Smart stadiums and arenas have leapfrogged convention centers with their technological capabilities. Whereas many convention centers remain stuck within dated design archetypes, smart stadium solutions are pushing fan experiences forward at venues across the nation. In order to keep up with attendee expectations, convention centers need to adapt.
Read on to learn how the internet capabilities of smart stadiums have often eclipsed features found in many convention centers. Then, explore which smart stadium solutions conference centers should also consider implementing.
How Has IoT in Smart Stadiums Advanced Past Convention Centers?
Thanks to a combination of higher funding and fan interest, stadiums have evolved their IoT capabilities. Stadium fans have high expectations for connectivity while watching their favorite team. Today, any stadium lacking these capabilities risks disappointing fervent sports fans. For stadium owners and operators, strong Internet connectivity is an absolute necessity.
Convention center attendees are beginning to expect their events to offer similar connectivity. Because most convention centers lack these capabilities, implementing IoT connectivity solutions can distinguish a convention center as an industry leader. Innovative connectivity can also serve as a selling point for your property, helping book bigger and better events.
Leveraging Smart Stadium Solutions For Modern Convention Center Design
Here are just a few ways stadiums use smart building solutions, and how these capabilities can extend to convention centers.
Use IoT Devices to Gain Insights Into Guest Experience
Before the dawn of connected devices, coordinators had a far harder time setting up stadiums and events for the best guest experience. Guest feedback was available via word of mouth and print surveys. Evaluating event layouts and success, however, came down to feel and best practices, rather than analytics.
Connected solutions revolutionized stadium planning. By utilizing IoT devices, stadiums can monitor, analyze, and generate insights to optimize guest experience and engagement.
Stadiums track guests through a variety of means. Many smart stadiums offer experiential apps, helping fans explore player bios and up-to-date scores. These apps also allow stadium organizers to track visitor movement, with permission from users.
Other stadiums track visitors through engagement with digital kiosks. Tracking through kiosks helps stadium coordinators pinpoint which areas garner the most traffic, and when.
These same insights are also valuable for convention centers. Centers can leverage tracking through aforementioned technology or utilize convention-centric solutions such as RFID name tags. Whatever the tech, analytics help improve convention center design. Analytics from IoT devices help convention planners optimize their layouts to best support guests and create flow.
Improve Wayfinding for Event Staff and Attendees
Stadiums can also provide cutting-edge wayfinding to their guests. At smart stadiums, navigation is as easy on the first visit as it is on the thirtieth. Modern venues often combine software and signage to streamline wayfinding.
The same apps that track guest experience can also provide guests with interactive, digital maps of a stadium property. Intuitive digital maps allow for GPS navigation to specific stadium storefronts, similar to a car’s navigation system.
Stadium signage also supplements guests journeys through a stadium, in tandem with navigation apps. Signs provide additional reinforcement, reassuring that fans are on the right track as they navigate from their phones.
Because convention center layouts change from event to event, wayfinding is valuable to event attendees and staff alike. Digital maps can put staff back on track if they become lost within a new event layout. Attendees, meanwhile, can explore sprawling spaces with ease, targeting booths and exhibits where they want to prioritize their time.
Create Immersive Convention Center Experiences
Smart stadiums bring diverse, engrossing experiences to their fans. From seamless social content sharing to augmented reality, stadiums constantly innovate to improve the sports viewing experience.
Like smart stadiums, convention centers can focus on making their exhibitions completely immersive experiences. Opportunities for social media content, augmented reality, and more are just as applicable to convention center spaces as stadiums.
The Importance of Reliable Convention Center WiFi
All the above smart building solutions have one thing in common: they need a reliable, powerful WiFi network to run properly and efficiently.
Insights from tracking, whether from a kiosk or mobile device, are uploaded to the cloud through an Internet connection. Wayfinding apps can only connect to up-to-date maps and GPS while online. Social networks, augmented reality, and other attendee experiences similarly depend on an Internet connection.
The key to a smart convention center, then, is a trustworthy WiFi network solution, like one from HN. Once implemented with the appropriate bandwidth for your convention center’s size and scope, WiFi provides limitless opportunities to boost the convention center experience.
Equip Your Smart Convention Center With WiFi Solutions From Hospitality Network
Many convention centers have immense room to grow with their technological capabilities. Whether via offering a more immersive guest experience or leveraging attendee analytics, convention centers can improve their attendee experience by using smart stadiums as an example. Whatever the improvement, convention centers need the support of an adaptable WiFi network.
Hospitality Network specializes in providing high-bandwidth WiFi networks for convention centers. Our team of professionals can help design, install, and manage your convention center’s network, allowing you to focus on running great events. Contact us today and request a consultation.