Etherlive – Event Technology Experts

15 Jan 2013

New Year, Top 5 technologies, Wi-Fi

All of the team here at Etherlive are excited about the challenges and opportunities 2013 will bring. As always, budgeting and planning are afoot in event organiser and production offices.

We’ve put together our list of technologies which we think will make a difference in 2013.

The personal portal – Maximising the value of the smart devices carried by event attendees (60% of the UK population now own a smartphone) to deliver content will be critical. Events can use QR codes to link real world information to digital content.
The smaller screen – Technology research company Gartner predict that more people will visit websites using a smart device rather than PCs for the first time in 2013. Is your site optimised for smaller screens? Is your ticket buying process as quick as it can be when using a smart device?
Cashless paying technology – This has been talked about for many years, but now that real large sale deployments have become commonplace, it’s only a matter of time before event customers start looking for bars and concessions accepting either cashless cards or RFID wristbands; this is simply because the purchase will be quicker and the risks associated with carrying a lot of cash around will be negated. Those who leverage cashless will reap the rewards of attendees’ increased spends.
The personal cloud – Services like Dropbox and iCloud allow photos and other content from smart devices to be instantly uploaded to secure online storage. With more and more data being uploaded to online storage services, cellular networks will be put under even more pressure during live shows to keep up with demand.
Content re-use – More and more events will begin to re-use the content generated from speaker presentations or on stage shows (rights pending!) either for those who can’t attend and would like to buy a virtual ticket, or those interested in simply purchasing the content afterwards. If it can’t be sold directly, the content can be shared via social media throughout the year to keep the event in people’s minds.

2013 – A mountain to climb

Choosing Your Event Wi-Fi Supplier

07 Jan 2013

Event Wi-Fi, Events, Technology

Selecting a partner to provide networking services at your event is critical especially as more and more attendees rely on high quality connectivity to engage and interact. Our field teams regally work with in house IT teams to provide expertise and equipment. When agents and event organisers are surveying venues there are a few critical questions which should be asked:

1. Does the in house IT team specialise in the events industry?
Being specialised will ensure their technicians are familiar with the events environment and the pressures that brings. It’s important that the IT partner appreciate how critical ensuring issues are dealt with quickly to keep the event moving.

2. Does the in house IT team have the right equipment?
Equipment which is regally deployed in the field needs to be fit for purpose, from VOIP phones to WIFI PDQs everything needs to be configured in such a way it can be quickly deployed. Factoring in the British weather also adds an extra degree of excitement so using weatherproof hardware to deploy outdoor Wi-Fi Networks is of utmost importance.

3. Does the in house IT team have experience?
This expertise need to be specific to the type of event that’s being run. Whether it’s a festival, exhibition or a conference it’s important the partner you choose has the experience of the events sector, as each environment raises it’s own challenges and every organiser has different expectations.

To find out if we’re the right Event Technology company for you, get in touch

Breakfast Event Technology Forum: Notes

30 Nov 2012

Event, Technology, Venue

Since our last Gathering at Somerset House at the beginning of the year we have been keen to bring together a group of experts and corporate event organisers to discuss the latest experiences (good or bad) with technology at events.

This led to the Breakfast Event Technology Form which was held at the Guoman Cumberland Hotel with a group of 25 select attendees sitting discussing some key industry topics over a bacon role and cups of tea. We captured some brief notes from the discussions and links to the tools shown below. To keep the discussion about technology in events going we aim to keep the twitter hashtag #eventtechforum

Venue expectations:

A key element is appreciating the requirements from the customer. Why do they need the internet? Just basic email and web browsing? Cloud content sharing? Or streaming video? All these questions will drive the requirement with the venue.
A pre survey with relevant testing hardware (with the same laptops which will be used if possible) to see what the Wi-Fi signal is like and how fast the internet is.
Agree terms with the venue which specify what performance you need per device connected
Discuss what happens if something breaks, if it’s critical to your event would you want an engineer to attend?
Use cable drops for those who require service for demonstrations to reduce the risks. This should be part of the booking contract.
If required bring in an expert (in house IT teams or companies such as Etherlive) to give some advice on how to improve the onsite facilities if you need to. If budgets are tight look at the entire budget based on how important the internet services are

Etherlive Breakfast Event Technology Forum

Avoid getting bitten by IT

Many organisers get caught in the same trap – lack of understanding about what the event is trying to achieve, and thus fail to set appropriate expectations for services.
Ensure you have resource to hand should you need ‘IT’ type support. If budgets don’t allow perhaps one of the in house IT team may be able to support, or perhaps bring in an engineer just for the morning or during the critical presentation.
Spend time identifying key points of failure and plan for a redundancy. Just like any risk at an event this should be presented to the customer with options of what can be done to mitigate.
Be aware that some devices (laptops, smartphones) will work differently with Wi-Fi due to the quality of design and parts. Interference (such as human bodies and other radio based systems) may also impact Wi-Fi service.

