Overall Rating

No Ratings

By: Ann Puckett, QE Software LLC

We are constantly inundated with new software, iPhone apps, and packages designed to help our businesses.   But how to you decipher between all of the programs available?  How do you know which ones you need?  What if you just used Word, Excel or Paint, isn’t that good enough?  Well…the answer is yes, but it is much better if you can use a package that is tailored specifically for the event industry. There are several software packages available but one software package you should have in your arsenal is room diagramming software.

Room diagramming software can also be called room layout, floor plan and sometimes event layout or event design software.  Either way, it is a software package designed to create floor plans for your event.   This software allows you to place tables, chairs, dance floors, audio-visual equipment,  bars, stages and trade show booths, to name a few.  This software allows you to create any type of event and it should allow you to see your entire event as if it were to be laid out, to-scale.   This way you know exactly how your event will look and also have the peace of mind that your event will fit.

Room Layout software allows you to present professional diagrams to your clients, not pencil-drawn chicken scratch drawings.    When presenting clients with an accurate, to-scale drawing you set the professional tone in your early meetings.  You know you can present the best to your clients and they know they can expect nothing but the best from you.   Establish trust upfront and know that your client will have faith in you, your work and your company.

Wedding, event and corporate planners, hotels and banquet facilities, rental companies and caterers can all benefit from having software like this.  Also anyone that deals with event setup, décor, production or design can also benefit from this software – including florists, lighting companies and even DJ’s and bands.

There are two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) packages available.   The 2D packages are cheaper, easier to use and provide an quick overview of your event .  The 3D packages, give your client a walk- through of the space and they can see exactly what the event will look like, down to the exact tablecloth and flooring colors.  If you are a decor, production  or audio-visual company, interested in lighting and a full scale walk through, the 3D package is more up your alley.  These software packages are excellent but can take hours to setup an event.  I would recommend a 2D and a 3D package because you will need both depending on the situation.  You can wow clients with a 360® walk through, but remember on the day of the event, you still need a floor plan that is portable and easily communicated with all of the vendors involved.

Use these 5 benefits listed below to help you pick a compatible room layout software package for your business.  The software should let you:

1.    Create Unique Designs and Experiment with Different Options – Consider your software like a blank sheet of graph paper – create anything you want!  Wow your clients with the possibility of your designs!  With this, you can introduce new concepts to your clients that they might not have thought of like trying square tables instead of round tables.  If you are not sure where to place the buffet,  try different options with a few clicks of the mouse to conceptualize the correct placement.   There are some software packages that do not offer layouts to scale – steer clear of those.

2.    See the Layout of Your Event and Know it Will Work – Sometimes designs and space requirements are hard to visualize.  Good software has automatic room and spacing calculators built-in so you can easily find the maximum capacity of the space for people, tables and event type.  You can also do a quick proof of concept for a client during a site visit and quickly show your client what their event will look like and help sell the site. Or show them that you need to look for a new location because the space is not compatible. In addition, you can know the sizing you are looking for when you start to do site visits and recommendations or sizing for tents.

3.    Easily Communicate with All Clients, Vendors and Staff - Any last minute changes can be handled efficiently and effectively with a couple clicks of the mouse, not erasing and redrawing. In the end, it is all about the event running smoothly and the more people you have communicating on the same page  the better.  With a good software package you can create drawings and simply email them to your clients, staff and vendors or post them on the web.

4.    Make Last Minute Changes a Breeze – Changes always happen and most of the time they are last minute!  This way you can easily make a change in the software and communicate those changes immediately.  One of our clients contacted us after an important fund raiser praising the software because it had saved their event and guaranteed the business for the following year.  Lisa from Event Management International  stated,  “We were able to sit down with our client two days before the event, show them what the changes would look like and made recommendations for new setups.  Within one hour, we made the changes to the event, notified the rental company, outside vendors and our staff.  The event went off without a hitch.  Our client was so ecstatic they booked us on the spot for next year’s event.”

5.    Utilize Extras to Put Your Event Over the Top - Some software packages allow you to track each guest, their food choice and their table assignment.   You can also group people together by company or donation level for fundraisers.  Not only will the catering company look like a star, guests won’t be wandering around aimlessly looking for their table and the event will run smoothly.   All software should have full reporting capabilities and event inventory listings.

Prices for good room layout software range anywhere between $150 to $30,000.  On average you can find a great 2D package for around $300-500 per license.  Anything higher than that price should be a 3D package and anything lower typically won’t have all of the features you need to make your event a success.

Invest in good room layout software and it will save you much time and effort, allow you to present yourself professionally and most importantly let you to have fun doing what you do best – Creating Fantastic Events!

Ann Puckett, is a Professional Bridal Consultant and owner of QE Software.  She designed Venue™ Room Layout Software in 2001 after a disastrous event setup at a local country club.  QE Software provides event layout software as well as training on event setups including  site selection, proper layouts,  event software and all things technology.  QE Software’s goal is to provide software to help event planners, caterers, and facilities embrace technology to help their businesses run efficiently.  www.QESoftware.com 877-737-6389 annpuckett@qesoftware.com

---