Visitor guide system for Sindelfingen

New visitor guidance system for the city centre and Sommerhofenpark in Sindelfingen

New visitor guidance system for the city centre and Sommerhofenpark in Sindelfingen The city of Sindelfingen is a large district town in the centre of the state of Baden-Württemberg and is located around 15 kilometres southwest of Stuttgart. As the largest municipality in the Böblingen district, Sindelfingen is part of the Stuttgart region, an important economic centre in Germany. In addition to the city centre, Sindelfingen is divided into two additional districts - Maichingen and Darmsheim. In December 2022, the city had a population of around 65,000. The city of Sindelfingen is of particular economic importance in the automotive industry - the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant, one of the largest Mercedes-Benz plants in the world, is located here. Sindelfingen's main tourist attraction is its historic old town centre with the imposing St Martin's Church dating back to the 15th century. There are also numerous cultural events, festivals and markets throughout the year, which also attract visitors from all over the surrounding area. Wirtschaftsförderung Sindelfingen GmbH planned to develop a new concept for signposting in the city centre (visitor guidance system) in 2024. The aim was to create a standardised, modern and clear signage system that would enable visitors in particular to find their way around the city and point them specifically to the tourist attractions in the city centre. Following an inventory of the current signage in 2023, TourComm was also commissioned to create a concept for the new visitor guidance system. In a joint kick-off workshop with the client and the relevant authorities, the first step was to identify and prioritise all relevant pedestrian sources and POIs to be included in the visitor guidance system. This ensured that visitors are picked up where they arrive and from then on are guided into or through the city in a targeted manner. The city centre area and the adjacent Sommerhofen Park were defined as the planning area. The next step was to create a signposting network that connects the pedestrian sources and POIs. This made it possible to identify important junctions and thus also the locations of the signposting elements. As part of the development process, it was decided together with all those involved in the project to deliberately avoid individual signposts in order to ensure a uniform appearance. The visitor guidance system therefore consists exclusively of signposts and information pillars.

Design concept

Design concept The project scope also included the development of a design concept for the proposed signage elements. A separate design was developed for both the city centre area and the Sommerhofenpark. Both layout designs build on each other and are based on the existing design manual of the city of Sindelfingen. By using different colours in the header and content modules adapted to the locations, the separation of the city centre and the park area is made clear. The colour coding is also continued in the legends of the specially developed overview maps to ensure a uniform appearance across the board.

Digital expansion of the visitor guidance system

Various digital components for the visitor guidance system were also considered. A web-based content management system will be used to implement a digital extension of the visitor guidance system, which can be accessed individually from each signpost via a QR code. In addition, digital information screens are planned at various locations, which can be used to display relevant information for visitors and locals.

The concept was unanimously approved by the Administration and Finance Committee, the Technology and Environment Committee and the municipal council in May 2024. This laid the foundation for implementation, which is now to take place in the near future.