Bob Heile, a longstanding advocate of Wi-Fi excellence in the meetings and events industry has died, 75, at his home in Boston, USA, following a battle with cancer.
As long-standing chair of the INCON Digital Infrastructure Award he helped raise the standard of connectivity in meeting and convention venues across the world.
Heile was an internationalist and innovator who led the global harmonization of digital communications such as the 802.11 standard (WiFI). He was also involved in presiding over the development of various wireless protocol standards, like the “Internet of Things” (IoT).
An accomplished business event chair, speaker, and committee member, he helped educate the business events industry on standards for the provision of Wi-Fi in venues.
Angela Guillemet, Executive Director of INCON, the professional congress organisers network, said: “Through his judging and generous feedback to awardees, he has raised the global awareness of the importance of strong WIFI and functionality at international congress venues around the world”.
Roslyn McLeod OAM, founder of PCO Arinex who worked with Heile for many years, said: “Bob came to us first at the ISCAS meeting International Symposium on Circuits and Systems in 2001, where our client, David Skellern, an Australian electronic engineer and computer scientist credited, along with colleagues at Macquarie University, Sydney, invented the first chip-set implementation of the IEEE 802.11a wireless networking standard. They were the buzz of that meeting. This innovation was described as a revolution in world communications, allowing high speed wireless communications. It was the chip in your mobile phone. Bob was also an inventor, but he also became a consummate conference expert. I remember one year he was at home for only 16 days because he was on the road constantly attending meetings and conferences.”
Bob Heile, Ph.D Bio:
- Chairman Emeritus, Chief Technologist ZigBee Alliance
- A founding member of IEEE 802.11
- Chair, IEEE 802.15 Working Group on Wireless Specialty Networks
- Chair IEEE 2030.5 Working Group for Smart Energy Profile 2
- Co-Chair IEEE P2030 Task Force 3 on Smartgrid Communications
INCON Digital Infrastructure Award winners: Darmstadtium, Frankfurt; Daejeon Korea; ICC Sydney; Melbourne and Perth Convention Centres; Austria Center Vienna; Stockholmsmassen; Marina Bay Sands, Singapore; Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre; KINTEX, Korea International Exhibition Center; Pacific Convention Plaza Yokohama; the Kyoto International Conference Center and Croke Park Dublin.
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
