Event Floor Plan Design

🌟 Hajj 2025: A Global Benchmark in Crowd Management and Smart Innovation 🌟 🔸 Officially announced as a full success—logistically, medically, and securely—Hajj 2025 showcased Saudi Arabia’s unmatched capability in managing mass movement at scale. 🔸 With over 1.67 million pilgrims from 180 countries, the Kingdom demonstrated how to organize the largest annual civilian gathering in the world with precision and resilience. 🔸 No major security or health incidents were reported, and heat exhaustion cases dropped by 90% due to enhanced infrastructure and proactive medical response. 🔸 400+ cooling units were deployed, and thousands of healthcare professionals operated 24/7, supported by drones and AI-powered surveillance. 🔹 In a single day, a "mobile city" of millions transitions between sacred sites—coordinated to perfection. Here's how the Kingdom delivered this milestone: 🔅 What was implemented: ▪️ Advanced technologies: AI-based crowd monitoring and predictive analytics. ▪️ Logistical upgrades: 50,000 m² of new shaded areas and 400+ cooling systems. ▪️ Medical coverage: 29,000+ medical staff and 50,000+ health professionals deployed. ▪️ Movement control: Optimized transport, lodging, and guided crowd flow with smart barriers. 🔅 Innovations introduced: ▪️ Smart tents: IoT-enabled shelters improving safety and control. ▪️ Digital tools: SPL and other apps for luggage tracking and pilgrim guidance. ▪️ AI systems: Real-time crowd heatmaps to inform decisions. 🔅 Integrated services delivered: ▪️ Security: 230,000+ officers across all holy sites. ▪️ Health: Field hospitals, mobile clinics, and rapid response teams. ▪️ Sanitation: Infrastructure supporting 140,000 pilgrims per hour. ▪️ Governance: Task coordination between all government, private, and volunteer sectors. 🔅 Challenges managed with precision: ▪️ High-density crowd movement. ▪️ Extreme heat and unpredictable weather. ▪️ Cultural and linguistic diversity. ▪️ Complex logistics across shifting locations. 🔅 Key figures: ▪️ Total pilgrims: 1,673,230   • 1,506,576 international   • 166,654 domestic ▪️ Gender split: 877,841 men | 795,389 women ▪️ Operational workforce: 420,070   • Including 230,000+ security personnel ▪️ 269,678 unauthorized entries prevented under the “No Hajj Without Permit” policy 🔹 A heartfelt thanks to the security teams, healthcare forces, organizers, volunteers, and innovators who made this year’s success possible 🇸🇦 #Hajj2025 #HajjSuccess #SaudiArabia #CrowdManagement #PublicSafety #SmartHajj #Vision2030 #MassMobility #PilgrimExperience #AIinHajj #HealthcareInnovation #NoPermitNoHajj

👨🏾💻 How Screen Readers Work, And How Users Use Them. With behavior patterns, practical insights and things to keep in mind for accessibility. ✅ 253 million people worldwide have a visual impairment. ✅ Screen readers help them translate text to speech or Braille. ✅ They work for websites, PDFs, emails, OS and other documents. ✅ They use the same voice regardless of font size, weight, color.  ✅ E.g. Jaws/NVDA (Win, 80% share), VoiceOver (iOS), Talkback (Android). 🤔 Users often listen to screen readers at the 1.5–2.0x speed. ✅ Repetitive labels and hints aren't helpful (image caption, alt). ✅ Content order during tabbing conveys the structure of the page. ✅ Follow a logical linear layout, don't spread content all over a page. 🚫 Auto-playing audio is often an alarming, frustrating experience. 🤔 Users heavily rely on descriptive headings and labels. 🚫 Screen readers can‘t extract semantics from non-semantic HTML. 🚫 Screen readers can’t extract meaning from images or videos. ✅ Good HTML is everything: use links for links, buttons for buttons. ✅ Avoid "Click here", "Read more", "View now" for links. ✅ A text box without a label is meaningless to screen readers. ✅ Never rely on visuals alone, they might not even be there. 🤔 Users mostly navigate with keyboard or touch gestures on mobile. 🤔 Frequent issues with poorly structured forms, navigation, PDFs. ✅ Add UI controls for mouse-precise actions (drag'n'drop, resizing). ✅ Ensure PDF/UA compliance to generate accessible PDFs. ✅ Include nav landmarks, so users can jump within the page quickly. ✅ Always add labels to forms and avoid CAPTCHAs if you can. Where “abled people” use their natural feelings such as sight and hearing, people with disabilities must rely on technologies. Screen reading UX shouldn’t mean a “simplified” experience. It’s just a different experience, one of many. Unfamiliar tools might sound scary. Just start. Get familiar with screen readers. Run accessibility testing with a few screen reader users. Eventually make screen reader testing a part of QA. Many accessibility issues are severe, but solutions can be simple — and impactful for people who need them most. Useful resources: How A Screen Reader User Surfs The Web (video), by Léonie Watson https://lnkd.in/emv9AT-u Testing With Blind Users: A Cheat Sheet, by Slava Shestopalov https://lnkd.in/e8vBEqHn Designing For Users Of Screen Readers, by Lewis Wake https://lnkd.in/ePTVpBxy Accessibility and Inclusivity: Study Guide, by Tanner Kohler, NN/g https://lnkd.in/eb2XyQHv How To Document Screen Reader UX (+ Poster), by BBC https://lnkd.in/e8KWr-Z6 Setting Up A Screen Reader Testing, by Sara Soueidan https://lnkd.in/eYNJ9RiG

