festivals

How Guest WiFi Increases Engagement at Festivals

Regarding festivals, concerts, and other large events, how you engage with attendees plays a key role in how they’ll enjoy the experience. These days, the extra amenities you provide to your guests greatly influence their decision to return to your recurring event; and one of those amenities should be free guest WiFi.

Customers across industries expect free WiFi as part of their experience. It’s fair for event attendees to expect WiFi since social media is a large part of their experience. From making social posts to sharing photos and videos, many event-goers have solidified their social profiles as part of their event experience.

Offering basic WiFi is fine for connecting your guest to the internet during your event. After that, it doesn’t provide much of a purpose. By using a Smart WiFi platform, you can market, advertise, and learn about your guests that utilize your WiFi in ways you never thought possible.

WiFi Marketing for Festivals and Events

Branding lets you get people visually and psychologically accustomed to your business and products. Using WiFi Marketing under a Smart WiFi platform allows you to create a branded log-in experience for your WiFi guests. A captive portal login page, also known as a splash page, is what your users will interact with to gain WiFi access under Smart WiFi.

If your event includes vendors, you can use your branded login page to showcase certain vendors or guest speakers, depending on your type of event. Have a concert coming up? Let your attendees know of the different performers by listing them on your log-in page.

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Basic WiFi allows users to access their social profiles. Wifi Marketing works with social media profiles by providing sign-in options like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use this sign-in feature to encourage users to like your Facebook page, follow you on Instagram, and give you an @ shoutout on Twitter.

Email is another potential sign-in option for WiFi users. You can start an email marketing campaign right from your Smart WiFi platform. Greet attendees with an eye-catching “welcome” email giving them a full rundown of everything planned for the day. Keep in touch with attendees with well-timed email campaigns encouraging them to return to your event next year.

Smart Tip: Getting your emails into a recipient’s inbox can be a difficult task, especially if you’re unsure of what causes an email to be filtered as spam. Learn how email filtering works and keep your emails out of the spam folder to get the most out of your marketing campaigns.

WiFi Advertising

WiFi Advertising is the new way to advertise to people who can interact with them at the same time. After a WiFi guest authenticates through WiFi Marketing, WiFi Advertising redirects users to an interactive advertising page. Similar to a splash page, a WiFi Advertising page can be branded to your event but with the addition of interactive ad spaces.

Take your physical ads and put them into a digital space to be seen by WiFi users. The benefit is the ability to add a URL to a specific advertisement. Attendees can click on these ad spaces and be sent to an advertiser’s specific webpage or social media profile. Advertise vendors, speakers, and even sponsors of your live event. Additionally, gain the added benefit of redirecting interested viewers to the web pages of these companies.

You can also track the click rates of your ad spaces to monitor which advertisers are gaining solid traffic. As well as which others may need to update their ad design to gain more viewership.

Smart Tip: Get more out of your digital marketing efforts with a geofenced advertising campaign. Geofencing lets you create personalized social media advertisements targeted to those who enter your WiFi boundary.

WiFi Analytics

Once you are marketing and advertising through your WiFi, the cherry on top is to utilize WiFi Analytics. WiFi Analytics uses your WiFi signal and heat-mapping technology to gather insightful data from attendees. This includes foot traffic, dwell times, and behavior trends around a certain area. This is accomplished by the analytics software recognizing the MAC addresses of the devices that contact your WiFi.

These insights are great for learning where your guests prefer to navigate your event’s property, how long or how short they tend to stay around a certain spot, and how many (or how few) congregate in a certain area.

For events that include vendors, WiFi Analytics is the perfect tool for optimizing vendor placement. Events that use plenty of physical advertising can utilize WiFi analytics to improve signage placement. Additionally, get advertisements in spots that will be seen rather than playing a guessing game.

Have a certain area that is lacking in foot traffic? Look at implementing a new attraction in that dead zone. Then, start engaging with your guests at every point of the property.

Smart Tip: Make sure that your WiFi landscape hits every corner of your event property so that your WiFi Analytics doesn’t miss out on any valuable insights. Knowing what blocks a WiFi signal and optimizing your WiFi’s reach is important to get the most out of every feature of a Smart WiFi platform.

Ready to turn your basic WiFi into Smart Wifi? At GoZone, we provide all three platforms of WiFi Marketing, Advertising, and Analytics. Thus, helping you increase attendee engagement and keep them returning for years to come.

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Coupons

Unlock new revenue streams with Smart WiFi’s automated coupon campaigns—create unlimited, customized offers that are instantly delivered to your guests via email or SMS when they connect to your WiFi. Effortlessly boost engagement and drive repeat business, while tracking every redemption to see real results for your venue.

