Two Questions to Begin (Text responses to 22333)

Do  You  Test  Bandwidth  on  a  Site  Inspec5on?  

   Yes  –  547880    No  –  547881    What’s  Bandwidth?  -­‐  547882  

Do  You  Nego5ate  Connec5vity  Costs  in  

Your  Contracts?    Yes  –  547922    No  –  547923    I  Can  Do  That?  -­‐  547924  

The Ultimate Meeting Professionals Guide to Internet Connectivity

Jim  Spellos  Techsytalk  

August  19,  2014  

Can You Talk the Talk?

•  Bandwidth  

The  amount  of  data  that  can  be  transferred  every  second  across  the  

internet.    Typically  measured  in  bits  per  second  (bps)  

Do you include bandwidth & internet data on your RFP and

Post-Con Reports?

Cool  Tool  –  Speed  Test  App  –  Check  it  out!  

Bandwidth - Shared vs. Dedicated

•  4  Streams  

§   Guest  Room  (Shared)  

§   PresentaTons/Services  (Dedicated)  

§   Event  OperaTons  (Dedicated)  

§   AXendees  (Shared).  

Can You Talk the Talk?

•  Bandwidth  •  IP  Request  

The  number  of  Tmes  a  device  “requests”  to  visit  a  web  page  

Can You Talk the Talk?

•  Bandwidth  •  IP  Request  •  Digital  Density  

The  number  of  devices  (not  people)  accessing  the  internet  at  a  given  Tme.  

Pet Peeves: Two Points of View

Planner Pet Peeves About Connectivity & Hoteliers

•  Charging  for  amount  of  bandwidth  used  

•  Double  dipping  for  mulTple  devices  

•  Having  to  purchase  before  tesTng  •  And  what’s  with  that  %@&!  

ConvenTon  Center  pricing?.  

Planners  –  Are  you  tesTng  bandwidth  on  your  site  visit?    You  should  be!  

Supplier Pet Peeves About Connectivity & Planners

•  Not  knowing  your  usage  history  

•  Discussing  needs  a  few  days  before  the  conference  

•  Not  knowing  your  usage  history  (did  I  menTon  that  already?).  

It’s Gonna Cost Ya!

•  How  much  should  you  pay?  

•  Supplier  perspecTve  •  Planner  perspecTve  •  Reality  Check.  

The  speed  and  consistency  of  the  connecTons,  and  not  the  cost,  should  be  your  most  important  consideraTon.  

Critical Questions

Previous Hotel

•  How  much  bandwidth  did  we  use  at  our  meeTng?  

•  How  many  IP  requests  did  we  make  (hourly  basis)?  

•  What  was  our  peak  bandwidth  &  IP  usage?  

Hotels Under Consideration

•  Who  manages  the  bandwidth?  •  How  big  is  the  pipeline?  •  How  many  concurrent  IP  requests  

can  you  handle…and  where?  •  Is  it  shared  or  dedicated…and  

where?  •  What  is  the  age  of  the  pipeline?  

Also  ask  how  much  bandwidth  is  dedicated  for  the  guest  rooms.  

App Provider

•  Is  the  app  naTve  or  web-­‐based?  

•  How  much  bandwidth/device  is  recommended?  

What  else  at  your  event  requires  bandwidth?  Shouldn’t  be  that  much  today…but  that’s  also  changing!  

Your Friend, the Hotel’s IT Director

•  Include  him/her  in  the  site  visit  

•  Copy  them  on  all  your  technical  quesTons.  

Odds & Ends

•  How  usable  are  3G,  4G  &  LTE?  

•  Issues  with  MiFi  

•  Analyze  your  WiFi  –  WiFi  analyzer  app  (Android).  

Recap of Key Points

•  Understanding  the  terms  

•  IdenTfying  criTcal  tools  •  Knowing  which  quesTons  to  ask.  

Thank You!

James Spellos, CMP President, Meeting U.

jspellos@meeting-u.com www.meeting-u.com

www.jspellos.wordpress.com facebook.com/meetingu

twitter.com/jspellos paper.li/jspellos

scoop.it/way-cool-tools and on…and on…and on…