment across all their warehouses, so you get the exact same panel model, same processor, same setup at every stop on the tour. That’s a massive time saver for national tours, and honestly no other company in Canada can offer that level of consistent coverage coast to coast.

Now the downsides. First, price. They are definitely not the cheapest option. If you’re working on a super tight budget for a small local event, you can almost certainly find a smaller local company that will do it for 20% less. You’re paying a premium for the reliability and the national infrastructure, which is worth it for big important events, but not always necessary for small 100 person meetings.

Second, their booking process can be slow and bureaucratic. Getting a quote can take 3-5 business days, making changes to your order after you’ve booked can take even longer. Smaller local companies will often get you a quote the same day, and make changes 24 hours before the event no problem. Freeman has way more process and red tape, which is good for consistency, but bad if you need to make last minute changes.

Third, their technicians are good, but they are strictly following their procedure manual. If you want to do something a little non standard with the wall, they will often push back and say “we don’t do it that way”. Smaller company techs are usually more flexible and willing to try creative solutions. I tried to do a curved wall with them once, they said their rigging wasn’t rated for curves, even though I knew the exact same panels could be curved. I ended up going with a smaller company that was willing to do it, no problem.

Here’s a comparison between Freeman Canada and other common LED wall rental options, based on my actual experience working with all of them:

As you can see, Freeman really shines for big, important events where reliability is the number one priority, and especially for national tours across multiple cities. They are not the best choice if you’re on a super tight budget, or if you need to do something really custom and non standard with the wall design.

The number one question I get asked about Freeman is “when is it worth paying the premium over a local company?” Let me break this down based on what kind of event you’re running.

You should definitely go with Freeman if:

• It’s a high stakes event with 500+ attendees, where any failure would be extremely costly and embarrassing for your client
• You’re doing a national tour with events in multiple cities across Canada
• You need a very large wall (over 30ft wide) that requires more panels than most local companies have in inventory
• Your event is in a remote location where most local companies don’t offer service
• You need 24/7 support and guaranteed backup equipment if something goes wrong
• You’re working with a big corporate client that expects enterprise level service and documentation

You should probably go with a smaller local company if:

• It’s a small event under 200 attendees with a tight budget
• You need a custom or non standard wall design (curved, angled, unusual aspect ratio)
• You need to make frequent last minute changes to your order
• You already have an experienced in house AV team that can run the wall themselves
• The event is low stakes and a minor issue wouldn’t be a disaster

I follow this exact rule of thumb for all my events. For big national conferences and product launches, I almost always go with Freeman. For small local weddings, community events, and small corporate meetings, I usually go with a trusted local company to save money.

Let me tell you about two specific experiences I had with Freeman Canada, one great and one not so great, so you know what can happen.

The great one was a 1200 person tech conference in Vancouver back in 2022. We had a 30ft wide P2.976 wall as the main stage backdrop. 2 hours before doors opened, we had a power surge in the venue that fried the main processor. I thought we were screwed, the event would be delayed for hours. I called the Freeman on site tech, he called their warehouse, they had a backup processor at the venue in 45 minutes. They swapped it out, recalibrated the wall, and we were ready to go 15 minutes before doors opened. No one even knew there was a problem. That’s exactly why you pay the premium for a big reliable company. A smaller local company wouldn’t have had a spare processor sitting in a warehouse 20 minutes away, ready to go at a moment’s notice.

The not so great one was a smaller 250 person event in Calgary back in 2021. We ordered a 10ft P3.91 wall. The tech showed up, built the wall, calibrated it, everything looked fine. But then when we started playing client content, we noticed all the text was slightly blurry. Turns out the tech had calibrated the wall to 1080p resolution instead of 4K, even though we had specifically requested 4K in the order. He said that’s just their standard procedure, they always do 1080p unless explicitly told otherwise. We had to spend an hour recalibrating, almost missed our rehearsal time. It was a simple mistake, but annoying because it should have been clear from the order. Since then I always explicitly write the desired resolution in 3 different places on the order form, and confirm it again with the project manager the week before the event.

Tips and tricks I’ve learned from renting LED walls from Freeman Canada multiple times a year for 7 years:

1. Book as early as possible. Peak season books up 2-3 months in advance, and if you wait until the last minute you’ll pay 20% more in rush fees, or they might not even have inventory available. I always book minimum 6 weeks out for big events.
2. Get everything in writing. Don’t rely on verbal agreements about what’s included. If you need 4K calibration, if you need a content tech, if you need delivery to a remote location, write it all explicitly on the quote and order form. That way there’s no confusion later.
3. Ask for a pre event test 3 days before load in. They will do this for free if you ask, they’ll build a small section of the wall at their warehouse, test all the panels and the processor, send you photos and video. This catches 90% of potential issues before the equipment even leaves the warehouse.
4. Always get a dedicated content tech if you have complex content with multiple presentations, videos, and live camera feeds. The on site build tech knows how to build and calibrate the wall, but they usually don’t know much about content management and switching. Trying to make the build tech run content during the event is a recipe for mistakes.
5. Schedule the final calibration for after all the venue lighting is set up and tested. A lot of venues don’t turn on all the stage lights until the morning of the event, and lighting completely changes how the wall looks. Don’t let the tech calibrate the wall the night before then leave, make them come back an hour before rehearsal to do the final calibration once all the lights are on.
6. Ask for the contact information of the on call emergency technician for the event weekend. Save it in your phone before the event starts. You don’t want to be scrambling to find it at 1am when something goes wrong.
7. If you’re doing a multi day event, ask them to leave one extra panel and a spare power supply at the venue for the duration of the event, just in case. They will usually do this for free, and it means you don’t have to wait for someone to drive out from the warehouse if a panel fails mid event.

