Studies confirm that a strategic planning approach can pay off big

It’s almost time. Time to tie up daily tasks, forward your email to a trusted team member or set an automatic reply, pack your bag and go to one of the best WISP conferences anywhere.

When you arrive at the event, there will be a lot going on, much to learn and new alliances to make. Without a conference plan and checklist, there’s a danger that you or your team could miss something that maximizes your operation and profits. A conference checklist focuses on your goals.

Planning Creates Success

Even WISPAmerica veterans benefit from a strategic planning approach. An analysis of 31 studies shows that strategic planning had a significant positive impact on operational performance and outcomes.[1] The study defines performance as, ”… efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness, outcomes, or financial performance.”

Will pre-planning your attendance create a better conference outcome? According to the authors of the article, the findings reinforce the benefits of identifying goals and the actions or benchmarks that get you there.  

Identify Your Goals

Technical knowledge, updates on industry regulations, WISP business mastery and networking might be on your agenda. If you’re on your own at the conference, then you’ll have to prioritize your goals instead of planning to “divide and conquer” with your team. 

WISPA makes both approaches easy by breaking down the educational sessions into categories – and you can search for specific topics:

• Advanced Technical
• Business
• Fiber
• Finance
• HR
• Marketing
• Regulatory
• Technical

Check out the “General” category to get the schedule for keynotes — you’ll find the times and places for a presentation about Spectrum acquisition and an address by Washington insiders about how subsidy policies are formed.  

A conference checklist gets you to the right sessions.

Why Care About Intermission?

The space between sessions is prime time. A casual chat with other operators could blossom into a referral that could fill a critical need or save you time and money.  

WISPA has broken out the intermissions so you see when they happen. Schedule short meetings with techs or vendors as a mini-pitch or get-to-know-them time.

Take Advantage of Networking Opportunities 

Some of the most important events happen after the last presentation of the day — you blow off a little steam, raise a toast and get to know fellow WISPs and industry experts. 

There’s a lot to choose from. If you want to watch college hoops and talk shop with long-time WISP industry experts, Joshaven Potter, Brandon Yarbrough and Jeremy Davis, RSVP for the “Top of the Tower to Ya!” event on March 17. 

Top of the Tower to Ya! starts at 6 p.m. at Frankie’s Downtown “The Underground Bar” and is sponsored by Visp.net, Cambium and RF Elements. You’ll indulge in adult beverages and yummy apps. 

One lucky WISP owner or operator at the event will win Visp’s Pot of Gold, which includes an ePMP 3000L Access Point with RF Element Horn and 10 Subscriber Modules, valued at $1,500. Register for the event at https://cambiumstpatricksevent.splashthat.com/.  

The Checklist

After registering, scheduling the travel and your arrival time, sit down for some pre-event planning. 

Check the WISPAmerica Agenda and select your top events for each of the conference days and take the list with you: 

• Tuesday events
  • A.M.
  • P.M. – Top of the Tower to Ya!
• Wednesday events
  • A.M.
  • P.M.
• Thursday events
  • A.M.
  • P.M.

When you arrive on the first day of WISPAmerica: 

• Check-in at the registration desk
• Map your journey between events and breaks
• Check out the speakers on social media
• During events, ask questions
• Chat with speakers after the event
• Check out the Exhibit Hall for:
  • Networking possibilities
  • Opportunities to learn more
  • Products, services and vendors that support your success

There are only a few days a year when you are surrounded by the wealth of experience and knowledge that’s present at WISPA events. Take full advantage – don’t risk missing out on events that could save you time, money and build your profitability – create your conference checklist. 

And, make sure to put booth 506 on your conference journey! See you there! 

Special thanks to Product

Reference: 

• George, B., Walker, R., Monster, J; Does Strategic Planning Improve Organizational Performance? A Meta‐Analysis; Oct. 2019; Wiley online: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/puar.13104