Got Bandwidth?June 1, 2013

Managing the Internet Needs of Your Events By
June 1, 2013

Got Bandwidth?

Managing the Internet Needs of Your Events

Harvey,Matt-PSAV-110x140Matt Harvey oversees Network Services for audio-visual services company PSAV. Internally known as Client Network Services, the department designs, installs, and manages High Speed Internet Access (HSIA) networks in more than 150 hotels and convention centers. Harvey is responsible for all aspects of new HSIA location sales and installation, event support and business strategy. Harvey began his career with PSAV in 2003 and has held a variety of successive roles before promotion to his current role as V.P., Client Network Services in early 2012. He is an active participant in Hotel Technology Next Generation’s (HTNG) Infrastructure Resource Team. www.psav.com

If you read the Convention Industry Council’s (CIC) recent white paper “Up to Speed: Event Bandwidth and High Speed Internet Access” and checked out their attendee bandwidth estimator (www.conventionindustry.org), you already know how important a great High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA) experience is to the success of your event. But how do you put that information to use to ensure your attendees have a successful Internet experience?

Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Managing Event Bandwidth

  1. Do request bandwidth and devices reporting in advance of the event (and remember to get the reports afterwards).
  2. Do maintain detailed notes on the Internet requirements of each session.
  3. Do consider the Wi-Fi capacity of the facility and bandwidth available.
  4. Do ask what bandwidth management techniques are in place and if they can be customized for your specific needs.
  5. Do engage in detailed discussion about the Internet experience you need so the facility can build a tailored package that suits your event. In-house audio-visual and IT teams are a great starting point since they have the most experience of the facility.
  6. Don’t forget to include an event profile in your RFPs. To accurately plan for your HSIA needs, the facility will need to understand everything you plan to do that requires the Internet.
  7. Don’t assume the performance of the network during a site survey (i.e. an empty building) is comparable to its performance on event day.
  8. Don’t rely on bandwidth testing apps as an accurate reflection of the facility’s capabilities. These apps only show the bandwidth delivered to a single device at that moment. If the facility is using Device Bandwidth Limiting, the speed test will never show the facility’s full potential bandwidth.
  9. Don’t ignore the HSIA needs of remote presenters on the other end of the connection.
  10. Don’t negotiate the HSIA price until you are certain of the product (bandwidth, Wi-Fi capacity, reporting and support).

Before we get to how to manage a successful experience, it’s important to understand the different methods facilities deploy to help manage bandwidth.

Bandwidth Management Techniques

Bandwidth management is a collection of techniques for managing Internet traffic priorities, which prevents a small number of “rogue” users from consuming more than their fair share. However, it’s important to know what type of bandwidth management is in place for your event, not only to ensure that everyone has a positive experience, but also to make sure you have enough bandwidth to accommodate all your event objectives.

Traffic Shaping is a technique to slow down or even stop Internet traffic of a particular type. For example, to provide enough bandwidth for attendees to check their email, the facility might slow down or block streaming video. The challenge with Traffic Shaping is that it’s not obvious to the end user what’s been blocked, which can lead to frustration and complaints.

Device Bandwidth Limiting caps the amount of bandwidth each individual device can consume. It allows a guest to use the bandwidth they have been allotted for any purpose and prevents any one user from overloading the network. However, as different users have different bandwidth needs, it hinders those who require more.

Dynamic Group Bandwidth assigns a dedicated pool of bandwidth to a set of users. Those within the group equally share the pool, and as more users join, the pool adjusts to equally distribute the available bandwidth. Separate pools can be created for different users, so for example, presenters may have a dedicated pool separate from attendees.
Bandwidth management techniques vary by facility, so it’s important to understand which are in use and how they can be tailored to meet your needs.

Estimating Bandwidth Needs

CIC’s attendee bandwidth estimator, which was developed with the technical expertise of audio-visual services company PSAV, is great for calculating the Internet needs of your guests, but how do you estimate the HSIA needs for your entire event? Try breaking up the Internet needs of your event by your different constituents — attendees, presenters, exhibitors and show management — and consider the needs of each. Remember that if you are planning to use the Internet to distribute content, stream sessions or broadcast a presenter remotely, the bandwidth at the other end of the connection is just as important as the main facility’s.

You can also break down your Internet requirements by each room. In your room-set spreadsheet, add a column for bandwidth and note the sessions with presenters who are doing particularly Internet-centric tasks. This is especially important because if the venue utilizes Device Bandwidth Limiting, the presenters could require a higher limit than the attendees. For parallel track sessions with high-demand bandwidth, consider scheduling the presenters so that those with the greater bandwidth demands are staggered over the event.

Learn from your experience by requesting your bandwidth reports, which are a fantastic starting point for planning the bandwidth needs of your next event. But make sure you make the request before the event begins, to confirm the facility is tracking the information. When planning your next event, note that bandwidth consumption is rising faster than 30 percent per year, so be sure to adjust for growth.

Bandwidth Isn’t Everything

A facility can have all the bandwidth in the world, but if the Wi-Fi infrastructure isn’t equipped to handle the job, the bandwidth will never make it to your attendees. Wireless access points (WAPs) can accommodate a limited number of devices, which varies with age and manufacturer, so it’s just as important to understand this aspect as it is to understand the bandwidth itself. Find out how many WAPs serve the event space and what their capacities are. Remember that attendees are often using more than one device, so it’s important that the overall Wi-Fi capacity meets or exceeds the expected number of wireless devices estimated to be in use at one time. Wireless device count reporting is also becoming available at more and more venues and is another great event planning tool.

Let’s Plan Together

Don’t worry — we’re not suggesting event planners become Internet experts. After all, you don’t need to be a chef to plan a great food and beverage package. However, it is important to add a thorough discussion about Internet service and its intended use in the planning stage. The more you know, the better you can explain and plan your HSIA needs with the facility. C&IT

Back To Top