Dig Maps Help

Set up and manage your dig from start to finish

This guide takes organisers through the complete Dig Maps workflow: creating the event, adding emergency and navigation information, mapping the land, collecting attendee registrations and releasing the private event details.

Organiser setup guide

Work through these steps in order when preparing a new dig or rally.

1

Create the event and complete the emergency information

Start from your Dashboard and create the event. Enter a clear event title, the start date and the number of days the dig will run. Once the event has been created, open Edit Event.

In Event Dates & Emergency Contact, enter:

  • Emergency Contact Name – for example the organiser, rally control or first aider.
  • Emergency Contact Number – a telephone number attendees can use on the day.
  • Emergency Contact Note – any useful explanation, such as “Event organiser” or “First-aid point”.
Event and emergency information
Show the Event Dates & Emergency Contact section with the contact name, number and note fields.
Tip: Use a contact who will actually be available during the event.
2

Add What3Words and Google Maps navigation links

In Event Location Links, paste the event's What3Words URL and Google Maps URL. These links are made available with the private event details so attendees can navigate to the correct entrance, meeting point or parking location.

What3Words and Google Maps links
Show the Event Location Links section where the What3Words and Google Maps URLs are entered.
Recommended: Test both links before the event details are released, especially for rural locations where a normal postcode may cover a large area.
3

Locate the land and draw the detecting boundaries

Zoom into the event map until the fields and access points are easy to identify. Select the polygon icon on the map and click around the edge of the field or detecting area. Complete the shape to create the boundary.

Repeat the process for each separate field or detecting area. You can name areas, add notes, apply the relevant day colour or choose a white boundary where a day is not required.

Drawing detecting boundaries
Show the event map zoomed into the land with the polygon tool and a completed detecting-area boundary.
Tip: Draw the boundary as accurately as practical so attendees can clearly see where they may and may not detect.
4

Add check-in, parking, fields and facilities

Click the appropriate point on the map to add the locations attendees will need during the event. Depending on the event, these can include:

🎪 Check-in Tent
🅿️ Event Parking
🌾 Fields
🛍️ Stalls
🍴 Food
🚻 Toilets
Campsite
First Aid

Give each pin a clear name and add any timing or notes that will help attendees understand what it is for.

Adding pins and facilities
Show the map with examples such as Check-in Tent, Event Parking, Field, Stall, Food, Toilet, Campsite or First Aid.
Remember: Pins and boundaries can be updated during the event, allowing the live map to reflect changes on the ground.
5

Share the event registration link

In Share Event Registration, copy the Public Registration URL and send it to the people who have booked the dig. You can share this through email, your group, booking confirmation message or another communication channel you normally use.

The public registration page asks the attendee for their name and email address. It does not give them the private event location simply because they have the registration URL.

Share Event Registration
Show the Share Event Registration section and the Public Registration URL that organisers copy and send out.
Important: Only share the public registration link at this stage. The secure private event link is handled by Dig Maps after the attendee is confirmed.
6

Attendees confirm their email address

After an attendee submits the registration form, Dig Maps sends them a confirmation email. They click the confirmation button to verify that the email address belongs to them.

Once confirmed, they are ready to receive the private dig details when you choose to release them. You can monitor this from Registered Attendees on the Edit Event page.

Registered attendees and confirmation
Show the Registered Attendees section with the confirmation status visible.
Tip: If someone says they have registered but they are not showing as confirmed, ask them to check their inbox and junk/spam folder for the confirmation message.
7

Choose when the private event details are sent

Under Share Event Registration → Delivery, choose the UK date and time when the private dig details should be emailed to all confirmed attendees. This lets you take bookings and registrations in advance without revealing the precise location until the time you decide.

In Registered Attendees you can monitor:

  • how many registrations are waiting for confirmation;
  • how many people have confirmed;
  • how many event-detail emails have been sent; and
  • any failed deliveries that may need attention.

You can also use Export Sent Attendees PDF to create a printable list for check-in or general use on the day.

Schedule delivery and monitor attendees
Show the Delivery date/time controls together with attendee delivery status and the PDF export option.
Before release: Check the boundaries, facilities, emergency details and both navigation links one final time.
8

Use Advanced: Manual Invitations when needed

At the bottom of the Edit Event page, open Advanced: Manual Invitations when you need to add someone without using the normal public registration process.

You can enter email addresses manually or upload a list. People added through this section receive their secure event/dig details right away rather than waiting for the scheduled registration delivery.

Advanced manual invitations
Show the Advanced: Manual Invitations section used to add email addresses for immediate event access.
Best use: Manual invitations are useful for organisers, staff, traders, late additions or anyone who needs immediate access to the event map.

Ready to set up an event?

You can return to your dashboard to create or edit an event. If you run into a problem that is not covered here, contact Dig Maps and include the event name and a short description of what you are trying to do.