Interactive Maps Are Live on Highbar

Most event apps have a venue map. Some have a pretty good one. A few integrate with a third party that does maps and only maps.

The problem isn't whether the map exists. It's that the map almost never talks to the rest of the app. Sessions live in one section. Sponsors live in another. The map sits off in its own corner like a PDF nobody asked for. Attendees end up bouncing between three screens trying to figure out where a session is, who's exhibiting next to it, and what's happening at 3pm in Hall B.

Today we're shipping interactive maps on Highbar. They're self-serve, fast, and seamlessly linked to every other part of your event app.

What's in it

→ Multi-layer maps. Upload as many floor plans as you need. Show the venue at a glance, then drill into a specific hall, room, or expo floor. Zoom is fast and smooth on mobile.

→ Pins that link to anything. A pin on a booth can link to a sponsor profile, a session happening at that booth, a speaker, a coffee meetup, a sub-event. Whatever lives in your app can live on the map.

→ Two-way navigation. Tap a pin, jump to the session. Open a session, jump to its spot on the map. Same logic for sponsors, speakers, and meetups. Attendees stop bouncing between sections to piece things together.

→ Live preview as you build. The CMS shows exactly what attendees will see while you're editing. No publishing, refreshing, and squinting at a phone to check your work.

→ Pin setup in about ten seconds. Drop a pin where you want it, name it (e.g. "Booth 15A"), pick a color, link it to a sponsor or session. The same flow works in reverse if you'd rather start from the schedule and attach a location to a session.

Here's a 2 minute demo going over everything that matters 👇

Why this matters

Maps may seem like a small feature, or one that's easy to take for granted.

They're not. For a lot of attendees, the map is the most-used screen of the entire app. It's how they answer the three questions they ask all day: where am I, where am I going next, and what's near me right now.

When the map is disconnected from your sessions and sponsors, attendees can't get those answers without context-switching. When it's connected, the app starts feeling like one thing instead of five.

That's also where sponsor value comes from. A booth pin that links to the sponsor's profile, their scheduled demos, and the team members on site is worth a lot more than a static dot on a PDF. Sponsors see traffic. Attendees find what they need. Organizers get an actual record of what got engagement.

The build experience

Self-serve isn't a marketing word for us, it's the whole point. Most event tech requires a ticket, a services team, and a two-week turnaround to update a floor plan. We think that's broken.

On Highbar, you upload an image, drop pins, link content, hit publish. If something changes the morning of the event (a booth swaps, a session moves, a sponsor cancels), you fix it in the CMS and it's live for attendees in seconds. No emails. No tickets. No waiting on a vendor.

What's next

Maps are the foundation. We'll keep layering on top of them as organizers tell us what they need. Wayfinding, indoor positioning, sponsor analytics tied to map engagement, custom pin types, exhibitor self-service editing. The architecture is built to absorb that without bolting on more complexity for the people building events.

For now, what's shipping is the simple, integrated version. Multi-layer, two-way linked, DIY, and ten seconds per pin.

Simple, smart, integrated, DIY. That's what we do at Highbar.

Try it

Highbar is free to sign up and free to publish. Build your next event, drop in a few maps, and see how it feels.

Get started at highbar.ai