Site survey and planning Guide

The guide allows you to:

1. Test your ideas; fit marquees into the space available, plan the floor layout by arranging the tables, dance floors etc.
2. Illustrate your requirements and send us the plan to get a comprehensive estimate.
3. To produce a written report of the items required
4. To plan any size event from a small garden marquee to a large showground with many marguees

However, please note that you do not need to use the plan or even complete it; we are happy to talk to you no matter how preliminary your plans are.

How to use the plan?

The guide allows you to step through your requirements in six easy steps simply click on the link on the right and you will be guided through each stage. You can move back and forth between the steps at will. However, by stepping through each stage in turn makes it easier to see where to place items. The only exception is that you might want to go to step 6 occasionally to save your work in progress.

Please note when starting a new plan the approximate size of the area under consideration (e.g. your back garden) is required so that the planner can select the best scale to fit items on the screen. You can specify the exact size to get or work approximately; some typical size areas are suggested.

Saving your plan

You can start with a new plan or retrieve a previously saved one. Step 6 allows you to save the plan and/or send it to us for a quote. If you plan is complex we recommend that you periodically go to step 6 and save your plan and then return back to the step you are working on.

If a plan is not saved it will be lost when the planning window is closed (button top left). This allows you to use the planner to try out ideas in complete privacy.

However, for large plans it is highly recommended that you periodically save your plan. Saving the plan stores the plan for several months on a secure area on our server. However, please remember that anyone who knows your reference and password can access the plan from any computer on the internet. Using a difficult to guess password is highly recommended. Alternatively avoid including personal information in the plan.

How easy is it to use?

We hope that you will find the planner intuitive and not require any learning. Some basic familiarity with graphic tools would be helpful but the only assumed knowledge is that you are able to click and drag and use slider bars.

click and drag

To place graphics shape representing an object such as a table onto the plan. Click on the object in the menu and drag it to the area on the plan. This is done by clicking on the object and keeping the left mouse button depressed moving the mouse. The object follows the cursor whilst the button is depressed. When the object is dragged over the plan it is automatically inserted into the plan and can be moved to the desired position. Then release the left button. If the button is released before the object is dragged to the plan it will fly back to the menu. To reposition objects on the plan just click on them and drag them to a new position. Care should be taken not to stack some items on top of each other as this will cause confusion and lead to over estimating the capacity.

slider bars

These are simple controls to allow an object to be changed without having to enter text. Click on the central bar and holding the mouse button down move it along the bar. Sliders at the left of the page allow the plan to be rotated and scaled (i.e. zoom in or out). They are also used to rotate a selected object.

How to change an object?

When an object is clicked on, details about the object are displayed at the bottom of the page. The details may be changed by using the keyboard to edit text in a form box or the object may be rotated using a slider. Most objects have a box at the bottom to add notes.

About Plan Areas and Objects

The Green Area (added at step 2)

The planner does not insist that you add a green flat area on which to place Marquees i.e. they can be placed anywhere on the plan. If you are not sure of an area it may be best not to show it as green. This will remind you to examine the ground in more detail later or perhaps arrange with us to make a no obligation visit.

The green area typically represents a flat lawn but it does not have to be grassed; in which case think of the green colour as meaning a safe or "ok" area. The size and shape of the "green" area may be changed and rotated. Furthermore, additional areas may be added and overlapped to approximate more complex layouts.

Compass rose (included with plan)

A compass rose is automatically included and should be moved to a suitable area such as one corner of the plan. It can be rotated to indicate the direction of north. This may help you consider the direction of the sun during your event or may simply help you orientate the plan if it is rotated using the slider on the left.

Ponds and Patios (added at step 2)

Adding ponds and patios may also help you visualize the layout of marquees relative to the site. Marquees may be placed over them as a feature. In this step you may add different types of marquee.

Marquees (added at step 3)

Marquees come in various widths and can be extended from 3 metres to any length (in multiples of 3 metre bay lengths). Marquees can be placed alongside. This increases the width, however, it is best to use a wider tent if possible as it will have a clearspan. Try different widths and lengths and rotate them to best fit the “green” area. After looking at floor plans you may wish to return to this step to try out a different arrangement.

Inside the Marquee (added at step 4)

Add dance floors, staging and different types of tables to experiment with different layouts and get an idea of the capacity. When moving a marquee (in step 4) the contents and all the other marquees will move together. This allows you to easily reposition the whole arrangement relative to the site.

To change the position of a marquees relative to another return to step 3 and then individually reposition the tables etc.