3. This strategy guide is the companion to the Excel RFP workbook tool. The workbook is .... Network service discovery protocols such as Bonjour services must ...
RFP STRATEGY GUIDE
Event Internet and Communications 1
Overview and Table of Contents As the complexity of Internet for meetings rises so does the required due diligence around sourcing of services, the price paid and the value those services bring.
CONTRIBUTORS
Use this workbook to develop your RFP strategy around Internet for meetings and guide the conversation with a venue about your event Internet and Communications needs.
Best practices for when using both this workbook and the coordinating Excel RFP workbook tool. Find out when Internet needs should be determined and how to gauge the value of internet access to the event, in order to properly source Internet access.
This workbook will help you “Define the service, understand what the venue has to offer and negotiate the price”
Matt Harvey
MaryAnne Bobrow, CMP, CAE, CMM, CHE
Michael Owen
Mariela Mcillwraith, CMP, CAE, MBA
John Rissi
PREAMBLE ................................................................................................................ 3
SECTION 1 DEFINE THE SERVICE .......................................................................... 4-5 Information you provide to the venue. These determinations and details are required to understand the event’s needs and make sure the venues’ infrastructure is capable of meeting your needs and to accurately price a solution.
SECTION 2 VALIDATE THE VENUE..........................................................................6-7 Information you should receive from the venue to understand the capabilities and gain commitment on service quality.
SECTION 3 CONTINGENCY PLANNING................................................................. 8-9 A strategy on how to negotiate and understand price methodology. Internet should be considered at the sourcing phase as much as possible. This presents the best opportunity to negotiate and make sure there are no surprises later.
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Preamble This strategy guide is the companion to the Excel RFP workbook tool. The workbook is designed to be comprehensive enough for larger meetings but simple enough not to become a burden for less expansive events. However, one size does not fit all and planners are encouraged to modify the workbook to meet their specific needs. THE GOAL of this effort is to make determining Internet needs easier for the planner and to structure the needs in a way that the venue can respond to requests faster and with better accuracy.
DETERMINING INTERNET NEEDS. Internet should be considered during site selection as much as possible. This presents the best opportunity to negotiate and to make sure there are no surprises later. If there are elements of the service that cannot be confirmed during site selection, consider adding options to the contract that allow for several pre-approved options that can be invoked once details are known. ASK YOURSELF What would the impact be if there was poor or no Internet access during the event. Would it be a minor inconvenience or would the entire event be a failure? Most events lie somewhere between these two extremes. Your level of diligence around sourcing event Internet should be proportional to the value Internet access brings to the event. • To determine the value and understand level of diligence required, we must look at; (a) size of the event, and (b) Internet/wireless needs
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS Question
Small, non-wired Meeting Criteria
How many people?
Must be less than approx.. 100
Will the group be using Internet for more than general Internet browsing and simple email?
Answer should be no
Will any wired connections be required?
Answer should be no
Is Internet critical to the success of the meeting?
Answer should be no
For small, non-wired meetings, it is likely little to no detailed due diligence is required. Use the Excel RFP workbook if any answers are “Yes” and/or for groups larger than 100
EXCEL RFP WORKBOOK TOOL
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SECTION 1
Define the Service Section 1 is all about logically defining the Internet service you need within the companion Excel RFP workbook.
REVIEW AND FILL IN ‘EVENT DETAILS’ (Rows 1 - 19) in the companion Excel RFP workbook INFORMATION NEEDED • Number of attendees, presenters and exhibit booths
THESE DETERMINATIONS AND DETAILS ARE IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO:
• Timetable of events
Receive a timely response from venues by clearly organizing your needs
• Rough breakdown of number and type of attendee devices
Avoid overpaying for a level of Internet services you do not need (e.g. requesting more bandwidth than the event requires)
• List of show management needs • Smartphones • Tablets • Laptops • Note any special devices (e.g. is everyone is getting a rented device)
Avoid last minute surprises by involving relevant stakeholders like production, IT and presenters early.
• Note what went well at your last event and what didn’t?
Planners should complete the sections in blue.
REVIEW AND FILL IN ‘EVENT SERVICE REQUIREMENTS’
Feel free to modify the needs section to accommodate your specific events. The sections in pink are for the venue to make notes or comments regarding specific requests.
• What is changing about the event this year that could impact the Internet needs? • Prior year reporting on bandwidth and device utilization if it is available
(Rows 20 - 60) in the companion Excel RFP workbook This part of the Excel RFP workbook allows you to organize your thoughts on what’s important about the venue’s service. Is it all about price? Or are service, reliability and performance equally or more important?
