Event Tech Glossary

Internet service and ordering

• Bandwidth: How much data a connection can carry each second, measured in Mbps or Gbps. On a shared connection, everyone using it splits the same bandwidth.

• Dedicated bandwidth: Bandwidth reserved for one customer and not shared with anyone else on the show floor. This is what you order for registration, livestreams, and critical demos.

• Shared internet: A connection many users or booths draw from at once, with no guaranteed speed. Fine for email and browsing, risky for anything that has to work.

• Upload and download: Download is data coming to you, like loading a web page. Upload is data you send out, like a livestream or a video call. Streaming events need strong upload, not just download.

• Symmetrical service: A connection with the same upload and download speed. Usually what you want for livestreaming and video production.

• Latency: The delay for data to travel across the network, measured in milliseconds. Low latency matters for video calls, live interactive sessions, and gaming.

• HSIA (High-Speed Internet Access): The hotel and venue industry term for internet service sold to guests and events.

• Internet drop: A wired internet connection delivered to a specific spot, like a booth, a registration counter, or a meeting room.

• Hardline: Event shorthand for a wired connection, as opposed to Wi-Fi.

• Static or public IP address: A fixed internet address assigned to a connection. Some streaming encoders, VPNs, and remote-access tools need one.

• DHCP: The service that automatically hands out IP addresses to devices when they connect. Two DHCP servers on one network cause conflicts, so outside equipment has to be set up carefully.

• Exclusive or in-house provider: The company a venue requires you to order internet and network services through. Many venues restrict outside internet services and personal Wi-Fi equipment, so check the rules before you plan around your own gear.

• Advance pricing: A lower price for services ordered before a set deadline. Orders placed after the deadline or onsite often cost more.

Wi-Fi

• Access point (AP): The device that broadcasts Wi-Fi. Large venues use hundreds of them, usually mounted on ceilings, walls, or columns.

• SSID: The name of a Wi-Fi network, the one you pick from the list on your phone. One access point can broadcast several SSIDs.

• Captive portal: The login or splash page that appears before you can use a Wi-Fi network, often with a password, terms, or a sponsor message.

• Frequency bands (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz): The radio ranges Wi-Fi uses. 2.4 GHz reaches farther but has few channels and gets crowded. 5 GHz has more room. 6 GHz has the most room but only works with newer devices.

• Wi-Fi 6, 6E, and 7: Generations of the Wi-Fi standard. Wi-Fi 6E added the 6 GHz band, and Wi-Fi 7 builds on it with faster speeds.

• Channel: A slice of a frequency band. Nearby access points are placed on different channels so they don't talk over each other.

• Airtime: Wi-Fi is shared. On any one channel, only one device can transmit at a time, so every device is waiting its turn. The more devices and the slower they are, the less airtime everyone gets.

• Interference: Other radio signals that crowd or disrupt Wi-Fi, such as personal hotspots, unauthorized routers, and some wireless equipment.

• Personal hotspot: A phone or small device that creates its own Wi-Fi network. One is harmless. Dozens on a show floor crowd the same channels the venue uses and slow everyone down, including the booths that brought them.

• Rogue access point: A Wi-Fi device set up without the venue's approval. Many venues prohibit them because they cause interference.

• High density: A space with many devices in a small area, like a keynote or general session. These rooms need more access points and careful planning.

• Roaming: A device moving from one access point to another as its user walks around the building.

• RF (radio frequency): The radio signals that Wi-Fi, cellular, and other wireless systems use.

• Site survey: Measuring Wi-Fi coverage and performance in a space, either before installing a network or to check one that's already there.

Wired networks

• Ethernet: The standard for wired network connections, using copper cable with RJ45 plugs. A single copper run tops out at about 100 meters (328 feet).

• Cat6: A common grade of Ethernet cable used for computers, access points, and other network devices.

• Fiber: Cable that carries data as light. It covers long distances and is used to link rooms, floors, and buildings, and for high-capacity connections like livestream feeds.

• Switch: A device that connects multiple wired devices to a network. Booths and registration areas often get a small switch so several devices can share one drop.

• PoE (Power over Ethernet): Delivering power and data over the same Ethernet cable. Access points, cameras, and desk phones often run on PoE.