4 steps framework for organizing a net zero event. (Offsetting your carbon footprint should be the last one) When planning sustainable events - most companies think of offsetting first. And other 3 important steps are usually skipped. If you don't want to make the same mistake. Follow this framework: Step 1. 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 Make a conscious effort to avoid venues, transport, or other activities that create more emissions than others. Step 2. 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Focus on improving efficiency, reusing materials, and minimizing waste to lower the overall carbon footprint of the event. Step 3. 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Substitute high-carbon activities with low-carbon alternatives. Consider virtual or hybrid events to reduce travel-related emissions. Step 4. 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 Invest in carbon offset projects to balance out the emissions that cannot be eliminated, such as renewable energy projects or reforestation initiatives. Following these steps sequentially lowers your event's footprint to begin with. Minimizes waste and saves the natural resources along the way. And reduces offsetting cost too. So when you are organizing your next event. Focus on these biggest emission sources first. And apply the 4-step framework to each one of them. Start with 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Responsible for 45% of emissions. Use shared vehicles, public transport, or carpool. Offer virtual attendance options. Then consider the 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 Contributes to 20% of emissions. Choose venues with renewable energy. Opt for green or LEED-certified buildings. Then think about the 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 sources Makes up 15% of emissions. Source food locally. Offer plant-based options. Avoid food waste. And plan for 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 Adds 10% to the emissions. Select venues with waste management programs. Use biodegradable utensils and reusable items. And finally, 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 That contributes to 10% to the emissions. Use renewable energy sources. Schedule events during daylight hours. So by following this four-step process. And focusing on the bigger emission sources first. You can plan a more sustainable event without any external support. 🌍 And you don't have to be a sustainability pro for it! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that I've shared the framework and steps, excuses like 'We lack the expertise' or 'It will cost more' just don’t cut it. What’s your excuse now? Comment with the lamest excuse you’ve heard for not organizing sustainable events? #SustainableEvents #NetZero #GreenMeetings

Why do we address Environment before Equipment in designing Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTRs) - and in all meeting and teaching spaces? The fundamental principle of the EASE methodology starts with Environment because room acoustics determine your audio system quality - and not the other way around. So let’s consider Audio - the most important element in hybrid spaces. DSP is great and now essential but it cannot sidestep the laws of physics. The physics are unforgiving: DSP improvements are limited by what the microphone captures initially. Although inconvenient for the aesthetics, a gooseneck microphone positioned 30cm from a speaker’s mouth will outperform ceiling-mounted beamforming arrays with their sophisticated processing, purely because of signal-to-noise ratio advantages. Why does this matter? AVIXA’s task group for our dynamic range standard notes that system noise floor must minimally increase ambient room noise, and maximum linear SPL must meet target levels. Poor room acoustics make both requirements exponentially harder to achieve regardless of processing power. RT60 measurements tell the story: rooms with reverberation times above 0.6 seconds require increasingly complex DSP solutions to achieve the same speech intelligibility that rooms with 0.4-0.5 second RT60 deliver naturally. EASE: Environment, Audio, Screens, Equity. The methodology that makes hybrid workspace design systematic instead of accidental. GJC's methodology for optimal meeting and teaching space design. The EASE methodology principle: Optimize the acoustic foundation first, then specify technology to enhance that foundation rather than fight it. To learn more, please message me or see the link to Greg Jeffreys Consulting Ltd in the Comments section below. This approach facilities: clearer audio with simpler systems; lower complexity and maintenance requirements; better user experiences at lower total cost; future-proof (or resistant!) designs that work with any platform. Room acoustics are your audio system's foundation. Get the foundation right, and everything else becomes easier. What environmental factors do you prioritise before technology specification? #microsoftteamsrooms #avtweeps #EASEmethodology #hybridmeetings #avusergroup #ltsmg #schoms  #avixa

