Direct answer
List every required location, group devices by purpose and decide which systems must keep working when the network is busy. Bring internet to a suitable base point, distribute it to each zone, separate payments and operations from guest traffic, then match backup and support to the impact of downtime.
What matters most
- Design from named zones such as Bar 1, Main Entrance and Production Office.
- Treat internet backhaul and site distribution as separate design layers.
- Use separate networks and priorities for payments, ticketing, staff, production and guests.
- Record site-plan assumptions so layout changes can be reviewed properly.
Start with a location list that matches the site plan
“Provide Wi-Fi for the festival” leaves too much open to interpretation. A workable scope names the locations: Main Entrance, Bar 1, Bar 2, Food Traders, Production Office, Medical, Artist Area and any other place where devices need service.
For each zone, record the structure, approximate device count, power, operating hours and what happens if it loses connectivity. This lets the technical design distinguish a convenience area from a revenue-critical bar.
Group devices by purpose, not by who happens to own them
| Network group | Typical devices | Design priority |
|---|---|---|
| Payments | Card machines, tills, EPOS tablets and stock systems. | High priority, controlled access and broad coverage at trading points. |
| Ticketing | Scanners, accreditation tablets and entrance laptops. | High priority during entry peaks, with a clear fallback process. |
| Operations | Event control, staff phones, security, medical or welfare devices where required. | Reliable access, separated from public use and available across named operational zones. |
| Production | Laptops, show systems, content teams and approved remote access. | Capacity planned around cloud use, uploads and any specialist requirements. |
| Guests | Audience phones and sponsor activations. | Rate-limited and isolated so it cannot consume critical capacity. |
Design three layers: backhaul, distribution and access
Backhaul
Starlink, mobile data or venue broadband brings internet to the site. Larger or higher-risk events may use more than one path.
Distribution
Ethernet, fibre where appropriate, switches and point-to-point wireless links move the connection between event areas. This layer solves distance and obstruction problems.
Access
Access points provide Wi-Fi to the actual devices. Their placement is based on the user location, structure and expected density—not simply an even pattern on the map.
Keep local event services inside the network
Not every event system needs to send each request out to the internet. Guides, menus, schedules and internal dashboards can sometimes be hosted locally. Devices then reach the service over the event network at local network speed, preserving the external connection for payments and cloud services.
For Inverarity Morton’s Hauf an’ a Hauf event, we rebuilt a local-ready version of the event app so it could operate inside the event network. Read the project example.
Match resilience and support to the failure impact
Ask what one failure would remove. If a single switch takes three bars offline, the design may justify spare hardware or a different distribution arrangement. If loss of the primary backhaul stops all payments, a second connection may be sensible.
- Choose a support level: remote, monitored or on site.
- Define the backup path and how it takes over.
- Test actual device types before opening.
- Keep a named organiser contact for authorised changes.
- Review moved bars, structures or added zones against the agreed plan.
The goal is not maximum complexity. It is a design where the important systems work, the risks are understood and the organiser knows who owns the problem.
Planning an event in Scotland?
Send the date, location and what needs to stay online.
No technical specification is needed. We will tell you what information matters next.