• Uplink: The connection from a switch or device back toward the core of the network.

• MDF and IDF: Telecom rooms. The MDF (main distribution frame) is the central room, and IDFs (intermediate distribution frames) are the smaller rooms spread through the building that feed nearby areas.

• Patch panel: A panel in a telecom room where building cables terminate, so connections can be changed with short patch cables.

• VLAN: A separate virtual network running on the same physical equipment. VLANs keep registration, production, exhibitors, and guests apart without running separate cables.

• Dry connection: A cable path between two points with no network service on it, like a fiber run between two rooms. A production team connects their own equipment on each end.

• Redundancy and failover: A backup path or service that takes over if the main one fails, such as a second internet circuit or a cellular backup.

Cellular

• DAS (Distributed Antenna System): A network of antennas inside a building that brings mobile carriers' cell signal indoors, where thick walls and crowds would otherwise block it.

• Carrier: A mobile network provider. A DAS may support some carriers and not others, so coverage can differ by phone.

• 5G: The current generation of cellular networks. Speeds vary widely depending on the carrier, the band, and how crowded the area is.

• Bonded cellular: Combining several cellular connections into one for more capacity and reliability. Production teams often use it as a backup for wired service or for broadcasting from remote locations.

• Private LTE or 5G: A cellular network owned and run by the venue or an organization rather than a public carrier, often used for operations, ticketing, or point-of-sale.

• CBRS: A shared 3.5 GHz band in the U.S. that organizations can use to run their own private LTE or 5G networks.

AV and production

• AV-over-IP: Sending audio and video over a standard data network instead of dedicated AV cabling. It's why AV and IT teams now share so much infrastructure.

• Dante: A widely used system for sending audio over a network, common in live sound and conference audio.

• NDI: A system for sending video over a standard network, common in live production and streaming.

• SDI: A broadcast video connection that runs over coax cable rather than a network. Converters bridge SDI equipment to network-based systems.

• Multicast: Network traffic sent from one source to many receivers at once. AV-over-IP relies on it, and if the network isn't configured for it, the traffic can flood other devices and slow everything down.

• Encoder: A device or software that compresses video for streaming or recording. Encoders need a steady upload connection, ideally wired and dedicated.

• Production network: The network used by the AV and production crew, usually kept separate from attendee and exhibitor traffic.

• Speaker ready room: The room where presenters review and load their slides before their session.

• Speaker management system: Software that sends presentations from speaker ready to the session rooms over the network, so the right deck is waiting at the podium.

Security

• Firewall: A device or service that controls what traffic can pass between networks, such as between the internet and a venue's internal systems.

• Network segmentation: Splitting a network into separate sections, so a problem or compromised device in one area can't reach the others.

• Open network: A Wi-Fi network with no password. Traffic over the air isn't encrypted, so it isn't suited for sensitive work like payments.

• WPA2 and WPA3: The encryption standards that protect password-protected Wi-Fi. WPA3 is the newer and stronger of the two.

• VPN (Virtual Private Network): An encrypted connection from a device or site back to another network, often a company's office. Some VPNs need specific settings or a public IP to work on event networks.

• PCI DSS: The security standard for handling credit card payments. Exhibitors running payment terminals should ask for a secure, dedicated connection rather than open Wi-Fi.

Event operations

• Move-in and move-out (load-in and load-out): The setup and teardown periods before and after an event. Network services for registration and production often need to be live before move-in ends.

• Show management: The organization running the event, responsible for the overall plan, floor layout, and exhibitor rules.

• General service contractor (GSC): The company hired by show management to handle booth construction, freight, carpet, signage, and other exhibitor services.

• Exhibitor services kit: The packet of order forms and deadlines sent to exhibitors, covering services like internet, power, and furniture.

• Registration: The area where attendees check in and pick up badges. It usually runs on laptops and badge printers and should almost always be wired.

• Badge printing: Printing attendee badges onsite at registration, often from a cloud-based registration platform, so it depends on a reliable connection.

• Lead retrieval: Apps or devices exhibitors use to scan attendee badges and capture contact information. Most can work offline and sync later, but only if they're set up to.

• Tech desk or service desk: The onsite counter where exhibitors and show staff go for help with internet and network orders during the event.