Budgeting

Many events do not set a specific budget line item for technology services, however, many now think this should be a mandatory line item even if the Wi-Fi services are included within the day delegate rate
A good partner will be able to explain their pricing to organisers. If they can’t it may be overly complicated or at worse not considered. Technology can be complicated but the basic principles are simple to explain and present
Generally the elements that drive cost the most are connectivity and resource. Connectivity generally gets more expensive the later it is booked. Resource costs can often be optimised with setting up on the same day (perhaps avoiding accommodation etc.)

Innovation panel

Use social media to engage audiences and encourage those not in the room to join in furthering the events exposure and inclusiveness
Apps deliver content in a very set environment but other options, such as customised websites, can deliver similar content with reduced budgets. Consider what will happen to the content the delegate is looking at if connectivity is lost.
Free cloud services such as Google Documents can be used to share content including spread sheets, documents etc. allowing multiple editing, different rights and version tracking

Tools

Scheduling tweets (perhaps for sponsors to have automated announcements during the event http://hootsuite.com/
Show a stream of tweets during the event http://visibletweets.com
Free QR generator http://www.qrstuff.com/

In summary a fantastic day to network, meet new contacts and learn. We hope to run similar sessions again in the New Year for others who could not attend this time.

Spectrum Crusaders

06 Nov 2012

Events, Exhibition, Interference, WiFi, Wireless Interference

There is one thing that can challenge even the best designed wireless networks; interference. That is, the transmission of competing networks attempting to broadcast at the same time on the same frequency. At the risk of turning this blog into to a science paper we’ll keep it light, but it is interesting to note that we have been in several meetings over the past few weeks where the delivery of Wi-Fi networks has been challenging due to the amount of interference.

As venues and events deploy wireless networks that become ever more critical to delegates, press, production and exhibitors, interference is the elephant in the room. Managing rogue access points, or those using their own solutions is imperative in reducing interference, and ensuring that those who are trying to use Wi-Fi networks in the same place can do so.

Understanding the limitations

Wi-Fi technology is designed to communicate over a number of common frequencies. This allows smartphones, laptops and other client devices to know how to communicate with access points and each other. Within this frequency there are a defined number of channels, similar to the number of lanes on a motorway. The more channels or lanes you have, the more simultaneous networks you can have in operation. 2.4G Hz Wi-Fi networks have significantly less channels than 5GHz networks.

The spectrum crusaders ride to their next rogue access point

Setting expectations

Just like expectations on stand power (i.e. would exhibitors expect to bring their own petrol generator into an indoor venue?), there should be guidelines for use of wireless technology. Those who do not follow the rules should appreciate that their equipment may be turned off since their configuration could potentially impact those around them trying to access and fully utilise the ‘in house’ Wi-Fi. This can be as simple as a form which is completed as part of the contract which asks a few simple questions about which channel their wireless equipment will be broadcasting from.

Watching the air & taking action

Once the expectations have been set, wireless scanners can be used to ensure the agreements are being followed and that those who are causing interference are located. In areas where others are complaining about service, it will be quickly evident who isn’t playing fair. This was carried out during the Olympics and was commonly accepted by exhibitors because the expectations had been set.

One wire to rule them all

Many venues would also suggest that exhibitors who need a ‘guaranteed’ service should have a wired connection and that is absolutely correct. In addition to interference, some wireless chips are better than others and some devices just have bad days, so if the device supports a cable and it’s practical to do so, then this is highly advised. However, as more and more demonstrations rely on tablet computers (especially with the new Microsoft Surface launch), wireless will be considered critical to some stands.

A big week for phones

13 Sep 2012

4G, Connectivity, Events, iphone, Mobile, Technology

As the summer of sport runs into the sunset suddenly the September of phones is upon us. Two big announcements means this is a really important month (and quarter) for a technology which has become intrinsic to either attending or producing events.

4G is Go? – Wait and See

After more manoeuvring than a telehandler placing toilets (see our previous blog posts) 4G services will finally begin deploying in the UK. The first to market will be Everything Everywhere (a combination of the Orange and T-Mobile networks) which announced on Tuesday networks firing up in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol within weeks with more cities expected to follow before Christmas. Long Term Evolution (or LTE) brings a number of significant improvements over current 3G networks including download speeds of up to 20Mbps, improved algorithms for handoff between mobile cells (which should mean less dropped calls) and in some cases larger cell sizes meaning better coverage.

