How to Determine if a Venue can Provide Good Event Wi-Fi for Your Next Event
Ensuring the Wi-Fi is strong enough at your Conference Venue to allow for streaming and multiple delegates online at the same time is the smartest way to Market your event. It is also the smartest way for the Hotel to market itself… let the magic of social media multiply the power of your marketing budget.
This is a great article by Corbin Ball, Technology Expert in the Meetings Industry.
In today’s world almost no event can be successful without the aid of Wi-Fi and other technology. And Wi-Fi networks at events and tradeshows are becoming more and more crowded as attendees use an ever greater number of Wi-Fi enabled devices including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
Bottom line, Wi-Fi is no longer an optional perk you may or may not offer. It’s a must.
And as the number of wireless devices grows exponentially, so do the expectations of your attendees. Poor Wi-Fi can do more than create a bad user experience; it can cause attendees to leave in order to find a better connection, or even keep them from attending the event at all if they think their productivity will be limited. Bad WiFi can also ruin a key talk and ruin exhibitor interaction – along with your reputation.
Because every venue has its own unique characteristics, and every event has attendees with varying needs, there is no simple formula you can use to ensure a great event Wi-Fi experience.
Unfortunately, many event organizers do not have the technical background or skill set to truly determine whether or not a vendor has the ability and capacity to provide the needed Wi-Fi for any particular event. Which means hiring an expert during the event planning phase is easily worth the investment when that expert can help ensure a great user experience and smooth running talks and presentations.
Beyond knowing the needs of your attendees, creating a positive Wi-Fi experience begins with being able to ask the right questions. The following questions give you a non-tech heavy approach to trying to determine if a potential venue will be able to provide you with the proper Wi-Fi for your event’s needs. These questions are effective whether you’re interviewing a potential venue, a Wi-Fi company, or a Wi-Fi consultant.
Step 1:
Ask these 20 essential questions:
1. Have they done similar events?
2. How many people attended those events?
3. Were attendees using multiple devices?
4. How much dedicated bandwidth will be available to your group?
5. Will Wi-Fi be available 24/7?
6. Will there be a qualified technician on site, who you can easily reach, during the entire event?
7. Will Wi-Fi be available in hotel rooms and conference rooms or just conference rooms?
8. What is the capacity in each of the rooms?
9. What is the minimum signal in each room?
10. Will the network be actively managed during the event?
11. What is the backup plan in case things go wrong?
12. How will they deal with any outages?
13. Where are the access points?
14. Is the Wi-Fi coverage consistent in all areas or are there weak areas of connectivity?
15. Can you provide hard lines for each of the meeting rooms for speaker needs?
16. Can you separate Wi-Fi for rooms or for different groups?
17. Can we bring in a tech from an outside AV company as an additional resource?
18. Will we be allowed to have access to the site prior to our event?
19. What type of Wi-Fi security is in place?
20. Does the bandwidth provide the same uploading and downloading speed?
If you are satisfied with the answers to those questions and the information leads you to believe their system or expertise fits with your needs, then go to Step 2.
Step 2:
Ask for reports from previous similar events. They should be able to provide reports on previous events which include bandwidth, numbers of users, and any problems that were encountered. Make sure the reports are from events that are similar in scope and attendance to what your event will be.
Step 3:
Ask for references from similar events that they handled. Actually call the references to get their perspective and ask a few questions about how easy or difficult the staff is to deal with and if the venue fulfilled everything they said they would.
As an event coordinator or planner, keep in mind that Wi-Fi is something you can negotiate and you should do so up front which means it cannot be an afterthought.
The upside? Well planned and implemented Event Wi-Fi means that attendees can live stream and blog about your event, right then and there; Media can quickly and easily get their stories out; and product announcements can go viral in real time.
All of that adds up to a powerful buzz-factor which becomes the most positive type of marketing and hype for your event.
For more conference technology tips see our post – 3 Smart, Innovative Conference Hotel Experience Ideas.