5 Must-Attend Sessions at WISPAPALOOZA 2018
It’s (almost) time for WISPAPALOOZA 2018, the biggest-ever version of WISPA’s flagship industry event. On October 8th, 2018, over 2,000 fixed wireless internet service providers (WISPs), industry executives, experts, vendors, consultants and others will gather at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino.
For five days, participants will learn all about the latest trends in the industry. They’ll share their wisdom with others, check out the latest industry gear and solutions, and most importantly, have fun!
This year’s event already looks like it will have a record turnout. The industry is growing at a phenomenal pace and new innovations come to the market almost every day.
In terms of the agenda, this one promises to be another jam-packed adventure. WISPs really need more than one person to attend the show to get maximum value, as many critical sessions are scheduled simultaneously. It’s best if staff from different functions can attend sessions customized for their part of the business.
WISPAPALOOZA 2018 will have a full agenda of 60+ interactive sessions, training events, and a new Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) track consisting of sessions hosted by the Multifamily Broadband Council.
It’s not really feasible for one person or team to attend all the sessions. As a result, we’ve taken a close look at the agenda and curated a list of 5 must-attend sessions for everyone’s benefit!
1. Regulatory: Spectrum Update
- When: Tuesday, October 9, 2018, 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. (Session One)
- Why: With fixed wireless providers battling for spectrum, it’s imperative to understand how the current scenario related to CBRS allocation affects WISPs. This will be a good opportunity to learn measures that WISPA and its members can take to have a strong collective voice.
2. Business: Scaling Your Company from 1,500 to 10,000 Customers
- When: Wednesday, October 10, 2018, 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.
- Why: 1 in 3 WISPA principal members have between 500 and 2,000 subscribers, according to WISPA data. Starting a WISP and acquiring the first few hundred customers is tough. Scaling a business to thousands of customers, however, requires a lot of planning, processes, resources and hard work. WISP owners will learn some tips and insights from other owners who have reached the big WISP mark in this one.
3. Marketing: Marketing Tools on a Limited Budget
- When: Wednesday, October 10, 2018, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
- Why: Most startup WISPs or smaller ISPs are started by entrepreneurs with a knack for technology and networking. Very often, they realize that a big challenge in being successful is not network-related but marketing, both in terms of spreading awareness and competing with other companies in the area. With financial resources being a key consideration, this session will talk about a variety of marketing tools that WISPs can use on a limited budget for maximum impact.
4. Technical: Connectivity as Seen Through Your Customer Complaints
- When: Wednesday, October 10, 2018, 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Why: Network owners and managers often look at their network connectivity from a network element’s perspective, i.e. whether all network elements are up or down. In reality, a customer really cares only about their experience. Customer complaints, if regularly unresolved, often lead to churn and loss in profitability for WISPs. Therefore, it’s imperative to look at network management from the customer’s point of view. This opens up discussion on Quality of Experience (QoE) and measuring and optimizing it. This is what Preseem is all about. Dan from the Preseem team will be a part of this panel, so don’t miss out on some real QoE insights as well as real-world data on customer churn and connectivity from WISPs.
5. Advanced Tech: Network Monitoring: More Than Just Up/Down
- When: Thursday, October 11, 2018, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Why: The title of this session is what the Preseem team has been shouting from the rooftops for quite some time now 🙂 Network monitoring is not simply a black or white scale or up/down measurement. There’s a lot of gray in this spectrum and it relates to each subscriber’s Quality of Experience (QoE). It needs to be measured and optimized to ensure lower churn, reduced support calls/costs and increased revenue. Better QoE leads to happier customers and that leads to long-term profitability. WISPs will learn all about advanced network monitoring from the customer’s point of view in this session. Dan from Preseem will also be a part of this panel so get ready for some real-world insights.
While these sessions are great for sharing knowledge and best practices, added value often comes from the insightful interactions one has with other participants. It’s where the magic happens! WISP owners are known to be extremely supportive of others starting out or facing business challenges, and share their wisdom and personal experiences openly. A lot of critical information, especially related to industry products and services comes from the vendors as well. That’s why WISPA has two unique events to encourage conversations between WISPs/owners themselves and with the exhibiting vendors and experts.
In addition to the sessions above, make it a point to attend the following two events:
1. Exhibit Hall Reception
When: Wednesday, October 10, 2018, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Why: With over 140 exhibitors set to display the latest wireless gear and software solutions, you can’t afford to miss this reception. It’s the perfect opportunity to interact with vendors and experts and check out their innovations first-hand. It’s also suggested to form effective business relationships with key staff at companies that can help your WISP get the best deals and support in the future. There’s also many events and training sessions that offer in-depth product information happening throughout WISPAPALOOZA 2018. In fact, Preseem will also be conducting an exclusive QoE Seminar, one day before the event kicks off.
2. CEO Roundtables
When: Wednesday, October 10, 2018, 9 p.m. – Midnight and Thursday, October 11, 2018, 9 p.m. – Midnight
Why: “Pick their brains” is how WISPA is promoting this event, and rightly so. CEO Roundtables offer WISP owners (new and established) the best opportunity to talk amongst each other about important business aspects and get real, honest feedback and suggestions. This is the most candid opportunity to get answers to any kind of business challenge you may be facing, from those who have had similar experiencing running a WISP operation. Select topics are picked for these sessions based on mutual interest and then discussed and debated in a friendly fashion. Many WISPs believe such honest conversations to be a real value-add during WISPAPALOOZA.
There’s a lot to do at WISPAPALOOZA 2018 so get out there, network, learn and most importantly, have fun!
If you’re interested to know more about QoE monitoring and optimization for your network, make your way to Booth #702 in the Exhibit Hall between Tuesday, Oct. 9th and Thursday, Oct. 11th, and the Preseem team will be happy to meet you!
