FairGrounds

Planning a state fair is a nightmare. FairGrounds uses AI to generate optimized layouts in minutes. Input venue details, get downloadable SVG maps. Turn weeks of planning into 5 minutes.

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Inspiration

We were inspired by real-world event planning chaos. One team member has family who organize local fairs and shared horror stories about manually arranging hundreds of booths and rides. Professional planners charge thousands, but small fairs can't afford that. We thought: what if AI could democratize this expertise? What if anyone could generate professional carnival layouts in minutes instead of days?

What it does

FairGrounds is an AI-powered carnival layout generator with a simple three-step process. Users input event details—venue dimensions, attendance, parking lots. They add attractions like rides and food stands with sizes and popularity ratings. Click generate, and Google Gemini creates optimized layout options with downloadable SVG maps showing exactly where everything goes. The AI considers foot traffic, accessibility, and crowd flow to maximize revenue and attendee experience.

How we built it

We built a FastAPI Python backend with vanilla JavaScript frontend. The backend handles async processing, logging, timing middleware, and error handling. Google Gemini 1.5 Flash powers the spatial optimization, analyzing venue constraints and attraction data to generate intelligent layouts. The frontend features custom EGOSHIC fonts and our mascot Confetti for a playful interface. We implemented Pydantic validation, exponential backoff retry logic, RESTful API versioning, and structured logging for production readiness.

Challenges we ran into

CORS issues, enum capitalization mismatches, and aggressive browser caching made debugging frustrating. Gemini integration required careful prompt engineering for consistent responses. We balanced design ambitions against hackathon time constraints, making tough feature-versus-polish decisions. Python dependency conflicts with pydantic-settings and Python 3.13 were another unexpected hurdle.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We built a fully functional, visually polished app in 24 hours. The frontend looks professional with custom fonts and our hand-drawn mascot. The backend is production-grade with proper logging, error handling, and versioning—not hackathon duct tape. We integrated AI meaningfully to solve a real problem, not AI for AI's sake. Most importantly, we created something genuinely useful for real carnival organizers.

What we learned

We learned rapid AI API integration under pressure, the value of proper infrastructure in hackathons, and how critical good error messages are. Vanilla JavaScript proved just as powerful as React for smaller projects. Investing in backend architecture pays off when things break. Also, designing with a mascot character makes development way more fun.

What's next for FairGrounds

Real-time collaborative editing for planning teams, weather and terrain integration for outdoor venues, and a mobile app for on-site adjustments. We want machine learning that learns from successful layouts, multi-day event support, and ticketing system integration for real-time crowd density predictions. Long-term: expand beyond carnivals to conferences, food festivals, and farmers markets.

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