SXSW 2019 Panel Pitch! The venue is so cool. The field for the festival is magic. But the internet connectivity sucks! In the world of concerts, festivals, sports, and experiential events, having fast and reliable WiFi is a must-have. It powers ticketing, cashless payment, food & beverage, merch sales, brand activations, and more. Promoters and event planners: failing to prepare for WiFi ahead of time can significantly increase your budget, cause lost revenue, and anger your patrons, leaving you to read all about it on social media. Learn step-by-step tips to build out the ideal WiFi plan, timelines, and budget for your event size and type, and how 5G is set to impact entertainment and sports.

1. Lifting the Veil on Event WiFi
& the Future of 5G
#SXSW2019WIFI

2. The Live Event Planning Process
 Site Survey – Picking the Perfect Place for Your Event
 What’s the Location Cost?
 Will the venue or location size support the event?
 Does it Have Power?
 What Events Have Taken Place There?

3. The Live Event Planning Process
 Production Company
 Booking Agency
 Power
 Food & Beverage
 Lighting, Staging, Sound
 Security
 Ticketing
 Publicity, Social Media,
Web Management
It begins with hiring your service vendors, such as…

4. The Live Event Planning Process
 Ticket Sales
 Talent Booking
 Promotion and Press
 Marketing and Social
Media
 Merchandise
 But then it stops there…
Putting Internet/WiFi last on the list
will increase budgets and lost revenue experiences

5. Internet Connectivity is Mission Critical
 Ingress - Ticket Scanning &
Box Office
RFID wristband access
points
Mobile Device scanners
 Point-of-Sale for Food &
Beverage and Merch
 Production teams
 Media
 Artist and VIP tents
 Brand Activations
 Emergency Response
Teams and Security
(weather alerts)
 Live Streaming

6. WiFi & Internet Challenges
 Venue has poor or no internet
 Festival is in a field
 Crowds = High-Density environment
 Cell Towers are saturated

7. There’s a Better Way
 Learn the step-by-step way to better event
planning
Timelines for WiFi planning by event category
Which WiFi solutions to choose
Understanding the real cost behind the RFP
How to hire a WiFi solutions company

8. Connectivity Icing On the Cake
 Cashless Payment
 Data, Data Data – Glean
insights on your fans, F&B
Sales, Merch Sales
 Ingress Monitoring and
Crowd Flow (heat maps)
 Social media analytics
 Press and Social Media
 Happy vendors and fans
 Learn about what the future
holds for new cellular
technology and 5G, impact
on live events

9. Kim Owens, Kaffeine Buzz
Damon Schrotberger, FestiFi
#SXSW2019WIFI