And I couldn’t help but notice that the “Eagle Eye” ad above doesn’t have a url. I’m sure it’s gonna serve when you log on, but some of us don’t actually use the free wee-fee.

C.

So you have to walk out of the exhibit hall. IT’S TOO CROWDED in there anyway.

Let’s be happy with anything free. I will be putting all my freebies up on ebay while sipping my $9 frappucino that it took me an hour to get.

I agree. I’m just clarifying that the fact that there’s no free wi-fi in the exhibit halls probably means that there’s not-free wi-fi in the exhibit hall, not (as some may conclude or fear) that there’s no wi-fi in the exhibit hall at all.

My guess? If they offered up the services for free to everyone in the exhibitor hall, the bandwidth would be hurt for the exhibitors who might need it a little bit more for their commerce than you need it RIGHT THERE to check e-mail. Much better you have to wander out into the hall to file a blog about some gossip you just heard at a booth than have a line of pissed, high-paying exhibitors complaining after the show.

A little web surfing turned up this page about the San Diego Convention Center facilities:
http://www.visitsandiego.com/exhibitors/telecommunications.cfm
which seems to indicate theat there’s a wi-fi service provider for the center. So if the center is wi-fi ready, that may jibe with my earlier thought that there must be pay-as-you-use-it wifi there. It may be that there’s wi-fi, just not free wi-fi

pulphope: “Is this really the first time this has happened?”

I don’t know if it’s every happened for a comics convention, but for what it’s worth, I’ve been to other trade shows where some sponsor has paid for free wi-fi for attendees. Come to think of it, though, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sponsor pay for free wi-fi for a show twice, which makes me think that it’s incredibly expensive, and some bean counter somewhere thought, “Well that was fun, but not cost effective. Let’s put our promo money somewhere else next time.”

Is this really the first time this has happened?

That’s a good point.

It occurs to me that the convention center might also be already covered by non-free wifi, the pay-as-you-go type that charges money for the privilege that you find in some hotels and cafes and whatnot. Heck, if I were running a convention center, that’s one revenue stream that I’d want to set up for sure, to get some more from the Blackberry addicted exhibitors!)

If so, maybe this convention center doesn’t want to offer wifi sponsorship that’d supplant that revenue stream, or their charge for such sponsorship is insanely expensive (to the revenues they won’t be making from pay-as-you-go-ers.)

This is great news, though — I’ve been trying to work out how to get some decent internet access on my phone, but if I can sit down by the wall and open up my notebook, which has a real keyboard, I’ll be able to type much faster.