Just some final thoughts from someone who’s rented hundreds of LED walls over 14 years in the Canadian AV industry. Freeman Canada is not perfect, they are more expensive, they can be bureaucratic, they aren’t the most flexible for custom work. But when you have a big important event where failure is not an option, they are the most reliable choice in the country by a pretty wide margin.

I always tell new AV project managers: you never get fired for hiring Freeman. You might pay a little more, you might have to jump through a few extra hoops during the booking process, but they will show up, they will do the job properly, and if something goes wrong they will fix it fast. In this industry, that peace of mind is worth every penny.

That said, don’t sleep on good local rental companies either. There are a lot of fantastic small operators across Canada that do great work for less money, and are way more flexible for creative projects. Do your research, get references, ask for photos of their recent work. The best approach is to have Freeman as your go to for big high stakes events, and a couple trusted local companies for smaller more budget friendly work.

If you’ve had good or bad experiences renting LED walls from Freeman Canada or any other company in Canada, drop them in the comments. This industry is way too secretive, we all benefit from sharing real experiences and helping each other avoid costly mistakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How far in advance do I need to book an LED wall rental from Freeman Canada?
For standard events during non peak season, you should book minimum 2-3 weeks in advance. During peak season (April-June and September-November), you need to book 2-3 months in advance to guarantee inventory. For very large walls over 30ft wide, book 3+ months ahead. Last minute bookings are possible but you will pay 15-25% rush fees.

2. Does Freeman deliver to smaller cities and remote locations across Canada?
Yes, Freeman has warehouses in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Halifax, and they deliver to pretty much every city and town in Canada. For remote locations more than 100km from a major city, you will pay additional travel fees for transport and technician accommodation, but they will go almost anywhere.

3. Can I provide my own technician to build and run the wall, or do I have to use Freeman’s techs?
Freeman requires that you use their technicians for all build, calibration, and tear down work, for insurance and liability reasons. You can use your own content manager to run the wall during the event if you want, as long as the Freeman tech has trained them on the specific system being used.

4. What happens if a panel breaks or stops working during my event?
All Freeman rentals include 10% extra spare panels on site at every event. If a panel fails, the on site technician can usually swap it out in 5-10 minutes, most attendees won’t even notice. If something major happens like a processor failure, they have backup equipment in local warehouses and can usually get replacement parts to the venue within an hour in major cities.

5. Do I need to provide power for the LED wall, or does Freeman handle that?
You are responsible for providing adequate power at the venue, within 10ft of the wall location. A typical 15ft wide wall uses about 30-40 amps of power. Freeman will provide all the power distribution cables and equipment from the wall to your venue power outlets. If you’re not sure how much power you need, your project manager can tell you exactly what requirements you need to meet.

6. Can Freeman do curved or custom shaped LED walls?
Yes, they can do standard gentle curved walls up to about 15 degrees of curve per panel. For more complex custom shapes, angled walls, 3D shapes, or LED floors, you need to ask about it very early in the booking process, they don’t always have the special rigging required for custom work available at short notice. For very complex custom designs, you’re usually better off going with a smaller specialty rental company.

7. Do they offer rental insurance for the equipment?
Basic liability insurance is included in all rental packages, which covers damage that is not your fault. If you or your team damage the equipment during the event, you are responsible for the cost of repairs or replacement. You can purchase additional damage waiver insurance for about 5% of the total rental cost, which covers accidental damage to the panels during your event.

8. Can I rent just the panels without technicians if I have my own experienced team?
No, Freeman does not offer dry hire of LED panels, they always include build and tear down service with their own technicians as part of the package. This is for insurance, quality control, and liability reasons. If you just want to rent panels without techs, you need to go with a smaller local rental company that offers dry hire.

9. What payment terms does Freeman offer?
For new clients, they usually require 50% deposit at booking, 50% balance 7 days before the event. For established corporate clients with good payment history, they usually offer net 30 terms after the event is completed. They accept all major credit cards, bank transfers, and company cheques.

10. Does Freeman also provide other AV equipment like projectors, speakers, microphones, and staging?
Yes, Freeman is a full service event production company, they can provide literally everything you need for your event including audio, lighting, video, staging, rigging, furniture, and even event staff. You get a small discount if you bundle multiple services together, and it’s much easier to coordinate one company for everything instead of 5 different vendors.