|
WiFi Charges Are Just Bad Business
Julius Solaris recently told a room of venue managers that WiFi should be free and apparently caused a small uprising. People walked out. The reaction was visceral.
He hit a nerve because he's absolutely right, and the industry knows it.
The Fundamental Problem
We've somehow convinced ourselves that internet access is separate from venue access. That connectivity is an upgrade rather than infrastructure. This thinking is outdated and harmful to everyone involved.
Events today are built around participation, not passive consumption. Attendees share insights while sessions are happening. They connect with speakers and other participants in real-time. They access materials, take notes, and engage with content through their devices.
None of this works without reliable internet access. Treating WiFi as optional is like treating lighting as optional.
What This Really Costs
Event organizers are already stretched thin. Budget pressures are real. Resource constraints are constant. The last thing anyone needs is another negotiation point that adds complexity without adding value.
WiFi charges force unnecessary choices. They create budget line items that shouldn't exist. They add stress to planning processes that are already complicated enough.
More importantly, they undermine event outcomes. When connectivity is unreliable or expensive, engagement suffers. Social reach diminishes. The entire value proposition of bringing people together gets weakened.
The Infrastructure Reality
Some venues already understand this. They've absorbed connectivity costs into their base pricing because they recognize WiFi as infrastructure, not a service add-on. Their clients have smoother planning processes. Their events perform better.
These venues aren't operating as charities. They've simply recognized that connectivity is part of what modern venue rental includes, just like heating and electricity.
The venues still charging separately are creating artificial scarcity around something that's essential. They're solving a problem that doesn't need to exist.
Our Position
Events exist to create connections between people and ideas. In 2025, that requires both physical and digital infrastructure working together seamlessly.
Charging separately for WiFi undermines this fundamental purpose. It treats connectivity as luxury when it's actually necessity. It adds complexity to event planning when the goal should be simplification.
The industry needs to move past this outdated model. Venues should include connectivity in base pricing. Event organizers should factor this into their venue selection criteria. The market should reward partners who understand that reliable internet access is part of basic hospitality.
This isn’t being unreasonable with venue economics, but seeing what events truly need to succeed and clearing the path for them.
The Path Forward
WiFi at events should work like a heartbeat — steady, unnoticed when it’s right, but impossible to ignore when it’s gone. Not because it’s easy to provide, but because it keeps the experience alive.
The venues that make this shift will win more business from organizers who understand what modern events require. The ones that don't will keep fighting an increasingly pointless battle over something that should just work.
Event professionals have real problems to solve. Connectivity shouldn't be one of them.
We'd love to hear your perspective. Are WiFi charges still creating friction in your event planning, or have you found venue partners who get this right? |
