As WiFi has become a seemingly essential part of our lives it has become impossible to imagine a world where we don’t connect to the internet every day. These days there are very few places where we can’t connect to WiFi or use our mobile phones as a connected device, however festivals remain one of the few places where WiFi isn’t fully operational across a whole festival site for the entire event.

Festival organisers are seeking to change this and although there has been limited connectivity across festival sites in the past, full-connectivity from mobile devices is set to be a normal part of the festival experience. Together with KBR, specialist WiFi installers we explore what the festival industry is set to gain from staying connected, and how this industry can implement reliable WiFi infrastructures in the future.

Why have WiFi at a Festival?
Since the turn of the century the number of people attending music festivals has grown massively. From 2004 to 2013 the number of festivals 100 to 700. Alongside this, in 2014 alone festivals generated £3.1bn. Due to the market being so financially successful there is huge competition within the industry. What this means is that festival organisers need to establish a competitive edge and a USP — with this USP being WiFi.

For festival organisers investing in a WiFi connection is not a wasted cost- 90% of all festival goers are smartphone users making an event with free WiFi more appealing than one without. In an age where people regularly stay connected and share their plans and memories with each other via social media it is no surprise that WiFi for such popular events like festivals is becoming a must have for those who attend.

How are WiFi structures reliably implemented?
Because festivals usually take place in remote locations establishing a reliable WiFi connection is no easy task. In response there are a number of specialist companies that have been established in order to keep festival goers connected.
Of course, given the size of the site and the sheer number of people trying to connect to the WiFi network, at present it’s difficult to provide a festival-wide connection. This means that using the connection in your tent is still widely unavailable but WiFi hotspots are being created.
One of the most notable examples of these hotspots was the ‘WiFi cows’ that popped up across Glastonbury in 2014. These fibreglass cows acted as a 4G hotspot provided by EE, allowing festival-goers to get connected in true outrageous festival style. The WiFi structure also enabled contactless card payments across the festival’s 25 bars.
In the future, and as our dependence on digital grows it’s likely that festival WiFi will become even more widespread- eventually turning each site into a hotspot. You can use a service such as viasat internet plans to ensure you are always connected no matter how remote your location.

Is WiFi at a festival really beneficial?
As many celebrate the availability of WiFi at these events some people are questioning whether this new level of connectivity will detract from the overall festival experience. If attendees are too busy tweeting and posting about their experience are they truly experiencing it?

However the many benefits of WiFi outweigh this slight negative. WiFi not only helps promote a festival through attendee social coverage it also helps festival-goers stay connected with their friends at the event (potentially increasing safety) and those at home. Clearly festival WiFi is the way forwards and here to stay.

It always feels like people are always snapping photos nowadays. They can’t wait to get their phone out to get some pictures- after all, they can then share them on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram to share with their family and friends in an instant. However a lot of people feel they aren’t photogenic and they look back at the photos with regret. Here are some ways you can make sure you are always ready for your photo to be taken- make sure you are always photo ready.

Ensure your makeup is always on pointIt’s never good to be caught makeup free when it comes to photos. After all, you might have to live with these photos on social media for years to come!If you’re not a fan of your natural look this thought can make you shudder in horror. Therefore, before meeting up with friends and family always ensure you put on makeup. Go for your favourite tried and tested makeup look that you wear every day, and if you have an idea some pictures will be taken you then it isn’t the time to go there with a new look- you might live to regret it when you see the photos. And it’s always a good idea to keep makeup in your bag so you can redo it during the time out. That way, you can ensure you look glamorous when the photo is taken! After all, smeared makeup is never a good look!

Practice your pose at home

It can lead us to panic when our friend or family member says smile- after all, we don’t know how to make our face look on point for the photo in an instant. This can mean we pull an expression which is a bit crazy. In fact we can often start cringing when we look back at the pictures! Therefore, to ensure you are photo ready you should practice your best smile while you are at home. Look in the mirror and try different smiles. After all, we never really know how it’s going to look until we have tried it. So give different smiles a go until you find one that you are confident looks good. You can also practice angles which as you can see in the best selfie guide can make all the difference to the photo! Then when it’s time to take your picture you can be assured you know you will look fantastic.

Always dress to impress

As much as you might love wearing that cosy jumper and trackies when you are chilling out they aren’t going to be good when it comes to picture time. In fact you will regret that casual outfit when it’s time to look back at the photos. Therefore to ensure you are photo ready it’s important to always dress to impress when it comes to meeting with friends and family. Only wear outfits you are willing to share with the world, so if the camera does come out you are happy for the photos to go public. And remember to pick good shoes as well; everything will come together to help you impress with your outfit.

And remember to always tell your friend if you are not happy with a shot. They are bound to relate and offer to retake it so you aren’t left feeling low at the picture!

I’ll start this post with a heft disclaimer- in no way am I dropping hints that I am ready to be getting engaged. I am however at that age where a lot of people I know are in long term relationships and might be looking to drop a hint or six…if that’s you then I hope this helps!

After two or three years your guy can sometimes become complacent. By getting stuck in his ways sometimes he needs to know that your ready to take your relationship to the next level — so why not drop a few hints to your man so that he knows that you’re truly ready to become engaged?

Retailers of bespoke engagement rings, Angelic Diamonds can help you make sure that your husband-to-be definitely knows that you’re ready to be asked the big question.

Your married friends should always be your best friends
To get your boyfriend in the mood for engagement why not get him to hang out with your married friends? This will make him realise that you’re comfortable with him being around others in more serious relationships.
Yes, although your boyfriend will be able to see that marriage has its ups and downs – he’ll also realise that he could have a more committed relationship with you- something he will not want to throw away! Although men who have parents that are divorced sometimes struggle to trust this commitment, replacing negative feelings with positive ones in this type of environment may help to bring him around to your way of thinking.

Always be the friend he can turn to
After a couple of years sometimes you fall into seperate roles – you do your thing, and he does his and somehow you meet somewhere in the middle. Make sure that you can be your partner’s go-to guy as well as a girlfriend. If you’re constantly being left behind for the guys then this is going to put a strain on his ability to propose and take you seriously.
If he has interests and hobbies make sure that you know about them and you stay interested. There’s nothing worse than someone who doesn’t pay attention. If you can be part of his whole life rather than just someone he spends time with then he’ll feel like you’re indispensable. Once you get to this point in your relationship then he’ll feel like proposing as he can’t spend his time without you!

Cruel to be kind is key
Sometimes you need to show a bit of tough love, and although this can be hard if you want to keep things interesting then this is what you need to do. If you don’t see your relationship heading in the right direction and things are flatlining try and find his pulse again by telling him you may move out.
Try a less dramatic tactic by making a career move without letting him know; or spending more time with the girls. This could lead him to question why he is not spending time with you. Although he knows that you’re always there for him this will make him feel that he isn’t being as included as he should be and he’ll start to wonder why. Keeping him on his toes in this way will make him realise that he needs to put the effort in (by proposing!) so that he can get your undivided effort and attention in the future.

Taking a simpler approach
If you feel like the above are too much like playing a game for you then why not just talk about how you feel? Sometimes the best remedy within any relationship is communication. If you want to get engaged then why not talk to him about why it’s important to you.
If you can tell him why you want to marry him then the likelihood is he’ll know how much he means to you. Sometimes people have the same fears and doubts within a relationship but they are just too afraid to address them with each other. By talking about your future together he’ll know that you want to be a part of it. By giving him that gentle nudge in the right direction you may just be engaged before you know it.