It all sounds great, however, there should always be a note of caution when dealing with cellular services which is probably best expressed by matching todays “3G” experience with what happens in the real world. Do you live in a world where your handset always has 3G signal, you haven’t dropped a call in months, data use is reliable, network masts never fail and when you are trying to text or call the box office during a live event with 20,000 other people on site it works first time? – The answer is carriers always sell the dream of the next generation; 4G is exactly the same. In reality what you should expect to start with is what was promised for 3G, meaning OK to good data speeds in cities and calls which rarely drop. Also lest we forget 4G, like 3G before it, is a consumer focussed technology offering which means very little in the way of speed guarantees or service up time.

Pocket-lint.com shows the new iPhone enjoying 4G speeds

Of course unfortunately for events the same problems around delivering reliable service to a remote location with high density usage will continue to be a challenge – not helped by the next big thing in cellular this month…

iPhone 5 – A monster awakes.

You can’t have missed the press, Apple’s latest iPhone 5 was announced last night. Those in the know will point out that even with this latest incarnation Apples crown has slipped slightly with handsets from Samsung and Blackberry winning in the specification war but that’s missing two crucial factors which need to be considered when dealing with anything from Cupertino. The first is the tidal surge of press and activity that follows anything iNew generating floods of new apps and ways to use the device, many of which rely on the iPhones killer selling point; the lack of learning curve. The second is the new technology which is bound up in this latest generation which includes the ability to operate with the new 4G networks, a new screen to show that high definition content even clearer (which means larger network downloads and faster streams required) and an all new software pack which further integrates social networking and always on connectivity. In addition Apple has given the iPhone one of the best features of the iPad which is its ability to work on both 2.4Ghz networks and 5Ghz which makes getting a good Wi-Fi signal, and keeping it, even easier.

That reliance on faster and always on connectivity will continue to keep demand growing for events who can deliver apps which enjoy video and interactive content at events.

Where Apple has missed a trick perhaps is the lack of contactless payment function others (such as Samsung and Blackberry) have started to deploy this latest technology which will put pressure on retailers of all sorts to start supporting the quick payment method. Apple is probably waiting for the market to settle before setting out it’s stall (and – knowing Apple – where it’s revenue stream is going to come from) but those early adopters will expect to be using their contactless payment methods this summer – we have another blog in a few weeks on this and our activity over the summer.

Ready for RFID

21 Aug 2012

A great article this week in Exhibition News (Flick of the wrist, page 34) discusses how RFID continues to gain traction in the events market.

The power of being able to process transactions in a single swipe is huge. Just look at the success of systems such as Oyster cards and festivals, which deployed RFID this year, and have seen tangible (up to 20 per cent per attendee) increases in revenue. The article focused on how RFID technology has reached a stage of maturity and that systems can be used for additional functions such as; access control, catering, and social media check-ins, all of which means RFID technology is here to stay.

In addition to several RFID cashless deployments we had great success with WOMAD festival this year using a combination of barcoded wristbands and a pre-event registration website for teenage ticket holders to facilitate the quick and secure lookup of their parent or guardians details if the teenager required assistance

RFID Wristbands

However when considering RFID deployments, event organisers should think about the complete solution in order to maximise the efficiency of the use of this technology. Here are our top three things to consider:

1. An integrated strategy: RFID technology has been around for a long time. Although making it “work” on site can be challenging but is achievable. However the main challenge is preparing for how the system will be used at the event for example: who can use it, where it can be used, staff training, on-site administration, etc. Key elements to think about include, how those who want to use the system on site will be able to register and use it securely ;how users will be able to link their details with their accounts; how much will be allowed per transaction? and finally, what can be done if cards or wristbands get lost and how does someone get a refund.

2. A banking partner: Holding funds, transferring money, setting up direct debit functions is not something to be undertaken lightly and needs a partner with experience who knows how to think ‘banking’ (it’s a very different mind-set!) However the funds are managed it will need to be done by properly approved bodies with the relevant financial certification.

3. A reliable site network: The amount of technology behind a cashless RFID system on site should not be under called. It is essential that a system is deployed which factors in the reliability required with the appropriate redundancy at its core to ensure loss of power or a damaged cable does not stop the entire service.

With these items considered RFID systems area ready to light up the events industry and bring with them an enhanced attendee experience and increased revenue.

Event technology with the right expectations

09 Jul 2012