iBAHN’s top ten tips for successful internet connection at events
Ten practical tips to help you provide fast, secure high speed internet access at your event.
Deliver speeds to suit delegates' professional needs. For example, technical and marketing/creative sectors would demand more bandwidth for the range of network services they would want to use.
Check venue for broadband wired/wireless access - pre-order bandwidth. Venues vary in location of network access points and availability as well as bandwidth service agreements. Give delegates advance notice of where they will be able to connect at the event.
Test venue for mobile broadband access (Vodafone, O2 etc). Mobile network access will help take the strain off event broadband demands so ensure it's available where possible.
Connectivity is vital to event success - make arrangements well in advance. Last-minute provision gives no time for testing – and technical problems will irritate delegates even more than poor speed.
Decide whether delegates will be charged for access. Offer an upgrade option. Many delegates would pay a reasonable premium for fast, reliable broadband.
Tell delegates exactly where broadband access will be available at venue. A simple online map or print out means less stress for both delegates and help-desks.
Warn delegates of potential issues preventing connection to computers outside the event. Many professionals would want to connect to company networks and need to know if any network ports and services are blocked for security reasons.
Advise delegates to update anti-virus software and software patches. Do this well in advance so that corporation laptops can be serviced by technical staff in time.
Advise delegates to avoid bandwidth-hungry applications if possible. Depending on the type of event, you can reasonably ask delegates to avoid accessing video and other services that absorb shared bandwidth.
Invest in an onsite support technician to help people with connectivity. This expertise is invaluable and a good technician should be able to resolve nearly every connectivity issue quickly – happy delegates = happy event organisers!
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