3 Things to Take to an Event Site Visit (And Why Your Laptop Isn’t Enough)

 
 

EVENT PLANNING GUIDE

3 Things to Take to an Event Site Visit (and why your laptop isn’t enough)

Updated on September 25, 2026 | Written by Rachella Thomas

3 Things to Take to an Event Site Visit
 
 

Site visits and supplier meetings are working sessions. You don’t need to bring your entire office, but a few things are worth having on hand.

Take tools you can use while you’re standing, walking around, and talking.

I often see new event planners arrive with a laptop tucked under their arm, only for it to stay there for the entire meeting. It’s too awkward to open while you’re walking a site, and by the time you find somewhere to put it, the conversation has already moved on.

For site visits, practical beats powerful.

Here are three simple tools I recommend taking to site, and why your laptop probably isn’t one of them.


1. A Tablet You Can Write On

An iPad with Apple Pencil or Samsung Galaxy Tab with S Pen is one of the most useful tools you can take to site.

Load your site plans, floor plans, schedules and other relevant documents before you arrive.

Then, while you’re walking the site, you can:

  • Pull up a site map instantly

  • Zoom into the area you’re discussing

  • Mark locations directly onto the plan

  • Make handwritten notes

  • Sketch layouts and positioning

  • Take and annotate photos

  • Record changes while everyone is standing there discussing them

That last point matters.

If someone says, “Could we move the entry here and put the catering tent over there?”, mark it on the plan while you’re talking about it.

You now have a visual record of what was discussed rather than trying to reconstruct the conversation when you get back to your desk.

Buy → iPad + Apple Pencil

Buy → Samsung Galaxy Tab + S Pen

2. A Portable Power Bank

Not glamorous. Very useful.

Site visits have an annoying habit of happening when your phone or tablet is already sitting at 28%.

Keep a compact portable power bank and charging cable in your event bag so you’re not conserving battery when you should be taking photos, checking plans or making notes.

Buy → Portable Power Bank

3. And Yes, Paper Still Works

You absolutely don't need to buy a tablet to do this well.

Print the site plan at a useful size, put it on a clipboard and take a pen or marker. The principle is the same: keep the information in front of you and mark it up as you walk.

The downside of paper is what happens afterwards. Notes can be difficult to read, plans get folded or lost, and handwritten changes still need to make their way back into your working documents.

Digital markup simply removes some of those extra steps.

Think Practically

Before every site visit or on-site supplier meeting, ask yourself: What are we going there to discuss, and what will I need in my hands to discuss it properly?

Download the plans before you leave. Make sure they're available offline. Charge your device. Bring the stylus. Take the charger. And don't automatically reach for your laptop just because that's where you normally work.

The best tool for a site visit is the one you can pull out, show someone, scribble on and keep walking.

→ If you found this useful, feel free to share it with a fellow event planner or your event network. They’ll appreciate you passing it on.

*Affiliate Note: Event Kit may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. We’ve curated this list and only link to products we think are genuinely useful for event planning.

 

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Meet Your Mentor

Rachella Thomas is an award-winning event producer with more than 26 years of experience delivering major events. Her work includes the Australian Open, Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, and other renowned large-scale events and festivals.

Rachella founded Event Kit, where she turns decades of professional event know-how into practical tools for event planners worldwide.

Learn More → ABOUT



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