diff --git a/spec/unit/content-helpers.spec.ts b/spec/unit/content-helpers.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d43148dc8d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/unit/content-helpers.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2022 The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+import { REFERENCE_RELATION } from "matrix-events-sdk";
+
+import { M_BEACON_INFO } from "../../src/@types/beacon";
+import { LocationAssetType, M_ASSET, M_LOCATION, M_TIMESTAMP } from "../../src/@types/location";
+import { makeBeaconContent, makeBeaconInfoContent } from "../../src/content-helpers";
+
+describe('Beacon content helpers', () => {
+    describe('makeBeaconInfoContent()', () => {
+        const mockDateNow = 123456789;
+        beforeEach(() => {
+            jest.spyOn(global.Date, 'now').mockReturnValue(mockDateNow);
+        });
+        afterAll(() => {
+            jest.spyOn(global.Date, 'now').mockRestore();
+        });
+        it('create fully defined event content', () => {
+            expect(makeBeaconInfoContent(
+                1234,
+                true,
+                'nice beacon_info',
+                LocationAssetType.Pin,
+            )).toEqual({
+                [M_BEACON_INFO.name]: {
+                    description: 'nice beacon_info',
+                    timeout: 1234,
+                    live: true,
+                },
+                [M_TIMESTAMP.name]: mockDateNow,
+                [M_ASSET.name]: {
+                    type: LocationAssetType.Pin,
+                },
+            });
+        });
+
+        it('defaults timestamp to current time', () => {
+            expect(makeBeaconInfoContent(
+                1234,
+                true,
+                'nice beacon_info',
+                LocationAssetType.Pin,
+            )).toEqual(expect.objectContaining({
+                [M_TIMESTAMP.name]: mockDateNow,
+            }));
+        });
+
+        it('defaults asset type to self when not set', () => {
+            expect(makeBeaconInfoContent(
+                1234,
+                true,
+                'nice beacon_info',
+                // no assetType passed
+            )).toEqual(expect.objectContaining({
+                [M_ASSET.name]: {
+                    type: LocationAssetType.Self,
+                },
+            }));
+        });
+    });
+
+    describe('makeBeaconContent()', () => {
+        it('creates event content without description', () => {
+            expect(makeBeaconContent(
+                'geo:foo',
+                123,
+                '$1234',
+                // no description
+            )).toEqual({
+                [M_LOCATION.name]: {
+                    description: undefined,
+                    uri: 'geo:foo',
+                },
+                [M_TIMESTAMP.name]: 123,
+                "m.relates_to": {
+                    rel_type: REFERENCE_RELATION.name,
+                    event_id: '$1234',
+                },
+            });
+        });
+
+        it('creates event content with description', () => {
+            expect(makeBeaconContent(
+                'geo:foo',
+                123,
+                '$1234',
+                'test description',
+            )).toEqual({
+                [M_LOCATION.name]: {
+                    description: 'test description',
+                    uri: 'geo:foo',
+                },
+                [M_TIMESTAMP.name]: 123,
+                "m.relates_to": {
+                    rel_type: REFERENCE_RELATION.name,
+                    event_id: '$1234',
+                },
+            });
+        });
+    });
+});
diff --git a/src/@types/beacon.ts b/src/@types/beacon.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ff3cf64d264
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/@types/beacon.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2022 The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+import { EitherAnd, RELATES_TO_RELATIONSHIP, REFERENCE_RELATION } from "matrix-events-sdk";
+
+import { UnstableValue } from "../NamespacedValue";
+import { MAssetEvent, MLocationEvent, MTimestampEvent } from "./location";
+
+/**
+ * Beacon info and beacon event types as described in MSC3489
+ * https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3489
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Beacon info events are state events.
+ * We have two requirements for these events:
+ * 1. they can only be written by their owner
+ * 2. a user can have an arbitrary number of beacon_info events
+ *
+ * 1. is achieved by setting the state_key to the owners mxid.
+ * Event keys in room state are a combination of `type` + `state_key`.
