WISPAPALOOZA 2023: Your Guide to What’s Happening

by Neil McDonald | September 8, 2023 | Events

WISPAPALOOZA 2023

Fall is in the air, the kids are going back to school, and that can only mean one thing. Well, it can actually mean many things but for our purposes, it can only mean one thing—WISPAPALOOZA 2023 is just around the corner!

The biggest annual event on the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) calendar, WISPAPALOOZA 2023 will take place at the Paris and Horseshoe hotels in Las Vegas from Monday, October 9th to Thursday, October 12th.

As always, there’ll be lots going on, with over 2,500 attendees expected, along with more than 170 exhibitors and 130 panel sessions.

With so much happening in such a short time, we’ve gone ahead and studied the conference agenda to pick out some of the best sessions and special events to attend. We hope you find it helpful.

Make sure to drop by booth 529 during exhibit hall hours to chat with the Preseem team and find out all about our latest features. Also, don’t forget to register for our Preseem Networking Event that’s happening on Monday, October 9th!

Key Sessions and Panels at WISPAPALOOZA 2023

Monday, October 9th

Fiber and Wireless Deployments: Regulatory Focus: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – Dive straight into the nitty-gritty first thing Monday morning with a look at the regulations that operators have to consider when deciding to deploy fiber or fixed wireless networks.
Speed Testing, Bufferbloat and More: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Bufferbloat is a major problem that’s often the cause of ‘slow internet’ complaints from customers. Hear from the experts on how to combat it and why speed testing alone doesn’t tell the whole story.
Partnering for Success: You Don’t Have to Do it All Yourself: 1:30 p.m to 2:30 p.m. – After lunch, check out this session on how to leverage partnerships to add value, improve the customer experience, and take some work off your plate.
Optimizing the Connected Home Experience with Cloud Innovations: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – According to research from Omdia, subscribers rate quality of experience (QoE) as one of the most important features an ISP can provide. Learn from industry experts on how to boost your QoE with cloud technologies.

Tuesday, October 10th

Internet Hygiene: Free Tools to Clean Your WISP Traffic: 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. – With the State of WISPA address and WISPA Awards taking place Tuesday morning (more on those below), the first panel sessions of the day start mid-afternoon. Check out this one for some tips on securing and cleaning your network.
Upgrading Your Core to 100 GB+: 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – As bandwidth usage increases, WISPs may need to upgrade their core. This session will look at how to prepare, what to consider, and what hardware will be needed to do the job.
Exit and Transition Planning: 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – It’s a good idea for operators to plan their exit and transition strategy, even if they’re not thinking of selling right now. This session will examine why owners exit, any hurdles to expect, and how to align your personal, business, and financial goals to create maximum value.

Wednesday, October 11th

Proactive Support: 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. – Start your Wednesday on a positive note by attending this session that promises to look at how WISPs can use proactive tools and strategies to help reduce truck rolls and keep their customers happy.
Network Monitoring Tools: 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. – You need to know the state of your network at any given moment, so using effective network monitoring tools is a must. Listen in as a panel of experts evaluates and helps navigate your options.
Inspect What You Expect with Packet Capture: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Take a technical deep dive in this session and learn how to perform and analyze a packet capture to understand what’s really happening on the network.
Doing More with Fewer Employees: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – For operators who’ve been having trouble finding new employees lately, this session will provide some food for thought on how to address the issue and retain the employees you have.
New Business Models to Consider: 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – In order to survive and thrive, WISPs should consider new business opportunities like multi-tenant buildings, serving community anchor institutions, or partnering with other ISPs. Get all the details in this informative discussion.
Fiber Troubleshooting: 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – For hybrid operators who are running fiber as well as fixed wireless, this session will cover common fiber issues and the tools you need to troubleshoot them successfully.
Selling to Small to Midsize Businesses: 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Selling to businesses can be a profitable addition to your WISP customer base, but it’s a different beast than adding new residential subscribers. Get the lowdown on how to do it in this session.