Splash Page Scheduler

Take control of your guest experience with our Splash Page Scheduler! Effortlessly plan and customize splash pages for any day or special event—whether it’s a weekly promotion or a one-time announcement. With flexible scheduling, you’ll always deliver the perfect message to your guests, exactly when it matters most.

How Does OpenRoaming Work?

OpenRoaming is a groundbreaking framework designed to provide seamless and secure Wi-Fi connectivity across multiple networks without the need for users to repeatedly log in or manage credentials. This simplifies user experiences while enhancing security and interoperability. Here’s how OpenRoaming operates:

  1. Automatic Device Authentication: OpenRoaming enables devices to automatically authenticate to participating networks using trusted identity providers, such as service providers, educational institutions, or enterprise systems.
  2. Federated Trust Framework: It leverages a global federation of identity providers and access networks. This ensures secure communication between the user’s device and the Wi-Fi network, allowing for trusted and seamless connections.
  3. Encryption and Security: OpenRoaming employs advanced encryption protocols to ensure secure data transmission and user privacy.
  4. Seamless Handover: When moving between participating networks, OpenRoaming allows for uninterrupted connectivity without requiring users to re-authenticate or reconnect manually.
  5. Standardized Deployment: Networks participating in OpenRoaming adopt a consistent framework, ensuring compatibility and ease of deployment across diverse environments.

Advantages of OpenRoaming

  • Effortless Connectivity: OpenRoaming eliminates the need for repeated logins or managing passwords, delivering a frictionless experience for users.
  • Improved Security: By using identity federation and encryption, OpenRoaming ensures user data is secure, reducing risks associated with public Wi-Fi networks.
  • Global Interoperability: OpenRoaming’s federated framework allows users to connect seamlessly across a vast ecosystem of participating networks, enhancing mobility and convenience.
  • Enhanced User Retention: Businesses benefit from providing an uninterrupted user experience, encouraging longer visits and repeat engagements.

Challenges with OpenRoaming

  • Initial Setup Requirements: Participating networks must implement the OpenRoaming framework, which may involve technical setup and coordination with identity providers.
  • Network Participation: OpenRoaming’s effectiveness depends on widespread adoption by networks and identity providers, limiting availability in areas where participation is low.
  • Compliance and Maintenance: Ensuring compliance with OpenRoaming standards and maintaining infrastructure can require ongoing effort and investment.

OpenRoaming for Businesses

 Businesses that adopt OpenRoaming, which allows guests to connect automatically, gain a competitive advantage by providing a secure and effortless Wi-Fi experience for customers. From improving customer satisfaction to creating opportunities for engagement and loyalty, OpenRoaming transforms Wi-Fi connectivity into a strategic asset. By joining the OpenRoaming ecosystem, businesses can become part of a global network that keeps users connected wherever they go.

How Does CAPPORT Work?

CAPPORT (Captive Portal API) streamlines the process of connecting users to Wi-Fi networks by creating a seamless and user-friendly experience. When a user accesses a CAPPORT-enabled network, they are guided through an efficient flow for authentication and internet access:

  1. Connection Initiation: The user’s device requests internet access when attempting to connect to the network.
  2. DHCP and CAPPORT State Interaction:
    • The device communicates with the DHCP server to obtain an IP address.
    • Along with the IP, the DHCP server provides a URL to the CAPPORT State endpoint.
    • The device queries the endpoint to determine whether it needs redirection to a captive portal.
  3. Captive Portal Engagement: If required, the user is redirected to the portal, where they can complete actions such as accepting terms, entering login credentials, or providing other validation.
  4. Authentication and Access: Upon successful validation, the network grants the user internet access, and redirection ceases for the duration of the session.
  5. Browsing and Session Extension: Users can browse without interruption. CAPPORT also supports seamless session extensions, allowing users to extend their session without re-authentication.

 

This standardized process ensures a smooth connection and consistent user experience across networks and devices..

Advantages of CAPPORT

  • Standardized Connectivity: CAPPORT ensures uniform communication protocols, delivering consistent network behavior and enhancing the user experience.
  • Improved Browsing Experience: Avoids common HTTPS redirection issues, reducing errors and streamlining the login process.
  • Seamless Session Management: Enables session extensions without re-login, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for users.

Challenges with CAPPORT

  • Implementation Complexity: Setting up CAPPORT requires a robust network infrastructure, which may challenge businesses lacking technical expertise.
  • Local DHCP Server Requirement: CAPPORT relies on a local DHCP server with an API, necessitating specific configurations and potential cost considerations.
  • Device Compatibility: As of 2023, CAPPORT support is not universal, limiting functionality on some devices.

