Event Planning: Site Plan
First you need a map of the site. You may be able to find a suitable map online from Google Maps, Bing Maps or Ordnance Survey.
You can design your site plan on paper or electronically, and you may find it helpful to do both. A paper version is easy to work on when on site and at meetings. Then you can produce an electronic version for your final site plan, which can be used by all the event organisers, participants and in the event programme.
When designing your site plan, you could try out different layouts by using a large map and cut out icons to represent each activity or item of infrastructure. These will include things like:
- Staging
- PA system
- Toilets
- Crowd barriers
- Marquees and gazebos
- First aid tent
- Information tent
- Power points
- Parking
- Entrance and exit points
Go over the site plan with other people who will be working on your event and discuss what will work best. Think carefully about where your event’s central point will be. This could be a staging area or an arena, and people should be able to hear event announcements here.
You should also visit the site with the plan to make sure you are familiar with everything. You can carry out a preliminary assessment at the same time. The areas to consider will depend on your event, but will probably include:
- Entrance and exit points
- Emergency routes
- Central arena/staging area
- Audience space
- Stall area
- Parking
- Power points
- General safety of the site
You should update your risk assessment when you know what activities are taking place and where.