Ask an Event Expert: Rethinking Event Internet for Modern Event Experiences

Alex Wedesky, VP, Internet Services: So much has changed. Coming out of the pandemic, we shifted dramatically to collaboration platforms like Teams, Zoom and Slack and a completely different way of interacting. At the same time, organizations were moving more systems and solutions into the cloud because it offered greater flexibility and scalability. The unintended impact is that our dependence on reliable internet connections has exploded astronomically in a very short period of time. Then we sprinkled this two-letter acronym on top of everything: AI. It took what was already a strained and important system and put it into hyperdrive.

Consumers are coming into hotels and convention centers expecting things to work like they do at home, on their phones and in the office. Internet has almost overnight become a foundational component of event design, and it’s something you have to craft and build, much like all the other event components.

Alex: Ten years ago, we could look at a device and understand its maximum throughput. You could build a network against a worst-case scenario because that scenario was understood. The challenge now is that devices can create dramatically different amounts of traffic depending on what they’re doing. It is increasingly difficult to build a network that can fit the needs of anything you might put in that space. You really have to start looking at internet as a custom-build item. Much like audiovisual needs, the same group of people doing the same things may require a different solution because the environment itself — and the usage within it — is different.

Gus: I ask our customers frequently about how content is being delivered. Are you working with agencies or partners who are developing content? Are we going to find ourselves during rehearsals downloading massive video files? We know there are going to be changes. An executive may get onstage during rehearsal and ask for a video edit or presentation updates. Those things happen, and they often happen at the last minute.

I also ask how AI is going to be incorporated. Are you going to be leveraging Copilot or Claude during sessions? How will participants use these tools on their devices and within the meeting itself? The truth is that the people responsible for giving planners that information often don’t know because they haven’t been asked. The onus is on us to arm our planner partners with the right questions to ask their stakeholders so we can deliver better results.

Alex: Whether AI is a component of your event or not, it is a component of your life.

You might have Microsoft Copilot, Outlook or Google Gemini on your phone, which are running in the background. What we’re seeing is that AI in these applications acts like a second user, and that second user is always working. When we looked at bandwidth utilization reports in the past, traffic resembled an EKG. It went up, it went down and eventually returned to a calm state. AI is very conversational. The device connects and maintains a level of traffic where we do not enter that resting state anymore. The device is constantly communicating with the internet.

Alex: One of the best things about event internet is that when limitations are identified in advance, they can be overcome. We worked with a large technology company that recognized early that what they needed was a robust network of access points, not just more bandwidth. We came in to their venue, recognized the gap between what existed and what they needed, and completely replaced the existing hotel infrastructure for a few days. We’ve done that several more times since. You really need an internet partner you feel comfortable with that has the tools and resources to be able to recreate the experience you want, everywhere you go. More organizations are recognizing that they need an internet partner the same way they rely on a trusted production partner.

Gus: Asking the right questions early is really important. Let’s collaboratively work to identify your specific needs — and your stakeholder’s requirements. Do you need presentations to happen when you expect them to? Do you need videos to play reliably? Do you want people to be able to multitask while they’re in a session? Do you want to be able to send out updates and changes that reach your audience? Consider your program and recognize what elements are mission-critical to having reliable internet access and connectivity for your participants, not just your content. Do they need to be able to connect to live demos? Stream content? Interact in real time? Stay connected to their organization and workflow? That helps uncover the questions that need to be asked throughout the planning process.