By addressing these challenges, businesses can leverage CAPPORT to enhance connectivity, improve user experiences, and create opportunities for Wi-Fi monetization and marketing.

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Smart WiFi Suite Enterprise Feature Matrix

  • Enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure
    Scaleable platforms on the Amazon AWS cloud provides carrier-grade uptime.
  • Multi-Location Data Views
    An aggregated view of your data giving you visibility to all of your locations or drill-down to specific locations.
  • User Access Control
    Allows your administrator to control and limit access, features and data visibility among users.
  • Advanced Captive Portal Engine
    A complete toolset to design and build dynamic captive portals, guest flows and custom privacy controls. Includes our Touchless Menu features.
  • Guest Forms, Vouchers and Payments
    Collect guest data, surveys, on-line or offline payments and offer different access levels.
  • Customized login methods
    Choose how guests are able to access your network including social login, emails and SMS login, advertisements or a combination.
  • Data Export
    Full guest profile export to CSV allowing you to use collected data in third party systems.
  • Detailed Location Data Analytics
    Analyse detailed information about your locations like busy days, busy times and location comparisons.
  • Demographics and Device Information
    Make informed decisions based on detailed demographics and perform location comparisons.
  • Data Sync to other systems/API
    Save time populating other systems as guest profile data can be sent to external systems on timed intervals.
  • Triggered Campaigns
    Engage with your guests without the manual work by creating personalized email, SMS or Twitter campaigns.
  • Coupons and Loyalty
    Increase spend and promote repeat visits by creating incentives for guests or their friends to come back.
  • Import external data
    Bring in contact data from other systems to consolidate your marketing efforts into a single comprehensive platform.
  • Contact segmenting and lists
    Build contact groups to send personalized messages to your guests based on automatic segmentation and your own critera.
  • Scheduled Campaigns
    Communicate with your contacts to drive awareness through email, SMS or Twitter.
  • Traffic Counts and Statistics
    Monitor your venue and events with real-time and recorded traffic counts and patterning.
  • Heatmapping and Traffic Flows
    Visualize crowd density and how people flow in, out and through your venue to see where people congegrate.
  • Alerting and Reporting
    Create automated alerts to help control crowds or to monitor abnormal trends.
  • Intelligent Landing Page Builder
    Simple to create pages that support multiple campaign types and can easily be modified and re-purposed for other venues or events.
  • Campaign Management Tools
    Offer your advertisers options to suit their advertising needs such as A/B testing, ad weights, flexible scheduling and more.
  • Reporting and Attribution
    Analyse detailed information about the campaigns and creatives to get the best campaign targeting.

  • Access


  • Insights


  • Automation


  • Contacts


  • Presence


  • Advertising

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Custom Splash Page Builder

A custom splash page helps give a captive portal the branded look it needs to stand out from the crowd and give guests the peace of mind they’re accessing the network associated with the venue they’re visiting.

WiFi Payments and Vouchers

Offer premium guest WiFi access and promote WiFi upgrades with comprehensive payment and voucher modules. Payments can be used to offer guests varying speeds of WiFi access, while vouchers are great for venues that want to utilize a captive portal that also requires a voucher code for WiFi access.
WiFi payments and vouchers

Guest Plans

Venues can now offer multiple levels of guest WiFi access with our Guest Plan feature. Guest Plans are defined by specific upload and download speeds and session time limits. Brick-and-mortar businesses can offer guest WiFi access and promote WiFi upgrades with our new payment and voucher modules.

Versatile Form Builder

Create and display custom guest surveys on any splash page of your guest flow. Collect feedback and gather additional data points to create smarter marketing.

Enhanced Guest Flow

Guest flow gives venues complete control over the guest WiFi experience. Guest flows help keep a visually pleasing captive portal experience by preventing clutter of multiple marketing assets. Keep it simple, or turn your WiFi into a digital billboard.
WiFi splash page with survey social login

Integrated Ad Spaces

Ad Space Integrations is a powerful feature for venues who want to promote products, deals and specials, online shopping, loyalty programs and other signups, or third-party advertisers all on a pre-authenticated Splash Page.

Increase impressions and clicks for advertising opportunities by showcasing AdSpaces before requiring a guest to connect to WiFi.

Have an app that needs more downloads? The URL redirect function will navigate guests to the app store specific to their device as soon as they click on the advertisement/call-to-action button.

No more will guests have to wait to connect to WiFi to reach interactive ads. Ad Space Integrations takes Ads4WiFi smart advertising tools and places it our smart marketing environment powered by Marketing4WiFi.

Hotspot Scheduler

Determine the specific days and times that WiFi is available to guests. Hotspot Scheduler offers smarter WiFi control by allowing venues to run their guest WiFi during business hours.