Thursday, October 12th

Website and SEO Tactics: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – The best way to grow your brand awareness and generate new leads is to use effective website and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. Learn from the experts in what promises to be a lively and enlightening discussion.
60 GHz Do’s, Don’ts, and Gotchas. And Successes!: 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. – In the final session window of the conference, join this look at the ins and outs of deploying mmWave. Topics include what works, what doesn’t, how to back it up, and what risks you should know about in advance.

Other Special Events to Attend

In addition to all the panel sessions, there’s plenty of other special events to take in at WISPAPALOOZA 2023. Below are a few we think you won’t want to miss.

Crowd shot from Women of WISPA event at previous WISPAPALOOZA

Monday, October 9th

Preseem Networking Event: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. – We’re hosting a free networking event in the Skyview room at the Horseshoe hotel, where our experts are available to demo Preseem or talk about our new features. There’s also an open bar, so feel free to just stop by for a chat and a pre-dinner drink! This has become one of our favorite annual traditions at WISPAPALOOZA and we’re looking forward to hanging out with everyone again. Fill out the form on this page to register.

Tuesday, October 10th

Breakfast/Opening Session/State of WISPA: 7:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. – Head to the Event Center at the Horseshoe hotel to grab a delicious breakfast and listen to the annual State of WISPA address. Hosted by Nathan Stooke of Wisper ISP.
WISPA Awards Luncheon: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – After a brief intermission and some “speed dating” sessions, stick around at the Event Center for the annual WISPA Awards luncheon. Preseem is honored to be nominated for Service of the Year for a fourth time. Good luck to all the nominees, each of whom are making a difference in the WISP community!
Exhibit Hall Welcome Reception: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. – At the official Exhibit Hall Welcome Reception, you can visit with vendors, mingle, and enjoy some complimentary food and drinks (your attendee badge is good for two drink tickets, so cheers!).

Wednesday, October 11th

Women of WISPA Happy Hour: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Women of WISPA celebrates the advancement of women in the fixed wireless industry, and their annual reception is open to all conference attendees. This has been a breakfast gathering in previous years, but this time around it’ll be an early evening happy hour (well, two hours) in the Exhibit Hall with door prizes, networking bingo, games, and more. Preseem is proud to be a co-founder and co-sponsor of this event, so we’ll definitely see you there!

Thursday, October 12th

Keynote: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – The final day of WISPAPALOOZA 2023 will kick off with a keynote address in the Event Center at the Horseshoe hotel. Speaker details to be announced.
Closing Session and 50/50 Giveaways: 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Before you leave the conference, make sure to attend the closing session and find out if you’re one of the lucky 50/50 winners!

Visit the WISPAPALOOZA 2023 Exhibit Hall

The Exhibit Hall is the spot to visit vendors, learn about new products, network with other WISPs, and grab some sweet, sweet swag. With more than 170 exhibitors on the floor, it’s sure to be a busy place. Take note, though, that the hall is only open during designated times so plan your days accordingly. You can find the Preseem Team at booth #529, so make sure to stop by and say hello!

Exhibit Hall hours:

Tuesday, October 10th: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Welcome reception)
Wednesday, October 11th: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (lunch is available in the hall from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.), 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Women of WISPA reception)
Thursday, October 12th: 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. (brunch is available in the hall)

A view of Las Vegas from a distance with mountains in background

Things to Do in Las Vegas

As the self-proclaimed Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas has more than enough to keep you occupied outside of conference hours. If you’re not too exhausted at the end of the day, or if you’re able to take some vacation time to bookend your trip, here’s a few resources you might find useful:

No matter what sights you end up seeing, WISPAPALOOZA is always a fun time. We’re looking forward to attending again this year to catch up with old friends, meet some new WISPs, and get the latest insights from industry experts. See you in Vegas!