Attending MEET

I attended HSMAI’s MEET Conference on September 10, 2015. I was able to sit in on the conference session titled, Wi-Fi- IT’s Not an Option Anymore- It’s a Necessity. Michael Owen, of EventGenuity, provided insight into how high speed Internet affects all sectors of events. Owen mentioned that when he began in the event meeting industry, speakers would kindly ask the audience to silence their cellphones. Today, however Owen states, speakers encourage the participants to take out their electronic devices and “tweet about it.” I learned that, presently, Wi-Fi is an absolute necessity at events, as attendees, planners, and speakers all depend on having access to the Internet. According to Owen, in order to guarantee reliable and fast speed Internet, a planner must provide two points of information to the venue: 

(1) the meeting profile

(2) the types of technologies utilized at the meeting

While the venue must be able to provide the planner with answers to the following questions: 

(1) What is the amount of bandwidth solely given to my group? 

(2) Is there adequate infrastructure at the venue? 

(3) Is there a support team I can rely on during the event?

In addition to attending the Wi-Fi conference session, I was able to spend time exploring the supplier showcase. I spoke with a variety of the vendors ranging from Unique Venues to World Wide Chauffeur Services. The representatives at each booth were very informative and extremely eager to answer any and all of my questions. Although this was my first time attending an event industry tradeshow, I felt that it was well organized with informative signage and efficiently run, as the schedule was very well kept. I was able to get to know other members of the industry and enjoy my experience at the MEET Conference.

Nicole