Case study - WiFi for large multi-functional events venue

Novahub provides managed WiFi infrastructure and services to a large exhibition and events venue used by large corporate organisations across a range of sectors for events such as product launches and promotions, training days and team building experiences.

Summary

The venue offers a comprehensive set of services and systems including track facilities, catering sites and exhibit halls across a distributed area. For all such events, WiFi must be available to all exhibitors, guests and staff, and is considered critical to the experience. Events may attract anything from 1000 to 3000 visitors needing constant WiFi connectivity.

In this case study, we explain Novahub’s role in providing these critically important WiFi services.

Requirement

In the early days of the site’s operation as an events venue, WiFi was seen only as an operational necessity for staff and wasn’t considered to be a requirement for corporate clients or delegates.

At the same time, the organisations holding their events at the venue were starting to push the boundaries with product and concept demonstrations that needed ever more robust and reliable network connectivity.

Novahub was asked to carry out a site survey and propose a future-proof WiFi solution that could deliver against the Events Manager’s vision of free-to-use, frictionless guest and delegate WiFi, that could support high capacity, high quality bandwidth requirements.

Moving ahead of the times

Novahub installed the first guest WiFi facilities at the venue in 2005.

Many of the organisations running events at the venue operate at the leading edge of technology and innovation. The applications, demonstrations and presentations on show frequently push the limits of what is currently possible, in turn placing stretching requirements on the capabilities of Novahub’s WiFi infrastructure.

Applications such as audience polling, data capture, remote automation and augmented reality frequently run in real time across international borders.

Another key requirement for WiFi users is to be able to move between the many demo areas, exhibits and facilities seamlessly and without interruption to service.

For some events, exhibitors need separate SSIDs and secure reserved, bandwidth. Novahub ensures that WiFi coverage extends from area to area across the site, so that services such as Skype and live video streams don’t drop out while moving between them.

At the same time, QOS management and load balancing ensures that there is enough capacity to support high bandwidth applications. Complex requirements such as exhibitor VPNs running across WiFi, dedicated hotspots and port forwarding are all catered for.

To provision WiFi connectivity outdoors, Novahub has deployed point-to-multipoint wireless systems across the site and is looking to extend this using other wireless technologies.

5G and 4G Integration

Novahub is collaborating with the venue's extensive 4G and 5G network for testing and developing visitor reachability through seamless customer experience across WiFi and 4G/5G.

Post COVID Support

Novahub are introducing WiFi to support the safe return and access to locations for visitors and staff. WiFi can be used to manage and monitor the flow if people, and provide queue management and occupancy monitoring.

IoT device are accessible through our WiFi infrastructure for remote monitoring. Information is provided directly and automatically to users in real-time supporting event and site information, scheduling, menus and shopping etc.

Benefits of working with Novahub

The Events Manager’s expectations of Novahub’s WiFi speed, quality and support are exacting, reflecting the sophisticated demands corporate customers and their guests and delegates.

Novahub has evolved its WiFi provision continuously, also providing increased broadband services to meet the ever more demanding requirements of users. In some instances, Novahub’s WiFi speeds have been preferred for speed to exhibitors’ own direct satellite uplink services.

Novahub’s service ensures that the venue’s WiFi infrastructure constantly keeps pace with changing technology and ensures sufficient and appropriate WiFi infrastructure is always available around the site to deliver a fast, efficient service for customers.

“Novahub always listen to our requirements, quickly understand what kind of WiFi service we need to deliver, and work with us on a technical and business level.

 “We’ve evolved and grown our WiFi infrastructure together over nearly two decades through a mutually beneficial partnership.

 “Novahub’s WiFi technical knowledge, support and attention to detail are all outstanding.” - Events Manager, Large Multi-Functional Events Venue

 

Contact Novahub on 01223 661310 or email us at contact@novahub.co.uk to order a free site survey (depends on location) or Wi-Fi site evaluation to discover how your existing Wi-Fi systems can be improved. If you want to know more about effective Wi-Fi provision right now, then download our Buyer’s Guide to Enhancing Customer Experience with Smart Wi-Fi.

 



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