8 Spring Event Layout Ideas That Keep Guests Moving & Engaged
You’ve planned a sprawling event with activations, entertainment, presentations, and more. Now, you need to create a layout that ensures guests will see it all and be delighted at every turn. Avoid bottlenecks, attendee campouts, and poor views with these top event layout ideas that keep guests moving and engaged.
1. Identify the Areas That Will Attract Crowds
The bar is always first on the list, the restrooms second. Go beyond the bars and restrooms and identify other areas where people will congregate. Then, develop strategies to minimize bottlenecks.
- Create distance between areas that will attract crowds.
- Develop workflows to move people quickly through these areas, e.g., by adding bartenders, using RFID badges to speed up registration, and adding restrooms, if possible.
- Train staff to assist attendees at bottleneck-prone areas.
2. Ensure Guests Can View Main Attractions From Multiple Vantage Points
A key way to avoid bottlenecks and overcrowding is to ensure there is plenty of space around the main attraction. Give guests options for where to stand or sit relative to the most sought-after attraction. If necessary, set up an adjoining space to serve as an overflow room equipped with a live video feed.
3. Make It Easy for Guests to Find Their Way
Guests shouldn’t have to scout out the perimeter of the venue to find the restrooms. Provide attendees with several ways to navigate your event. Install clear signage, and train staff to anticipate and answer questions. If the event is large, strategically place maps throughout the venue in addition to signs. If your event has an app, integrate a GPS-enabled map that guides attendees to their destination.
4. Establish Zones
Your event’s layout should include clear zones. Creating zones will ensure guests aren’t lounging or having conversations in the same area as presentations. It will also keep attendees moving throughout the space as they switch from networking to lounging to refilling their glasses.
5. Make the Main Attraction an Ongoing Event
If possible, book your headlining entertainer or presenter for multiple shows throughout the event. And schedule secondary events to run simultaneously. This will prevent all of the guests from crowding the main stage at the same time. Guests can choose which main performance they attend.
6. Create Moments for Distraction
Avoid creating linear paths between the most popular areas. Instead, create paths that offer guests enjoyable distractions. For example, the walk from the main stage to the bar could include activations, a swag table, or a photo booth. By encouraging people to slow down as they navigate your event, you’re keeping them engaged and preventing bottlenecks.
7. Be Strategic About Seating Areas
Don’t make it too easy for guests to camp out in the lounge area. Choose seating that is comfortable-ish. We’re not talking medieval torture devices, maybe more like a dental office waiting area.
Encourage people to move with audio announcements of upcoming events and activations. And position interesting attractions within the sightlines of the lounge areas.
8. Use Sightlines to Your Advantage
Visual cues are a powerful motivator. Attendees are always scanning and looking for the next interesting things. Use their gaze to keep them engaged and moving.
As much as possible, make sure guests get intriguing views of other areas wherever they are at your event. For example, if they’re sipping cocktails near the bar, they can see the pulsing lights of the main stage. Or if they’re sampling a product, they can glimpse the VR activation ahead.
Learn More Top Event Planning Strategies at The Event Planner Expo
Designing an event that keeps guests moving and engaged is easy when you follow these layout design tips. Learn more tips when you attend The Event Planner Expo, where you’ll spend three exciting days learning from the industry’s thought-leaders, talking to event planning professionals, and meeting decision makers from top companies. Buy your ticket today.
