A pole mounting system includes a pole having at least one channel, and a spike having a finger configured to be received in the channel of the pole. The finger is attached to a neck that is configured to extend out of the channel and connect to a connector. The connector may be configured in a number of different ways depending on the particular type of device to be suspended on the pole. For example, the connector may be configured to connect to different types of arms that may be used to hold a flat panel display, or may be configured to hold other things such as a table. The finger is elongate and configured to engage the interior of the channel when the weight of the flat panel display is placed on the spike. Optionally, a spring-loaded pin may be provided to temporarily hold the spike in place while the spike is screwed into place in the channel through the use of set screws. Wire management may be provided within the channel.