Two Questions to Begin(Text responses to 22333)

Do You Test Bandwidth on a Site Inspection?

Yes – 56068

No – 56094

What’s Bandwidth? - 56457

Do You Negotiate Connectivity Costs in

Your Contracts?

Yes – 186306

No – 186308

I Can Do That? - 186310

The Ultimate Meeting Professionals Guide to

Internet Connectivity

Jim SpellosJanuary 29, 2015

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?

Bandwidth - Shared vs. Dedicated

4 Streams

• Guest Room (Shared)

• Presentations/Services (Dedicated)

• Event Operations (Dedicated)

• Attendees (Shared).

Can You Talk the Talk?

• Bandwidth• IP Request

The number of times 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 time.

The Tech Inspection

• Places & spaces to review

• Lobby/public space

• Meeting space

• Guest rooms.

Some Helpful Site Inspection Tools

• TechSpec app

• Speed Test app

• APEX bandwidth estimator

• Pocket Planner app

• Coverage ? app.

For the site visit, how about Point & Measure (iOS) or Smart Measure (Android) to confirm room sizes?

Planner Pet Peeves About Connectivity & Hoteliers

• Charging for amount of bandwidth used

• Double dipping for multiple devices

• Having to purchase before testing

• And what’s with that %@&! Convention Center pricing?

Supplier Pet Peeves About Connectivity & Planners

•Discussing needs a few days before the event

• Not knowing your usage history

•Demanding it for free

•Discussing needs a few days before the event (did I mention that already?).

What Does It Really Cost???

The speed and consistency of the connections, and not the cost, should be your most important consideration…usually.

Expenses Current Revenue Model

Fairer Revenue Model?

Hardware/Installation $700,000.00 Annual Staff Sal/Benefits $80,000.00 Annual Tech Expenses $20,000.00 Years Between Upgrades 3 # Guest Rooms 700 700Occupancy % 70.00% 70.00%Internet Fee/RoomNight $11.99 $3.00% Guest Rooms Purchasing Package 25% N/AMeeting Room Internet Revenue 0 N/ATOTALS $1,000,000.00 $1,608,308.63 $1,609,650.00

PROFIT MARGIN 160.83% 161%

Critical Questions

Previous Hotel

• How much bandwidth did we use at our meeting (which times/places were most heavily used?)

• 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 native 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 questions.

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

• Identifying critical tools

• Knowing which questions to ask.

Thank You!

James Spellos, CMPPresident, Meeting U.

jspellos@meeting-u.comwww.meeting-u.com

www.jspellos.wordpress.comfacebook.com/meetingu

twitter.com/jspellospaper.li/jspellos

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