“The Cloud”: Hype or necessity for the Events Industry?
It sounds really cool if you can talk about “The Cloud” around the coffee machine … but should we actually be on Cloud 9 with this trend? Or is there a hidden thunderstorm brewing?
“Cloud Computing” provides software, details and disk-space that are always accessible through the internet. This means that for you, as an end-user, there is no longer any need to worry about managing the computers that provide the various services. And why not? Because Software As A Service (SAAS) is here to help out by providing a huge difference: you no longer need to use local software. All services, upgrades and data control are taken care of by an online service provider.
The biggest advantage for an event manager is undoubtedly how easy it is to access details, at any time, through a number of diverse channels. Quickly sending an entry ticket, a last-minute enrolment or making adjustments to table plans no longer needs to be done at the office. It can be done from any and every computer with internet access.
What’s more, you can work with other people on the same project and make information available to everyone involved in the event. With a live display in the kitchen, the caterer will be able to see where all the vegetarians are seated, with a glance at his iPhone, the CEO can see whether the most important guests have arrived, and the project manager can keep track of how many people have checked into the different hotels. And when guests present their digital e-tickets? It will take no time for hostesses to supply them with their live badges.
With mobile applications, you can open up a world of different possibilities:
- Download presentations;
- Network with other attendees;
- Share information within social networks;
- Participate in surveys and votes over a variety of topics;
- Much, much more.
The face of visitor experience will be changed completely when it comes to connectivity. A super-fast (r)evolution has just begun!
- Won’t our event become completely dependent on this connectivity?
- Is it possible for internet access to become overtaxed or unavailable?
- What if our registration desks don’t have access to the database?
These are all very real concerns! And good reason for risk management to take a closer look at this aspect of the organisation.
In effect, there are two crucial elements which you might worry about going wrong:
- The data centre where the details are saved;
- The availability of internet at the event.
The first can be overcome through a sophisticated infrastructure. Where an application used to operate on a single server, with a possible reserve server and daily back-up, tasks in a “Cloud” environment are spread across different virtual servers.
The means that on a single physical machine, a number of “Virtual Machines” can be configured. How? Through massive computing power, a colossal amount of internal memory and a fleet of external hard-drives. It’s like having 20 servers standing next to each other, frantically working away... except that everything is collected on a single mega server.
Tasks that tax a big server, such as generating PDF files, sending huge emails, or running media, are spread across a number of different machines that only use a smidgeon of their great computing power. This is an enormous advantage.
All your data is saved in a data centre, a good deal safer than on your personal laptop or the average corporate network.
The availability of internet connections at events has proven to be a weak link. With the high concentration of users, it is often necessary to wait out peaks in data traffic which slow connections down drastically or even render them temporarily unavailable.
And of course, there is the classic story of the caterer whose deep-fryer leaves everything, including the internet router without power… And there is access control and the badging of visitors, obviously areas of crucial importance. Who wants to watch 3000 visitors stand in a queue with e-tickets clutched in their hands when the Belgacom-router has given up the ghost?
It’s possible it will never happen… But anyone in risk management will warn you that Murphy’s Law always strikes. Again and again and again!
The solution is an off-line synchronisation module. This means that all locally encrypted visitor details are saved in the database of every registration desk. It means “The Cloud” is permanently synchronised.
Every hostess can continue checking attendees in and supplying badges or tickets even if the internet connection has temporarily dropped out. All details are saved locally. When the internet is reconnected, details are directly uploaded to “The Cloud”.
And if a location doesn’t have internet, there’s no longer a problem. Before reporting after the event, just upload the details at the office.
If the caterer and his deep-fryer do take out the power, there’s no need for panic. The registration desks and printers will continue to operate for an extra hour on external batteries.
“Event Cloud” is another technology that can be applied.
Using WiFi or Bluetooth, a temporary network is established, made from a series of access points. And this network is made for one single specific event at a time.
A network of little servers, about the size of classic routers, join together and create a great big web for the duration of the event.
The access points make all the content for the event available locally. To make sure the network doesn’t get overtaxed, the hard work gets spread out. The result? Information is available far more quickly. A huge advantage for anyone who’s been stuck waiting on those horribly slow downloads!
All presentations, programmes, videos and other information sources now come from a little local server, not from outside sources or the internet.
For a small event, this local network can be covered with about ten of the routers. At a festival, it’s possible to make a network that uses 100 little routers.
The full “Event Cloud” is connected with the internet via one or more high capacity lines and possibly even two 3G antennas for each access point.
In the network, you limit the amount of data that each of the connections can download or upload to the “Event Cloud” and to the internet.
Organisers can finally have the problems of data-connection under control, whether for small events or the most enormous extravaganzas imaginable.
A second important advantage of the “Event Cloud” is the measurability of the visitor flow and the data that is needed.
You can always split an event up into different zones, each of which comprises one or more antennas. And this can provide other benefits: using the ID of the connecting devices, you can measure “dwell time” (how many visitors are in each zone, how long they stay, what data they download, etc.).
And of course, “Event Cloud” can prove helpful in yet another way. It has the possibility of ‘Pushing’ information via Bluetooth. When a visitor’s Bluetooth is logged on, promotions or information can be sent to all the visitors who are in a specific zone. Super useful when you think about it in terms of programme information, links for downloads, special promotions, exhibitors, etc.
As you can see, we are well and truly excited and enthusiastic when it comes to “The Cloud” and “Event Cloud”. Risk management is being improved to make event management easier, more effective and of course, more enjoyable!
There you go Murphy? Zolang je maar niet met je hoofd in de wolken zit.. want dan ga je ongetwijfeld de mist in.