+ * To achieve an arbitrary number of only owner-writable state events
+ * we introduce a variable suffix to the event type
+ *
+ * Eg
+ * {
+ *      "type": "m.beacon_info.@matthew:matrix.org.1",
+ *      "state_key": "@matthew:matrix.org",
+ *      "content": {
+ *          "m.beacon_info": {
+ *              "description": "The Matthew Tracker",
+ *              "timeout": 86400000,
+ *          },
+ *          // more content as described below
+ *      }
+ * },
+ * {
+ *      "type": "m.beacon_info.@matthew:matrix.org.2",
+ *      "state_key": "@matthew:matrix.org",
+ *      "content": {
+ *          "m.beacon_info": {
+ *              "description": "Another different Matthew tracker",
+ *              "timeout": 400000,
+ *          },
+ *          // more content as described below
+ *      }
+ * }
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Variable event type for m.beacon_info
+ */
+export const M_BEACON_INFO_VARIABLE = new UnstableValue("m.beacon_info.*", "org.matrix.msc3489.beacon_info.*");
+
+/**
+ * Non-variable type for m.beacon_info event content
+ */
+export const M_BEACON_INFO = new UnstableValue("m.beacon_info", "org.matrix.msc3489.beacon_info");
+export const M_BEACON = new UnstableValue("m.beacon", "org.matrix.msc3489.beacon");
+
+export type MBeaconInfoContent = {
+    description?: string;
+    // how long from the last event until we consider the beacon inactive in milliseconds
+    timeout: number;
+    // true when this is a live location beacon
+    // https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3672
+    live?: boolean;
+};
+
+export type MBeaconInfoEvent = EitherAnd<
+    { [M_BEACON_INFO.name]: MBeaconInfoContent },
+    { [M_BEACON_INFO.altName]: MBeaconInfoContent }
+>;
+
+/**
+ * m.beacon_info Event example from the spec
+ * https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3489
+ * {
+    "type": "m.beacon_info.@matthew:matrix.org.1",
+    "state_key": "@matthew:matrix.org",
+    "content": {
+        "m.beacon_info": {
+            "description": "The Matthew Tracker", // same as an `m.location` description
+            "timeout": 86400000, // how long from the last event until we consider the beacon inactive in milliseconds
+        },
+        "m.ts": 1436829458432, // creation timestamp of the beacon on the client
+        "m.asset": {
+            "type": "m.self" // the type of asset being tracked as per MSC3488
+        }
+    }
+}
+ */
+
+/**
+ * m.beacon_info.* event content
+ */
+export type MBeaconInfoEventContent = &
+    MBeaconInfoEvent &
+    // creation timestamp of the beacon on the client
+    MTimestampEvent &
+    // the type of asset being tracked as per MSC3488
+    MAssetEvent;
+
+/**
+ * m.beacon event example
+ * https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3489
+ *
+ * {
+    "type": "m.beacon",
+    "sender": "@matthew:matrix.org",
+    "content": {
+        "m.relates_to": { // from MSC2674: https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/2674
+            "rel_type": "m.reference", // from MSC3267: https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/3267
+            "event_id": "$beacon_info"
+        },
+        "m.location": {
+            "uri": "geo:51.5008,0.1247;u=35",
+            "description": "Arbitrary beacon information"
+        },
+        "m.ts": 1636829458432,
+    }
+}
+*/
+
+export type MBeaconEventContent = &
+    MLocationEvent &
+    // timestamp when location was taken
+    MTimestampEvent &
+    // relates to a beacon_info event
+    RELATES_TO_RELATIONSHIP<typeof REFERENCE_RELATION>;
+
diff --git a/src/content-helpers.ts b/src/content-helpers.ts
index 6419b98bdce..ce8aebf0af9 100644
--- a/src/content-helpers.ts
+++ b/src/content-helpers.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 /** @module ContentHelpers */
 
+import { REFERENCE_RELATION } from "matrix-events-sdk";
+
+import { MBeaconEventContent, MBeaconInfoEventContent, M_BEACON_INFO } from "./@types/beacon";
 import { MsgType } from "./@types/event";
 import { TEXT_NODE_TYPE } from "./@types/extensible_events";
 import {
@@ -186,3 +189,41 @@ export const parseLocationEvent = (wireEventContent: LocationEventWireContent):
 
     return makeLocationContent(fallbackText, geoUri, timestamp, description, assetType);
 };
+
+/**
+ * Beacon event helpers
+ */
+
+export const makeBeaconInfoContent = (
+    timeout: number,
+    isLive?: boolean,
+    description?: string,
+    assetType?: LocationAssetType,
+): MBeaconInfoEventContent => ({
+    [M_BEACON_INFO.name]: {
+        description,
+        timeout,
+        live: isLive,
+    },
+    [M_TIMESTAMP.name]: Date.now(),
+    [M_ASSET.name]: {
+        type: assetType ?? LocationAssetType.Self,
+    },
+});
+
+export const makeBeaconContent = (
+    uri: string,
+    timestamp: number,
+    beaconInfoId: string,
+    description?: string,
+): MBeaconEventContent => ({
+    [M_LOCATION.name]: {
+        description,
+        uri,
+    },
+    [M_TIMESTAMP.name]: timestamp,
+    "m.relates_to": {
+        rel_type: REFERENCE_RELATION.name,
+        event_id: beaconInfoId,
+    },
+});