The Wired (and Wireless) High-Tech Site Inspection --
Meeting Planners Technology Checklist 
©2005 Corbin Ball Associates

Hotel Web Site:

• Informative and useful website with floor plans and pictures of meeting space, exterior and public space
• Has on-line menus
• Has on-line meeting policies
• Accepts on-line RFP’s
• Accepts on-line registrations through a secure server
• Accepts on-line group registrations
• Has floor plans which can be downloaded for use with room diagramming software. What format?

Hotel Sales:

• Is Sales representative on-line?
• Do he/she check email regularly?
• Can hotel sales accept attached documents? What format?
• Can hotel sales send initial contract offers electronically?

Convention Services:

• Is Convention Services Manager contact on-line?
• Do CSM check email regularly?
• Can CSM accept attached documents? What format?
• Can the accept electronic rooming lists electronically? What format?
• Do CSM use meeting diagramming software? What format?

Sleeping Rooms:

• Desk with space and comfortable height using a laptop
• Ergonomic adjustable chair
• Easily accessible outlet for laptop (preferably at the table top)
• Easily accessible data port (at the desk)
• Multiple phones and dual phone lines
• High speed digital data line to guest room? Wireless? 
• What speed?
• What is the charge for Internet access (hourly, daily, etc.)?
• Are in-room desks and safes large enough to accommodate a laptop computer? 
• Do cell phones work from the guest rooms?
• Can a private network between attendee guest rooms be created? Can it be used in the meeting rooms?
• In-room voice messaging with customizable guest greeting and remote access
• In-room safe large enough for a laptop
• Do the safes contain A/C outlets to recharge laptop batteries while stored?
• In-room fax machine and printer
• In-room computer
• In-room web access
• Closed circuit television broadcast capabilities to sleeping rooms
• Wireless phones available for rent?

Meeting Rooms:

Telecommunication/Internet capabilities:

• POTS (plain old telephone system) lines: number, access, direct dial capabilities, lead time required, cost
• T1 lines (lead time required, cost, dedicated bandwidth available)
• Cable internet (lead time required, cost, dedicated bandwidth available)  
• ADSL (asynchronous digital subscriber line) access(lead time required, cost, dedicated bandwidth available)
• High-speed DS3 Internet access with full redundancy (lead time required, cost, dedicated bandwidth available) 
• LAN, WAN and shared or dedicated Ethernet services? half or full duplex? swtiched Ethernet ports? auto-negotiation for all connections? connections speeds?
• wireless (Wi-Fi) access and where (lead time required, cost, dedicated bandwidth available) 
• where is Wi-Fi available?
• do all rooms have internet access capability?
• in-house Internet service provider
• can content be shared live across many rooms (including the guest rooms)? 
• Interactive kiosks
• virtual private data networks
• fiber optic and CAT 5 cabling? High-density fiber-optic cabling? 72 strands?
• is the building fully wired requiring no additional cabling for Internet access?
• wireless phone services?
• Press rooms with global links
• Presentation theater
• Voice-over IP availability?
• TDD equipment on site?
• Micro-cell sites within facility?  For what cellular services?
• Can the property completely isolate a group's network for meetings?
• Can the property carve out a specific amount of dedicated Internet access and bandwidth? What is the cost of this service?
• Does the property have access points for wireless Internet connectivity?
• Name of meeting planner who recently used property and used technology applications in the meeting rooms similar to your group.

Lighting controls

• location
• programmable controls
• good darkening capabilities
• can lights above screens be turned off
• windows in room

Sound system:

• PA system quality
• input capabilities – microphones jacks? accessory inputs? locations?
• in-room dedicated mixer
• multiple mic regulations (union facilities will often require an operator for multiple mics)
• patch fees (if any) for outside suppliers
• sound isolation from adjacent rooms

True ceiling height – for proper screen sizing and placement.

Ergonomic (16 hour) chairs

Electronic audience polling capabilities

Simultaneous translation capabilities

Distributed floor outlets for computer labs

Simultaneous interpretation rooms

Designated boxes every 30 feet at ground level in exhibition hall providing fiber-optic and electrical connectivity.

Video conference:

• Dedicated room? Capacity? Number of channels? Connectivity speed?
• Portable system
• Cabling -- is coaxial cable for video connects available in the meeting rooms?
• Document camera
• Computer input
• Electronic slide projector
• Video data projector
• TV Monitors
• Roof pads for satellite links available for customer-supplied equipment
• Audio and video recording capabilities
• Costs

Equipment available

• satellite dish or high speed phone line (i.e. ISDN) system such as as PictureTel
• Standard used (i.e. H.320 or other)
• Ku-/C band and other transmissions?
• HDTV connections and other high-performance private networks?

Registration/Public Space:

• Room for networked registration computers and printers
• Secure lockable storage area
• Availability of temporary staff with keyboarding and computer skills
• Data ports and space for laptops at public telephones
• Electronic message boards
• Digital signage networks
• Payphone data ports
• Public access Internet payphones
• ATM machine
• Lead retrieval systems
• Wi-Fi? Free?

AV/Computer supplier:

• Desk top computers (quantity, processor type, storage, memory, cost)
• Laptop computers (quantity, processor type, storage, memory, cost)
• Printers (quantity, type, cost)
• Fax machines (quantity, type, cost)
• Can attendees rent computers and other necessary equipment from the property, or from a local vendor? Will the property levy a surcharge for not using its equipment?

Data projection capabilities

• LCD projectors (do not accept LCD panels)
• DLP (digital light processing) projector
• high end data projectors

Modems (speed, type)

• 33.6K
• 56K (flex or X2)
• ISDN converter
• cable modems

Software available

Technician capabilities, experience and labor rate (computers, networking, telephony, internet)

References

Off-site backup? Length of time for equipment replacement if needed.

Business Office:

• Computers (number, processor, memory)
• Software loaded
• Scanners
• Printers
• Internet accessibility
• Hours open
• Charges
• Location, turnaround time, pricing, delivery policies of local high-volume photocopy supplier.

Photocopying capabilities

• speed and throughput
• quality
• collating
• stapling
• binding
• DocuTech
• lead time required
• cost
• discount for volume copying