Fair Platform Buyer’s Guide

What to look for in a fair app or navigation platform, and the questions worth asking any vendor, including us.

Prefer paper for the fair board? Download this guide as a PDF.

The Questions Worth Asking

Bring these to every demo. A strong platform answers each one plainly; a vague answer is usually the answer.

1. Does it work offline, even with poor cell coverage in large crowds, and does wayfinding still work, or just the content?
2. Does it require visitors to download a native app, or does it work instantly from a QR code?
3. Does it collect visitor contact information or track them outside the grounds?
4. Does it provide individual sponsor reports with measurable engagement, or just aggregate stats?
5. Are reports ready right after the event, or days and weeks later?
6. Do vendors and sponsors submit their own information, or does your team enter everything?
7. Can visitors plan their visit before they arrive, through your website?
8. Is pricing all-inclusive, or are analytics, reports, and sponsor features paid add-ons?
9. Does the price rise when attendance does, or when you add another vendor or staff login?
10. Is there a setup or onboarding fee, and is it charged once, or again every year?
11. Can you use it for a single event, or are you locked into an annual subscription?
12. Is the platform built specifically for fairs, or adapted from concert, festival, or venue technology?
13. Is the company independently operated, or part of a larger group that could change direction?

How the Options Compare

Fair platforms fall into four broad categories. Individual vendors vary, so treat this as a map of the landscape rather than a verdict on any one product, and use the questions above to confirm the details.

Pricing That Works the Way Fairs Do

Fair app pricing usually follows one of two models. Template app builders sell annual subscription tiers: each tier caps attendance, map pins, admin seats and storage, and features such as real-time analytics, heat maps and web widgets unlock only on higher tiers or as add-ons. Yubigo is priced per event, with everything included at every size.

• Sized by your map, not your gate. Price follows the placements on your map (vendors and amusements) and how much event-day support you want. Attendance is never an input, so a record year doesn’t reprice you.
• Platform access is always free. No annual subscription: a fair that runs one event a year pays for one event.
• Setup is charged once. It covers building your map and anchoring every vendor and attraction to it, the first time your venue comes on, and never again.
• Choose your level of support. We can run the whole build and the event days with you, or your team can run it themselves. Most venues pay less after their first year: once the map is built, updates are simple enough to make yourself, so there’s nothing extra to pay for.
• No caps, no tiers. Unlimited admin seats, map pins, list items, storage and updates. No hardware.

For what a comparable app-builder package typically costs once you add what it takes to match these features, see what a fair app costs.

Built for Fairs. Here to Stay.

Yubigo is independently operated and built specifically for the fair industry, not adapted from festival technology, not part of a larger entertainment group. We are members of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) and the North Carolina Association of Agricultural Fairs (NCAOAF), and the platform is shaped by fairs drawing 15,000 to over a million visitors. More about Yubigo.

Frequently Asked Questions