2) How do I size total Internet bandwidth quickly?

Use a simple capacity model, then add headroom:

  • Devices per attendee: plan infrastructure for ~1.5–3 devices/person (BYOD reality). Aim to place ~75% of clients on 5 GHz (or 6 GHz when available).

  • Concurrency: estimate 30–50% of attendees as simultaneous users at peak.

  • Streaming add-ons: budget ~5–8 Mbps per 1080p feed and ~25 Mbps per 4K feed (uplink). These figures align with the FCC’s public guidance used across the industry. Federal Communications Commission

Quick reference: bandwidth by event type & size

Starting points for symmetrical Internet capacity. Benchmarks are derived from vendor VHD/LPV design guidance and real stadium/festival usage; always validate with a site survey and add headroom for your mix of streams, POS, and exhibitor demos.

Small meeting / workshop

  • Typical attendance: 10–25

  • Peak concurrent users (rule of thumb): 8–15

  • Recommended Internet bandwidth (symmetrical): 50–100 Mbps

Small event (briefing, launch)

  • Typical attendance: 25–100

  • Peak concurrent users (rule of thumb): 20–60

  • Recommended Internet bandwidth (symmetrical): 100–300 Mbps

Community pop-up / gallery

  • Typical attendance: 100–250

  • Peak concurrent users (rule of thumb): 60–150

  • Recommended Internet bandwidth (symmetrical): 150–300 Mbps

Mid-size conference / concert

  • Typical attendance: 250–1,000

  • Peak concurrent users (rule of thumb): 150–500

  • Recommended Internet bandwidth (symmetrical): 300 Mbps–1 Gbps

Large conference / trade show

  • Typical attendance: 1,000–5,000

  • Peak concurrent users (rule of thumb): 500–2,500

  • Recommended Internet bandwidth (symmetrical): 1–5 Gbps

Arena / stadium / festival

  • Typical attendance: 5,000–50,000+

  • Peak concurrent users (rule of thumb): 3,000–25,000+

  • Recommended Internet bandwidth (symmetrical): 5–20+ Gbps (often multi-uplink)

Reality check:

Modern large venues routinely drive multi-gigabit Wi-Fi demand (e.g., Super Bowls with 10+ Gbps and tens of TB of data). If you’re doing arena-scale experiences, design for multi-gig.

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