Wi-Fi access can seem cumbersome and overwhelming to a meeting planner. While most venues tout access to Wi-Fi for your attendees, the questions you should be asking are:

Is it free?
If it isn’t free, how much should I budget for it?
Is it fast?
Is it secure?
Many organizations claim to offer free Wi-Fi, but it can be slow or unsecure or both. And whether it is fast or secure depends on your definition what that means. If your attendees are expecting it to be lightening fast and very secure, you are probably looking for an outside vendor to boost the meeting venue’s bandwidth and to monitor activity on the network.

AV Event Solutions has Wi-Fi Network Array Rentals available to boost your bandwidth and number of access points for a meeting or event. They have recently put together 10 great informational tips for your consideration.

Wi-Fi Tip #1: Sell Sponsor-Branded Wi-Fi Splash Pages.

In case you are wondering what a splash page is, it is the page attendees will first see when they log onto the Wi-Fi system. By selling a series of sponsor-driven pages, your organization can gain monetary contributions to offset the cost of the network array rental. Sponsors have the attendee’s attention as they log into the conference.

Wi-Fi Tip #2: Increase Event Buzz by Letting Attendees Know About the Wi-Fi Access Through Specific Twitter Hashtags.

Wi-Fi Tip #3: During the Site Inspection, Identify Wi-Fi Dead Spots and Plan to “Fix” the Problem.

Creating more access points can help but if this won’t solve the problem due to the building layout or security, make certain attendees know this through digital signage on Video Wall rentals or sending a message through the Twitter feed.

Wi-Fi Tip #4: If You are Planning to Have a Press Room at Your Event, Letting the Media Know You Have Fast, Secure, and Robust Wi-Fi Available May Get You Greater Event Coverage.

This can be a real benefit especially at a product launching event or annual meeting.

Wi-Fi Tip #5: Free Hotel or Conference Wi-Fi is NOT Secure for Event Attendees.

For a more details on why this is true, check out our blog about the risks of using Free Wi-Fi.

Wi-Fi Tip #6: Attendees Should Only Know about Wi-Fi Security if they Attempt to Misuse the System.

Having a process to draw your attention to individuals who may be trying to hack into your system is important. Establishing procedures, such as 3 login attempts, encrypting sensitive data and making sure that attendees cannot have lax passwords, can keep your system secure.

Wi-Fi Tip #7: Have Your Event Audio Visual Rental Company Monitor Twitter for Real-Time Alerts from Attendees and Your Staff About Performance Issues.

Wi-Fi Tip #8: Plan for Adequate Bandwidth by Focusing on High Density Areas and Outdoor Meeting Space so the Wi-Fi Doesn’t Fail.

Wi-Fi Tip #9: Make Certain the AV Company Knows About All the Devices Connecting to the Wi-Fi, including Smartphones, iPads, and Laptops so Proper Bandwidth Can Be Planned.

Strength Throughout the Event.

(aveventsolutions.com)