How do I make an interactive floor plan for a trade show?

Upload the hall drawings to Waygo, which builds the booths, aisles and walking paths; import your exhibitor list as a CSV with a booth number column; go live; share the map link, embed it on your site and put kiosks at the entrances.

Can visitors search for exhibitors by product category?

Yes. Every column of your exhibitor catalog is searchable, so a Category column makes “robotics” find every robotics exhibitor.

How do exhibitors get a link to their own booth?

Bulk links exports one place link per exhibitor as a CSV, for emails, badges, QR codes and the exhibitor directory.

Does the map work on visitors' phones without an app?

Yes. The map link opens in any phone browser with search, details and directions; no app to install.

Can the map handle several halls and floors?

Yes. Each level is one floor plan; directions cross halls and levels using stairs, escalators and lifts.

Interactive trade show floor plan

A trade show map has one job: get a visitor from “I want to see Acme Robotics” to standing at booth 201. This walkthrough sets up the whole thing for an exhibition: the floor plan, the exhibitor list on the booths, search, directions, a link per stand, and the kiosks at the doors.

What you end up with

The hall plan with every booth drawn and numbered, on one or more levels.
Every exhibitor on its booth: searchable by company name, and by anything in your exhibitor list (product category, country, sponsor tier).
Walking directions between any two points, across halls and levels.
A public link and an embed for your website, a link per exhibitor for emails and badges, QR codes for signs, and kiosks at the entrances.

1. The floor plan

Upload one drawing per hall level: the CAD export (DWG or DXF) from your floor plan supplier is ideal, a vector PDF works, an image is the fallback. Booth numbers on the drawing become the booths visitors search for, so keep them on the layer you export. See Uploading floor plans.

Waygo builds the booths, aisles, entrances, restrooms and walking paths from the drawing and styles the map. You follow the progress on the map page.

2. The exhibitor list

Create an Exhibitors catalog and upload your exhibitor spreadsheet as a CSV: Import exhibitors from a spreadsheet. A useful set of columns:

Column	Type	Why
Company (title)	string	The name on the map and in search results.
Booth	string	Places the row on the floor plan.
Description	string	Searchable; shown under the name.
Category	string	“Robotics”, “Packaging”: searchable, so a visitor can type a category.
Logo	image	Shown in the exhibitor's details.
Website, Email	url, email	Tappable in the details.
Sponsor tier	string	Filter for Bulk links (“Gold sponsors only”) and searchable.

Your Waygo team sets the placement rule that matches the Booth column to the booth numbers on the plan. From then on, every row with a valid booth number is on the map by itself, and the map page tells you which rows are not (“298 of 301 rows placed”) so you can fix typos.

3. Amenities and landmarks

A second catalog, Amenities (restrooms, food, first aid, info desks, cloakroom), makes the “where is the nearest restroom?” search work. Mark it as a landmark catalog so directions read “turn left at the Info Desk”. Registration desks, stages and entrances belong here too.

Preview the map from the dashboard, then Go live. Then, in the map's Links section:

Map link on the show website and in the visitor newsletter; embed code on the “Plan your visit” page (Embed a map in your website).
Suggested searches under the map's search bar: Registration · Restrooms · Food · Hall B (Map settings).
Bulk links for one link per exhibitor: in the exhibitor directory on your site, in the exhibitor emails, on badges (Bulk links).
QR codes on the booth signs and hall entrances (QR codes for booths and rooms).

5. Kiosks at the entrances

One kiosk per entrance and one at the junction between halls. Create each in Kiosks → New kiosk, drag the marker to where the screen stands, set the home view to show that entrance's surroundings, and open the kiosk link on the screen. Directions from a kiosk start at the screen, and the QR code lets visitors take the route along on their phone. See Wayfinding kiosk for an event.

6. During the show

Late exhibitor changes: edit the row in the catalog; the map follows without a republish.
Usage on the map page shows loads, searches, directions and the top searches. Promote the top searches to suggested searches on day one.
Next year: the same catalog with new booth numbers, the same links, the same kiosks.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make an interactive floor plan for a trade show?: Upload the hall drawings to Waygo, which builds the booths, aisles and walking paths; import your exhibitor list as a CSV with a booth number column; go live; share the map link, embed it on your site and put kiosks at the entrances.
Can visitors search for exhibitors by product category?: Yes. Every column of your exhibitor catalog is searchable, so a Category column makes “robotics” find every robotics exhibitor.
How do exhibitors get a link to their own booth?: Bulk links exports one place link per exhibitor as a CSV, for emails, badges, QR codes and the exhibitor directory.
Does the map work on visitors' phones without an app?: Yes. The map link opens in any phone browser with search, details and directions; no app to install.
Can the map handle several halls and floors?: Yes. Each level is one floor plan; directions cross halls and levels using stairs, escalators and lifts.