Three essential event WiFi questions you should be asking venue managers

Strong event WiFi and connectivity is essential, but it’s a topic that is sometimes missed and not budgeted for when planning events.

Prioritizing connectivity and ensuring a strong event WiFi connection enables staff and guests to stay connected and the technical elements of your event to run smoothly. It also powers digital event management solutions so, to help our clients ensure best performance when using the zkipster guest check-in app, we hosted an Event WiFi and Connectivity webinar.

During the session Murilo Aguiar, Head of Customer Support at zkipster, was joined by guest speaker David Jones from Digital Avenue. The company  specializes in solving connectivity problems for the UK events industry and providing temporary internet access for events, and is a preferred zkipster partner.

David shared many practical tips and useful insights for event planners during the webinar. His biggest piece of advice is to ask venue managers three simple event WiFi questions when scoping potential venues.

Read on for an edited highlight from the webinar, including the three essential questions. Then watch the full session here to make sure you’re set up for successful, well-connected events.

Question 1: How fast is the internet connection at the venue?

David: “This may seem like an obvious question, but it will give you an insight into the type and quality of connection the venue has. For example, if the venue has a symmetrical 200 MB download, 200 MB upload connection, you're probably looking at a real fiber optic service¹ or a leased line, which is a very good connection. On the other hand if it's a 35 MB download, 15 MB upload connection, it's more like a domestic residential service and therefore probably won’t be great for your event.”

Question 2: How many wireless access points (WAPs) are there at the venue? Are there any signal black spots?

David: “If the venue manager is unsure, or says that coverage is poor in some areas, it's likely that the venue is just running off one or two WiFi points. These might even be located in a cupboard somewhere out the back! And that really won’t provide a great experience at your event. If the venue manager can tell you that there's eight WAPs² in one location and four in another, then you know that the venue has thought about connectivity and that they've invested in it.”

Question 3: Can you create a custom event WiFi network for me?

David: “If the venue manager says yes, then that implies that there’s someone on their team maintaining and managing that network, and hopefully providing support in case of any problems. If the answer is no, the venue has a best-effort network³. The connection is probably from ten years ago, and no one's touched it since. No one's coming to save you if there are problems with the network - it's up to you! So be careful with that.”

Here's a final sneak peek from the webinar - take a look, then watch the complete session here for the full download on event WiFi and connectivity.

The webinar covers more key questions to ask venue managers, the most challenging types of venues to provide event WiFi for, and more explanations of technical terms like the following, which were mentioned above...

What is a fiber optic internet service? (1)

Fiber optic internet is carried by a cable filled with thin glass or plastic fibers instead of the copper wires used by older cable and DSL internet. Fiber optic internet connections are 10-20 times faster than cable and much more reliable, but availability varies from country to country.

What is a WAP (Wireless Access Point)? (2)

A wireless access point (WAP) is a networking device that allows wireless-enabled devices to remotely connect to a wired network. WAPs can also be used to extend the range and strength of wireless networks to provide full event connectivity and remove any black spots.

What is a best-effort network? (3)

A venue with a best-effort network cannot provide any guarantee that data is delivered or that its event WiFi connection meets any quality of service. Users may suffer from poor network performance, including delays, timeouts and disconnects. Event planners may want to avoid using venues with a best-effort network, or bring in an expert provider like Digital Avenue to provide temporary WiFi for events via a custom network.

Once your event WiFi rental is accounted for, you need a powerful event check-in app you can rely on. See why event planners love the zkipster app by signing up for a free test drive below.