Comment
Need for speed
MARK COOPER, CEO OF IACC BROADENS THE BANDWIDTH DEBATE
here are so many factors to
consider when event
planners decide where to
hold their meeting or event,
from the cost and room layout and
dimensions, to furniture, lighting and
sound, and food and beverage capabilities,
the list goes on. However, the one thing
that often gets overlooked is bandwidth
requirements as many planners assume
that venues have got that covered.
Meeting planners agree that their
dependency on internet/Wi-Fi at a venue
has increased and will continue to
increase in the next five years.
According to IACC’s latest Meeting
Room of the Future Report, 44% of meeting
planners would not even consider
shortlisting a venue that did not have the
guaranteed capacity to support the needs
of their event. An even larger majority,
56%, indicated that affordable or free
high-speed wireless internet will be the
most critical technology needed for
meetings in the next five years.
The report also revealed an increase (up
8% from 2017 to 85% in 2019) in the
number of meetings incorporating new
technology, such as audience participation
apps, projection mapping, screen-sharing,
multi-media presentations and video live
Above:
Mark Cooper,
CEO of IACC
For tips on finding
the best venue for
your next event,
visit iacconline.org
broadcasting on top of email, social media.
This means it’s now more important than
ever for venues to provide more
bandwidth and speed to stay ahead of the
curve with regards to latest meeting
requirements.
When comparing internet offerings
between venues, it’s important to keep in
mind that not all bandwidth is the same.
Several factors can affect the quality and
reliability of the connection. IACC has
compiled some important ones to consider
at the planning stages of your next
meeting or event.
But first, let’s looks at some of the
‘technical’ buzzwords; what is the
difference between bandwidth and speed?
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of
data that can pass through a network link
at a given time. Internet upload and
download speeds are measured in
megabits per second, or Mbps; this is how
fast the network is capable of moving data.
may be live streaming the speaker or
Tweeting about the session in real time,
meaning too many users sapping the
bandwidth of a system that can’t cope with
the demand. Volume and frequency of
Wi-Fi traffic, as well as estimating how
many devices each delegate will use
during the event, is a key consideration at
the planning stage.
If you’re unsure of your bandwidth and
internet speed needs during your next
event, IACC has a Broadband Estimator
Tool (iacc-speedtest-estimator.com) to
gauge an accurate reading of internet
performance at your venue of interest.
The test takes less than two minutes to
complete.
Keep it private
Keep in mind that free access is not
necessarily better when it comes to Wi-Fi.
Free Wi-Fi is sometimes shared between
all guests and public areas. If you need a
dedicated connection for your meeting to
ensure no interruptions, a private,
dedicated internet service behind a
firewall will ensure your meeting is
secure and isn’t interrupted by competing
demands from other venue guests.
Having reliable internet access at
meetings of all sizes is more important
than ever. How well a venue’s broadband
service is able to meet a variety of
demands depends on many factors,
beyond just the obvious ones such as
speed or price.
Congestion on the line
Just imagine your client paying a fortune
to have a keynote speaker deliver a session
at their conference and the speaker can’t
even play a 30-second video part of their
presentation without buffering. That’s
usually down to congestion, as delegates
ISSUE 102
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CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
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