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Estimating Bandwidth Use
Consider this chart a starting point to develop your own understanding of how events consume bandwidth.
SECTION 1
The chart below is a non-exhaustive list of activities and their average bandwidth use. USER GROUP TIPS
ACTIVITY Bandwidth is “per instance”
BANDWIDTH NEED
WIRED - WIRELESS
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Calculate the bandwidth of the entire attendee group at once: http://www.conventionindustry.org/APEX/bwidthestimator.aspx
Attendees
Email / web browsing
Low
Wireless
Attendees
Social media / Skype
Low - Medium
Wireless Medium bandwidth suggested if event app includes video or a lot of content/picture uploads.
Attendees
Mobile event app
Low - Medium
Wireless
Web apps generally require connectivity all the time to function. Native apps download and store content and refresh when connectivity is restored Discuss the capacity of the website you are using with the provider of that website
Attendees
Web based training
Medium
Wired / Wireless
Attendees
Video to attendee devices / second screen
High
Wireless
Attendees
Audience response / real time interaction
Low
Wireless
Attendees
Large file transfers
Medium - High
Wired / Wireless
Attendees
VPN
Low - High
Wired / Wireless
Bandwidth needs vary and can be high if large downloads
Attendees
Printing
Low
Wired / Wireless
Make sure wireless to wired printing works
Presenters
HD Video Teleconferencing
4Mb/s
Wired
Ease of login is critical. Consider an open network and making everyone login at registration
The quality of the Internet connection at the remote end is just as important in order to achieve high quality video. Check if your video conferencing provider if you need a static IP. Upload dependent
Presenters
Cloud based presentations / Web casting / streaming (to offsite)
3Mb/s
Wired
Dependent upon how many simultaneous streams are being sent from the venue. Consider the remote audience and their Internet availability. Upload dependent
Presenters
Screen mirroring from a tablet
1Mb/s
Wired & Wireless
Network service discovery protocols such as Bonjour services must be enabled on the network
Exhibits
Attendee Wi-Fi in the exhibit hall
See attendee section
Wireless
Interference on exhibit floors can be severe…..
Show Mgmt
Registration systems
Varies
Wired
Check what security is required. Check if your software is onsite (less bandwidth required vs. cloud (more bandwidth required)
Show Mgmt
Presentation distribution/content management
Varies
Wired
Requires internal communication to be enabled
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SECTION 2
Validate the Venue The Venue Response section of the Excel RFP workbook contains questions the venue answers to help the
planner understand the capabilities, gain commitment on service quality and understand price methodology.
REVIEW ‘VENUE RESPONSE’
The table below (continued on the following page) provides some discussion on how to evaluate the answers.
(Rows 63 - 101) in the companion Excel RFP workbook QUESTION
POSSIBLE ANSWERS
NOTES BANDWIDTH
Bandwidth available for meeting space (upload & download)?
A number in Mb/s.
Upload is information you send TO the Internet Download is information you receive FROM the Internet
Is the bandwidth symmetric and enterprise class?
Yes / No
Yes means the experience No means you are dependent upon other nearby building’s is much more reliable use of the same bandwidth—a potentially variable experience.
What is the lead time to acquire more bandwidth?
A time typically measured in months
Getting additional bandwidth to a location can be a time consuming task (6+ months).
Bandwidth available to dedicate over the event dates specified?
A number in Mb/s. Should be lower than the total since the hotel will be using it’s bandwidth for other things too. OR—We can’t dedicate bandwidth
Confirm the venue has what you need or plans to upgrade well in advance of the event.
Dedicated bandwidth is all yours all the time. It produces a higher level of consistency. Some venues can’t dedicate bandwidth. They will quote an “up to” amount of bandwidth per device. Be aware that the “up to” amount should be considered best effort and the experience could vary (which might be OK depending on the meeting)
INFRASTRUCTURE Provide a meeting room layout with Access Point locations
What is the most modern standard the Wi-Fi supports?
A diagram of the meeting room layout overlaid with the location of wireless access points
Use in conjunction with the most modern standards answer to determine the maximum number of supported devices in the space
POSS. ANSWER..................NOTES
POSSIBLE ANSWER...........NOTES
802.11b ................................ 25 devices per access point 802.11g................................. 50 devices per access point 802.11a+g (dual band) ...... 100 devices per access point
802.11n................................. 75 devices per access point 802.11n (dual band)........... 150 devices per access point 802.11ac (dual band)......... 300 devices per access point
Guidelines only. Actual performance varies with makeup of client devices, type of Internet use and interference levels
‘Validate the Venue’ and table continued on the following page . . .
