Lunchtime Links: WiFi is the Key to Event Success
Why WiFi should be at the top of your event-planning priority list. Plus: How to pull off an unconventional meeting.
4G is well and good—but a WiFi connection is the gold standard. Why you should consider providing event attendees with wireless internet, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links.
Better bandwidth? What if WiFi flowed as freely as bottled water at your association’s next big event? That’s the (metaphorical) idea conference guru Adrian Segar floats in his blog post “Like Water for Wi-Fi: an Event Manifesto.” “[E]vent organizers should, at a minimum, provide base level rate limited free WiFi throughout the meeting spaces of the venue, plus an optional paid higher-performance tier of service,” he suggests, adding that the cost is lower than some organizations might realize: about $20 to $30 per day for an event with 200 attendees. Don’t have the money to pay for higher bandwidth options? Consider offering the prime connection for free with optional paid access to higher bandwidth levels, he says. Do you offer WiFi at your events?
Going hungry: Is it lunchtime where you are? Have you eaten yet? If the answer is no, you’re not alone. Some 28 percent of North American workers surveyed in a study by Right Management, a division of ManpowerGroup, said they rarely break for lunch while on the job, according to an article in U.S. News & World Report. So, here’s the question: Does eating lunch at your desk actually improve your productivity? More than likely no, according to the article. Don’t want to eat? Go for a walk or sit back and take a break from your computer. The work day is tiring, and your lunch break is there to help you rejuvenate. What does your organization do to encourage employees to eat away from their desks?
Shake it up: Getting ready to plan your next conference? You can either keep with your traditional setup, or get creative by hosting an event that’s, well, unconventional. On its blog, event-planning firm In the Event lists several ideas (with photos) for hosting unconventional meetings. Consider adding entertaining lighting or shaking up your seating options with something other than folding chairs. The company recently planned an event for a client that featured three seating choices—bar stools, modular furniture, and cozy on-the-floor lounges. The company says the client not only loved the concept, but they also bought some of the pieces for use in their office. Could unconventional be the new norm?
What unique changes have you made to your events? Tell us in the comments.
(Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock)
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