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Level 7

Feature request: temporary events (race, festival, fair, etc) listed in Explore under Events

Intro

Google maps has been showing temporary events such as races, festivals and fairs since at least last year. I think we can all agree that this is an AWESOME feature.

 

Issue

However, the current implementation makes it hard to know what is currently happening around:

  • Either it's a major event (like NYC half marathon) and you get both the overlay card at the bottom of the map and the location or path on the map.
  • Or it's a minor event (like the Coffee & Tea Festival NYC) and you either know it’s happening and can look for it, or you luckily stumble on it (like I did).

 

Idea

Since there already is an 'Explore' section in the hamburger menu, the idea is to use it to list those events. A new tab called 'Events' could be added after 'Drinks'. It would initially list all temporary events nearby. And it could also be used to Explore events in other locations such like for current tabs.

 

Drawback

That would make the 'Explore' section no longer food related only. But that's not necessarily a bad thing since 'Explore' doesn't indicate it should be.

 

Layout

The current layout of tabs in Explore is by cards. Each card represents a type. When entering a tab you're presented with a swippable horizontal list on a map. However, I don't think this would be possible for 'Events' for the following reasons:

  • number of events: only when you have enough items can you group them by type and there are not enough temporary events today for that
  • picture: it may not often be possible to source a picture of a future event and no picture means no card
  • diversity: if the events are too diverse from each other, there's no possibility to group them by relevant type

 

Question

@ZachM any chance you can (if allowed) inform us on how temporary events surface on Google Maps?

For the New York City Half Marathon, they have a custom Google Maps on their website that looks exactly like what we could see on Google maps.

 

I know it's a long write-up so thanks for having read parts or all of it.

 

Let me know what you think and if that's something you would find useful.

 

JessyY

Wanna have a look at my lvl5 Local Guide profile or my new food-focused Instagram?

New York, NY, United States
2 comments
Level 8

Re: Feature request: temporary events (race, festival, fair, etc) listed in Explore under Events

Hi @JessY

Thank you very much for a well prepared and presented Feature Request.

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!
As an ex event-professional, I can assure you, that very few people at this point are aware of this in the festival an public event industry. They would love your proposal and most events would be able to provide publicity photos of last year's event that could be used to publish the upcoming event. Of course it is also a very nice feature for tourists to discover events that they are not aware off, as tourists usually don't read the local newspapers.

I was also wondering if it would make sense if event producers were to provide Google and Waze with information like road-closures for parades, etc. As an event producer, many a times I have felt guilty when I noticed unaware citizens to get stuck in traffic for quiet some time, not being aware of a (temporary) road closure due to my event.

 

It would make so much sense for festivals to add this to their marketing mix as well as a responsibility for every producer in relation to citizens and traffic control. I have been involved in a large festival in the USA where the parking areas could be approached by two different busy roads. As the festival was very popular, the local police demanded that real time digital road signs were posted along various roads, to inform people which way to approach the festival. I would not at all be surprised, if local authorities would make it a part of the permit requirement, that festival producers provide this type of data to the appropriate data-banks like Google, which are used for navigation.

Jeroen

Level 8

Re: Feature request: temporary events (race, festival, fair, etc) listed in Explore under Events

P.S.
I learned the other day on this Feature Request forum that one can also market ones idea on the public product forum (in this case Google Maps Forum). One should not forget that we are here amongst a certain group of people with certain interests that don't necessarily always represent the overall user profile of Google Maps and we cannot expect our LG Team members to advocate all ideas, particularly if they have little to do with the actual Local Guides Program.

If you share your link with me of your post on that public Google forum, I will go and support your idea there too. Selling ideas, is also marketing, so let's go for it. If you would like back up from the industry, I have quiet a few contacts around the world as I use to work for an international association for festival producers, so it would be easy to contact a few of my old colleagues 😉

 

Yours, Jeroen