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SECTION 2
Validate the Venue
The table below (continued from the previous page) provides some discussion on how to evaluate the answers. QUESTION
POSSIBLE ANSWERS
NOTES ON-SITE SUPPORT
What hours is the onsite support team available?
Could be as required to support the event, or a time range
Some venues restrict on-site support to office hours. If support is important look for venues that commit to having support available at the hours to support the event, including setup.
What level of training do they receive around Wi-Fi and related systems?
Could be as little as on-the-job training company managed training and industry certifications
If support is important, insist that the team be trained.
What level of service is the onsite team able to provide?
Could be just managing the network itself through to helping attendees with their personal devices
If your attendees are not tech savvy, consider a “Tech Concierge” service to assist them in getting online.
How many people are trained to support onsite?
Could be one person up to a whole team
Typically the more people the faster the response.
What is the response time to a network issue?
Look for an answer in minutes
Can the onsite support team respond to an issue in real time?
OFF-SITE SUPPORT Who is the Network Service Provider / Network Operations Center (NOC)?
Could be a 3rd party network company, hotel IT or the onsite AV or network company
If it’s hotel IT, ask more questions about support hours and training. If it’s a 3rd party network company, ask more about response times. If it’s the same company that provides onsite support the experience is often more seamless.
What is the response time for network reconfiguration changes requiring the offsite NOC?
Look for an answer in minutes
Fast NOC response is required to minimize the impact of issues should they arise and proactively manage the network during a big show.
MONITORING Is bandwidth monitored on a per event basis?
Yes / No
Monitoring per event lowers the risk of failure by proactively managing the available bandwidth. This type of monitoring is Increasingly available but not standard in all venues yet. Be careful of speed test apps as a means to monitor bandwidth. They are not accurate when the venue is full of people.
Is every piece of network equipment monitored in real time?
Yes / No
Real-time monitoring of all equipment (router, switches, access points) typically leads to a faster response and a quick resolution when an issue arises
Is reporting of bandwidth and device utilization available during and after the event?
Yes / No
Reporting helps you understand how much bandwidth you are using and allows you to more effectively plan the next event
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Contingency Planning By now you know what you are using the Internet for and how vital (or not) it is to the success of the meeting.
HOW SHOULD YOU BUY?
Be sure to remain aware of the importance of Internet to the event as you negotiate.
• Also called a flat rate or “buy-out” approach
Negotiation is always a give and take exercise. Make sure whatever price you negotiate you are receiving the service quality you require.
SECTION 3
BANDWIDTH BASED PRICING • A charge for total bandwidth plus equipment and labor • Unlimited devices / users within that allocation of bandwidth • Useful for larger events but requires some thought about bandwidth needs CONNECTION BASED PRICING • Per device / per user — the amount of bandwidth isn’t guaranteed and each device is capped at an “up to” rate
REASONS WHY INTERNET PRICING VARIES
• Useful for smaller events where Internet is non-critical
COST FACTORS
LONG TERM CONTRACT TERMS
• Regional variances in wholesale cost of bandwidth
• Buy based on bandwidth. Add an option to purchase more at a pre-arranged rate should the needs of the meeting increase
• Design differences affecting the cost of infrastructure (redundancy, building construction, layout – distributed vs. compact meeting space) • Typical regional variances driven around the cost of living (support) REVENUE FACTORS • Quality perspective based on age of network or support quality (if it’s free they won’t complain)
• The cost per Mb/s of bandwidth falls slowly over time. • Rather than negotiate a fixed price, negotiate a fixed discount based on the published price at the time of the meeting • Remember that bandwidth consumption at events goes up about 30% a year • Plan to need more bandwidth in future years. Remember, the next “iPad revolution” hasn’t been invented yet
• Sales approach – is the Internet sold per user, per device, per bandwidth, per room
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Contingency Planning Many planners look to mitigate prior event Internet issues with guarantee clauses in contracts. However, guaranteeing Internet service is difficult for a venue to agree to since so many factors go into making Internet service successful.
SECTION 3
CONTINGENCY PLANNING CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: • Instead of focusing on financial penalties, focus on adding contract detail that would enable any potential problem to be fixed more quickly. • Could additional onsite support be negotiated? Could there be a guaranteed response time and follow up procedure if something goes wrong? • Most venues don’t offer redundant systems, meaning that the failure of a critical component could leave the hotel without Internet service. • If Internet service is vital to the event, discuss backup options like adding a second bandwidth source and equipment that takes over in the event of a failure of a key component. • Think about what contingency plan could be enacted if the Internet were to fail? • For example, could the HD video conference become a simple conference call or be delayed to a later slot in the program? The more contingencies that are possible without the event being considered a failure the less you need to spend on backup systems.
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