--- title: "Friday Buzz: The City With the Best Wireless (Hint: It’s Windy)" id: "26024" type: "post" slug: "friday-buzz-the-city-with-the-best-wireless-hint-its-windy" published_at: "2014-11-14T17:32:22+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T18:22:20+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/14/friday-buzz-the-city-with-the-best-wireless-hint-its-windy/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/14/friday-buzz-the-city-with-the-best-wireless-hint-its-windy.md" excerpt: "Chicago tops the list of large cities with the best wireless access, beating out a number of event hubs in the process. Also: Why your association should prioritize community managers in the hiring process." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Meetings" - "mobile coverage" - "smart cities" - "Technology" - "wireless" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Friday Buzz: The City With the Best Wireless (Hint: It’s Windy) Mobile signal quality may be an odd thing to base a meeting location on, but then again, it’s pretty clear that attendees really want to be connected. Which is why it might be worth keeping an eye on RootMetrics’ list of the cities with the best mobile coverage. According to the list, one major meetings hub—[Chicago (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/chicago-il/2014/1H) —comes out on top, ranking far above [Atlanta (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/atlanta-ga/2014/1H) (10th place); [Orlando (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/orlando-fl/2014/1H) (33rd place); [Washington, DC (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/washington-dc/2014/1H) (48th place); [New York City (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/new-york-city-and-tri-state-area/2014/1H) and the surrounding region (98th place); and [Las Vegas (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/las-vegas-nv/2014/1H) (115th place). Overall, cities in the Midwest did particularly well, with five Rust Belt cities—Chicago; [Lansing, Michigan (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/lansing-mi/2014/1H) ; [Rockford, Illinois (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/rockford-il/2014/1H) ; [Fort Wayne, Indiana (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/fort-wayne-in/2014/1H) ; and [Detroit (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/detroit-mi/2014/1H) —sitting in the top 10. Rockford, the smallest city on the list, topped the charts on the speed front; [Oklahoma City (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/oklahoma-city-ok/2014/1H) had the most reliable connections. And each city is broken down by specific networks, so you’ll know whether Verizon or AT&T is the bigger speed demon. “Good mobile service has become as important to us as running water and electricity that works every time you flip the switch,” [RootMetrics notes in its study (opens in a new tab)](http://www.rootmetrics.com/us/blog/special-reports/which-us-cities-have-the-best-mobile-performance) . “But, just as some cities have better infrastructure than others, our comprehensive U.S.-wide testing shows that not all cities are created equal when it comes to mobile service.” ### Hire a Community Manager > Why Community Manager Should Be Your Association’s Next Hire [http://t.co/zp7nB8mYtb (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/zp7nB8mYtb) > [#cmgr (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/cmgr?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — maggielmcg (@maggielmcg) [November 14, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/maggielmcg/status/533268142793826304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **The world is not like “Field of Dreams”:**If you build it, they won’t necessarily come. That’s why your association should take a good hard look at hiring a community manager. Writing on her *Mizz Information* blog, Maggie McGary [suggests that associations should take a cue (opens in a new tab)](http://maggiemcgary.com/blog/2014/11/why-community-manager-should-be-your-associations-next-hire) from startups and prioritize community managers in the hiring process. “Here’s the thing—if associations are struggling with engaging the next generation of members and grappling with the fact that millennials don’t trust traditional organizations, they should really be paying attention to this rising trend of startups relying on community managers as key hires to grow business,” writes McGary, senior associate at the Strategic Communications Group. Agree? Disagree? *(ht @[maggielmcg (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/maggielmcg/) )* ### Other good reads **Knowing when it’s time to go home** is not easy for the workaholics out there. Jullien Gordon is one of them, but he’s got it figured out. [Read his tips on his LinkedIn blog (opens in a new tab)](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141014133455-4398055-how-to-leave-work-guilt-free-on-time) . **Thinking about using a PDF** to display relevant content for your readers? [Read this NTEN article first (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nten.org/articles/2014/smart-strategies-for-using-pdfs-on-your-site) . **Swag as a business strategy?** It can be done. [Check out how Starbucks (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-13/starbucks-tries-to-save-christmas-with-100-gift-card-and-mug-designs) is going all-out on its coffee mugs and gift cards this year. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#mobile coverage](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mobile-coverage/) [#smart cities](https://associationsnow.com/tag/smart-cities/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) [#wireless](https://associationsnow.com/tag/wireless/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoA Roadmap to Smart CitiesSeptember 11, 2017](https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/11/a-roadmap-to-smart-cities/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F11%2F14%2Ffriday-buzz-the-city-with-the-best-wireless-hint-its-windy%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !