Many event venues and exhibition centers around the world have been lagging when it comes to tech and connectivity, which is often an issue for events that need a strong internet connection for many attendees in the same place at the same time. Venue connectivity has become particularly important post-pandemic as many organizers look to implement digital and hybrid components that require high bandwidth.
Tech upgrades have therefore become a priority for many venues in the past year — ASM Global, for example, has been enhancing the technology in many of its US venues, including deploying 5G connectivity. In addition, Toronto’s Exhibition Place recently deployed WiFi 6, the latest generation WiFi network, which became available in 2019, at Beanfield Centre to make the venue more competitive and attractive to events.
“We worked with Exhibition Place to develop a fully customized solution that is unique to Beanfield Centre, ensuring that the venue gets the best capacity that Wi-Fi 6 has to offer along with robust performance,” said Greg White, Wireless Network Architect at Beanfield Metroconnect.
Unfortunately, this type of connectivity still isn’t the norm, but hopefully this trend will continue so that more events can take advantage of better technology at their venues. WiFi 6 was built to not only enhance internet speeds, but to improve network efficiency when multiple devices are connected, which is clearly essential when talking about meetings and events.
“The return to in-person events has seen an increased demand for enhanced digital connectivity as a result of industry trends — from webcasts and video streaming to hybrid events,” said Exhibition Place General Manager Laura Purdy.
“We are meeting and exceeding these demands by offering complimentary WiFi to all convention and exhibition clients, exhibitors and attendees at Enercare Centre and Beanfield Centre. Furthermore, as one of the few venues in Canada with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities, Beanfield Centre is positioned to thrive in this new landscape where frictionless hyper-connectivity is the norm.”