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day everyone! It's a great day to remind people, that, accessibility is the responsibility of the whole team, including designers! A couple of things designers can do: - Use sufficient color contrast (text + UI elements) and don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning. - Ensure readable typography: support text resizing, avoid hard-to-read styles, maintain hierarchy. - Make links and buttons clear and distinguishable (label, size, states). - Design accessible forms: clear labels, error help, no duplicate input, document states. - Support keyboard navigation: tab order, skip links, focus indicators, keyboard interaction. - Structure content with headings and landmarks: use proper H1–Hn, semantic order, regions. - Provide text alternatives for images, icons, audio, and video. - Avoid motion triggers: respect reduced motion settings, allow pause on auto-play. - Design with flexibility: support orientation change, allow text selection, avoid fixed-height elements. - Document accessibly and communicate: annotate designs, collaborate with devs, QA, and content teams. Need to learn more? I got a couple of resources on my blog: - A Designer’s Guide to Documenting Accessibility & User Interactions: https://lnkd.in/eUh8Jvvn - How to check and document design accessibility in your mockups: a conference on how to use Figma plugins and annotation kits to shift accessibility left https://lnkd.in/eu8YuWyF - Accessibility for designer: where do I start? Articles, resources, checklists, tools, plugins, and books to design accessible products https://lnkd.in/ejeC_QpH - Neurodiversity and UX: Essential Resources for Cognitive Accessibility, Guidelines to understand and design for Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD https://lnkd.in/efXaRwgF - Color accessibility: tools and resources to help you design inclusive products https://lnkd.in/dRrwFJ5 #Accessibility #ShiftLeft #GAAD

Too often in building products, we see accessibility as an edge case. Yet: - 1 in 12 people have a colour vision deficiency - 10% of people are dyslexic - 3% have significant sight loss - 1 in 3 people have hearing loss or tinnitus, with 50% of over 50’s having hearing loss - 10% have mobility issues Here's your reminder to make sure you're: - Using high contrast between text to background as default - Not relying on colour alone when providing important information - Ensuring keyboard accessibility / tabbing order for people with lower motor control - Including text labels for inputs, forms and alt text for images - Keeping your content simple and easily understandable Accessible products are better products for everyone.

What do conference dinners and sustainability have in common? Imagine this: You're at a wedding reception, enjoying lively conversations as the main course wraps up. Then, The waitstaff arrives, balancing large trays of desserts. Everyone gets served simultaneously, and the trays disappear as quickly as they arrive. Efficient, right? But then you notice a familiar scene: untouched slices of cake, forgotten puddings, and a growing pile of waste. This isn’t just a wedding problem; it’s a sustainability challenge. In scenarios like these, Lean Six Sigma principles can help. By focusing on the entire lifecycle planning, forecasting, and execution we can turn these moments of excess into opportunities for smarter, more thoughtful processes. For example: -Forecasting attendance accurately could help caterers prepare the right amount of food. -Data analytics could reveal how many guests want dessert, avoiding unnecessary waste. -Applying a Just-in-Time (JIT) delivery system ensures desserts are served only when needed, improving quality and reducing waste. Beyond logistics, sustainability extends to choosing locally sourced ingredients to reduce transport emissions and engaging attendees in waste education initiatives. Imagine volunteers sharing how small changes like composting leftover food impact the environment and economy. The real lesson? It’s not just about better forecasting or logistics. Sustainability thrives on creating a culture of respect, humility, and continuous improvement. These ideas, inspired by the Toyota Production System, remind us to focus on people, not just processes. Here's a thought: Next time you plan an event, could you reimagine the experience to reduce waste and foster sustainability? Small steps lead to significant changes when we think holistically. What’s one sustainability practice you’ve seen at events that left a lasting impression?

