WISP Virtual Summit 2020 Recap
And that’s a wrap! The first-ever WISP Virtual Summit, organized by Preseem and supported by WISPA and leading industry vendors, was held on July 28th, 2020.
This unique one-day summit set new benchmarks for online events in the WISP industry. That’s why we’ve decided to publish a WISP Virtual Summit 2020 Recap to show you key metrics and insights collected from the event.
This event started off as a simple idea to engage the WISP industry online during COVID-19. However, it turned into something much bigger and better than we could have imagined!
Over 500 members of the fixed wireless industry gathered at wispvirtualsummit.com to participate in this pioneering event. This included WISP owner/operators, staff members, industry experts, consultants, government officials, and company representatives from leading vendors.
More than 89% of the registered attendees logged in on the day to attend the live sessions. They also visited virtual booths, and participated in 1-1 networking, group discussions, and challenges to win free prizes.
Over the course of seven hours, starting at 10 a.m. Eastern time, the participants attended 17 sessions. These spanned the business, regulatory, marketing, and technical aspects of running a WISP, as well as some sponsored breakout sessions. Most sessions featured WISP experts who shared their experiences to help their peers.
WISP Virtual Summit 2020 Recap Video
WISPA Presentations
Claude Aiken, President of WISPA, delivered the keynote address. His message focused on stories of hope and how WISPs rose to the occasion when the pandemic hit, ensuring essential connectivity to millions of Americans. He also shared many examples of WISPs that emerged as heroes in their communities by going beyond the call of duty. Claude’s keynote finished with information on how WISPA is fighting the good fight for its members in Washington. He called upon more WISPs to join the organization and help spread awareness about the essential work that WISPs do.
Senior members of the WISPA team (Christina Mason and Louis Paerartz) also talked about the latest developments at the FCC and how there are billions of dollars committed by the US government for WISPs.
Key Topics at the Summit
Throughout the day, technical experts talked about everything from designing a wireless network for scalable growth, to best practices for radio networks. They also chatted about when to say no to customers, and core and backhaul designs.
Also, experienced WISP owners/operators talked about the different challenges and tips applicable to WISPs of different sizes.
Breakout sessions from vendors also touched on a diverse range of topics, including the use of CBRS (Cambium), leveraging automation (VISP.net) and the power of horns (RF elements). They also discussed Towercoverage and what not to do in WISP networking (IP ArchiTechs).
Other Summit Highlights
More than 40% of the attendees participated in challenges sponsored by exhibiting vendors. Over 56,500 points were collected by attendees who completed 2,400+ challenges! 12 participants won over $1,000 in gift cards as the hourly draws were completed. This led to some serious competition across many organizations!
One of the other highlights of the summit was the presence of leading industry vendors and organizations. These included: Atheral, Aviat Networks, Azotel / Solutions4Ebiz, BillMax, Cambium Networks, IP ArchiTechs, Micronet, Ping Marketing, RF elements, SAF Tehnika, Towercoverage, VISP.net, and WISPA.
Feedback
It was great to hear from WISPs and vendors to get up-to-date on what’s happening in the community.
The WISP Virtual Summit 2020 received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees. Many of them complimented the ease of using the platform as well as the value of the content. Some attendees noted how difficult it is for them to have staff members travel to in-person conferences. A virtual conference ensured that all staff members could benefit from the event without leaving the comfort of their home office while essential work continued.
At Preseem, we’re indebted to all of the attendees, partners, and supporters who helped us organize this incredible event. Also, your detailed feedback will help us improve on the experience for future events!
We really love the excitement of attending an in-person event like WISPAPALOOZA or WISPAMERICA, and we hope we can get back to attending them again soon. Having said that, we believe virtual events will continue to find their place in the world of industry trade shows. The ease, flexibility, and affordability of such events is hard to ignore. Here’s to more to come!
