How many of you fine gentlemen and ladies offer free WIFI at your chess clubs for the parents and those in the
waiting areas?? Some clubs I visit or direct for during the week offer this service, some do not. Also, what effect
do you think this has on the number of people attending your tournaments and club events?? How much more likely
do you think a parent is to bring his children to play if they have WIFI capability for themselves while waiting for the
games to complete??
And I guess, as a marketing idea, perhaps, has the USCF EB ever approached a major national WIFI server to see
if perhaps some kind of endorsement deal is available, or at least some “group rate” for USCF affiliates is
possible?? Just an idea.
Rob,
I don’t know of any “major national WIFI server” that exists. If you’re talking about a fixed location, then your choices are usually your local cable and phone companies.
For the Maryland Chess Assn. we have a mobile Verizon hotspot that we use at our tournaments. We do not open it up to others though. With mobile broadband there are data limits. All it takes is a few people streaming Netflix and we’d blow through our monthly allocation. We’re way under the limit if we just access the USCF, send out our emails and texts for pairings, and upload our DGT boards to our web site.
Mike Regan
You could always try holding your event [club meeting or tournament] at a site that offers free WIFI. Panera Bread and McDonalds immediately come to mind, but I am sure there are others including many libraries. I remember playing in the back of a Chuck E Cheese in the New Orleans area in 1984 in their party room. Also, there are some hotels that have general WIFI access without the need for any password. Just a thought on the subject.
Lack of WIFI is likely only a minor detractor if at all. More important are the round times and what to do with the kids in between rounds. I think that needs to be catered to more than internet access.