NEC invests £7 million to improve technology and wi-fi

It is the first venue in the UK to adopt WaitTime, an artificial intelligence solution that provides real-time measurement of venue capacity and crowd density.

By developing this new relationship with WaitTime, the NEC, which attracts 2.3 million visitors annually, has further enhanced its data capabilities.

The technology also alerts the NEC to capacity issues across the site.

Zachary Klima, chief executive of WaitTime, said: "It's no surprise that as the UK's largest exhibition venue, the NEC, is on the forefront of innovation and adoption of technologies like WaitTime.

Using artificial intelligence to manage crowds and capacity levels is going to help them increase operational efficiencies and, ultimately, create better guest and vendor experiences."

Another integral aspect of the investment is the venue’s wi-fi upgrade, utilising technology developed by Cisco. This upgrade has installed 1,800 state-of-the-art wi-fi access points eliminating all blackspots in all public spaces.

In addition to replacing the wi-fi, all wired, corporate and event networks have also been replaced, giving greater capacity and bandwidth which supports organisers and exhibitors, increasing connectivity at events and broadening access to more digital content.

Ian Solomon, director of operations at Hyve Group, said: “During 2021’s Autumn Fair, it was clear from an organiser's perspective that improvements were being made to the NEC’s wi-fi infrastructure. It gave us the confidence to direct visitors to download and use our show app using the venue’s free wi-fi. As a result, we generated a significant increase in visitor engagement.”

Ian Taylor, managing director for NEC group conventions and exhibitions, added: “Our new wi-fi solution teamed with WaitTime’s crowd and business intelligence is revolutionary. The NEC Group is a data-led business and it is investments like this that help to keep us at the cutting edge of live event innovation.”