How to create an event site map

How to create an event site map

The team at Redsteps love planning, coordinating and managing events, and one key element of planning event is creating the site map.  

Site maps not only allow you to visually see what your event will look like, but it also ensures you are coordinating all of your elements efficiently, and effectively communicating how the event is going to be set up with your suppliers.  

To ensure you create a clear and accurate site map for your next event, we have come up with our 4 most important tips to help guide you when creating a site map.  

1. Going onsite to measure up the space

Google maps and photographs are great ways to see your event space, however, nothing is more accurate than actually going onsite and measuring the space up yourself. This will not only give you a clear indication of the space you have to work with, but it also helps ensure you do not hire or create elements that will not fit or fill in the space.  

Be sure to take a measuring tape when going onsite along with something to record your measurements.  

2. The Key is KEY

Most events involve multiple elements, whether its food stations, kids activities, bathrooms, DJ booth, market stalls or more; and because of this, you need to make sure you create a clear and easy to read key to help assist people when looking at your site map.  

Assigning each element of your event a colour is a great way to visually separate the different elements on your site map, and also makes it easy for suppliers to identify where their items are going to be placed.  

Creating a site map without a good key makes it very hard for suppliers to identify where their items are going, and also makes it hard for you as the event planer to keep track of where everything needs to go. Anyone should be able to pick up your site map and clearly see where everything should be going, so make sure your key is clear when creating you site plan.  

3. Don’t be afraid to zoom in particular sections of your site map

Having a large overall site map can be great to see the event as a whole, but if you have one area of the event that requires more details don’t be afraid to create a zoomed in version for that one area. There is nothing wrong with providing more detail, and detail is excellent if you are unable to assist and coordinate everyone while bumping in as it allows people to clearly see where they need to go.  

For example, your large overall site map might show the whole level of the shopping center you are holding your event to highlight to your suppliers what entry they need to enter through, where toilets are located and emergency exits etc. However, majority of your event may only be in one small area on the shopping center floor. Therefore, zooming in on that space will ensure you have a clear idea of what is happening in just that area rather than just how it will fit on the whole shopping center floor.  

4. Run the final site map past stakeholders

Make sure you run the site map past all major stakeholders. They need to clearly see the plan and cross check last minute details including power access points, water access points, dimensions, and lease trading lines. This will ensure stakeholders have a clear idea of what is going to happen on the event day, and can ensure all details they have requested for the event has been included; not to mention it is always helpful to have a second pair of eyes look over major event plans.

Keep in mind that unexpected things can occur on event day, therefore, you need to be flexible on the event day and ensure you are ready to tackle any changes as they occur. 

Contact Redsteps

We hope you find these tips helpful when planning your next event!  

If you want to create an event for your business but don’t know where to start contact Redsteps today! We love seeing ideas come to life and are passionate about events and customer experiences.