Ahmedabad Crime Branch is leveraging advanced AI-based CCTV analytics to prevent stampede-like situations. Key Technology: Anti-Stampede Visual Analytics These systems use crowd movement detection, head count algorithms, and reference area mapping to estimate density and identify risk zones in real-time. How It Works: 1. Real-time Monitoring: AI-enabled CCTV cameras continuously analyse video feeds. 2. Crowd Density Estimation: 3. Pixel Analysis: Counts “black pixels” in greyscale images to approximate crowd size. 4. Object Detection: Models like Mask R-CNN detect heads or torsos to estimate numbers. 5. Threshold Triggers: Pre-set crowd density thresholds alert authorities when exceeded. 6. Anomaly Detection: Identifies abnormal behaviours such as: - Sudden surges or clustering. - Individuals falling or showing aggression. Response and Prediction: 1. Immediate Alerts: Sent to control rooms via LCDs or GSM messages. 2. Predictive Analytics: Forecasts crowd flow using real-time and historical data. 3. Reinforcement Learning: Improves evacuation strategies based on past incidents. Benefits: 1. Proactive Risk Prevention: Detects potential stampedes before they happen. 2. Real-Time Insights: More accurate than manual surveillance. 3. Public Safety: Reduces human error and enables fast response. 4. Resource Optimisation: Deploys personnel where needed most. 5. Data-Driven Planning: Informs future crowd management strategies. Challenges: 1. Accuracy Issues: Occlusions, lighting, and angles can impact detection. 2. AI Bias & False Positives: Poor training data may lead to misjudgments. 3. High Costs: Requires powerful processors and high-res cameras. 4. Privacy Concerns: Raises ethical questions around surveillance. 5. Infrastructure Integration: May be complex with legacy systems. 6. Threshold Calibration: Needs tuning to suit different environments. Human Role Remains Key: AI can alert, but response depends on ground personnel, as seen during past events like the Kumbh Mela. Use Cases: 1. Large Gatherings: Religious festivals, concerts, political rallies. 2. Transport Hubs: Airports, train stations. 3. Malls & Markets: Monitoring during high footfall. 4. Stadiums & Events: Managing entry/exit flows. 5. Tourist Spots: Preventing overcrowding.

Accessibility should be the floor—not the ceiling. Because if your product only works for neurotypical users, you’re likely excluding 1 in 5 people—if not more. Neurodivergent users face common friction points: → Cluttered UIs and chaotic flows → Overstimulating motion or color → Abstract microcopy → Long, unstructured content with no alternatives These aren’t edge cases. They’re signals that your design may be leaving users behind. So what helps? → Chunk content to reduce cognitive load → Stick to consistent, literal layouts → Give users control over fonts, contrast, animation → Build calm, quiet defaults → Offer alternatives—audio, video, spacing, keyboard access These aren’t “extra” work—they’re simply good design that can help anyone. What are your go-to accessibility strategies? #accessibility #neurodiversity #uxdesign ⸻ 👋 Hi, I’m Dane—I love sharing design insights. ❤️ Found this helpful? 'Like’ it to support me. 🔄 Share to help others (& save for later). ➕ Follow me for more like this, posted daily.

“If your structure doesn’t evoke feeling — go back to sketch.” I don’t care how technically perfect a design is. If it doesn’t move someone — it’s not ready. This A-frame reminded me of that truth. At first glance, it’s just stone, black metal, and glass. But the more you look, the more it whispers: ● The roofline feels like a protective gesture — arms wrapped around light ▪ The glass façade doesn’t just reflect the forest — it lets you breathe with it ● The ivy doesn’t decorate — it softens the ego of the architecture ▪ Even the entry feels like silence wrapped in geometry We keep chasing innovation. But maybe the real goal is resonance. Because at the end of the day — People won’t remember the layout. They’ll remember how your design made them feel. 📌 Save this for the next time you’re stuck in a design loop. And ask yourself: “Does this sketch have a soul?” — Mishul Gupta #architecture #emotionindesign #aestheticarchitecture #natureanddesign #biophilicdesign #mishulgupta #modernrustic #consciousdesign #architecturalthinking #designreflection #interiorarchitecture