From our friends at Events DC...
Free Wi-Fi Initiative Highlights Commitment to Best in Class Technology to Enhance and Enrich the Attendee Experience
Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, announced today substantial expanded complimentary Wi-Fi services across the 2.3 million-square-foot Walter E. Washington Convention Center. As a world-class convention facility in our nation’s capital, Events DC will work with Smart City, its exclusive technology services partner, to enhance its Wi-Fi service. This enhancement will allow Convention Center attendees to stay connected on the go.
“With the constant changes in technology, including social media and the need for increased and more robust connectivity, our customers and their attendees deserve an enhanced experience at our center,” said Max Brown, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Events DC. “We are so proud that our free Wi-Fi offering will continue to showcase the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as a leading facility in the industry. I look forward to seeing some great posts to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter from our tech-savvy customers.”
This expanded service, available this spring, will enable attendees visiting the Convention Center a level of complimentary Wi-Fi service to complete routine tasks such as checking email, utilizing social media tools and navigating online platforms and applications, hassle-free while enriching the guest experience. This enhanced Wi-Fi capability will also allow attendees the ability to get online with ease without depleting their personal mobile data.
“Technology is transforming how business is done in Washington, DC. Hi-tech enhancements have also drastically changed the hospitality industry and how we market our venues to clients and communicate with attendees,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC. “We are committed to providing first-class technology capabilities now including an expansion of our free Wi-Fi service in an effort to better serve our customers with a seamless yet interactive experience inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.”
The Walter E. Washington Convention Center is located in the heart of Washington, DC and is equipped to handle events of all sizes, from small groups and break-out meetings, to events with up to 42,000 attendees. Defined as one of the most energy-efficient buildings for its size, the Convention Center includes a range of mixed-use exhibit spaces, including 198,000 square-feet of flexible meeting space, 77 break-out rooms, and the largest ballroom in the Mid-Atlantic region.
This technology upgrade creates the opportunity for Events DC and its attendees to communicate and engage effortlessly with real-time information exchange inside any space across the bustling halls of the Convention Center - while further building an environment to tap into client and attendees ever-evolving digital needs. For users with more advanced connectivity needs, which require more than normal speed or greater bandwidth, upgraded Wi-Fi options will still be available for purchase.
Events DC also remains focused on additional long-term technology enhancements within the Convention Center. These enhancements include the placement of additional digital signage, interactive way-finding kiosks, and digital transit displays. The supplemental digital improvements will create a more enriching experience for clients and their attendees when visiting the Center. Respective additions are expected to be unveiled throughout 2016.
About Events DC:
Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, deliver premier event services and flexible venues across the nation’s capital. Leveraging the power of a world-class destination and creating amazing attendee experiences, Events DC generates economic and community benefits through the attraction and promotion of business, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities. Events DC oversees the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, an anchor of the District’s hospitality and tourism economy that generates over $400 million annually in total economic impact, and the historic Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square. Events DC manages the Stadium-Armory campus, which includes Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and surrounding Festival Grounds, the non-military functions of the DC Armory and Maloof Skate Park at RFK Stadium. Events DC also built and now serves as landlord for Nationals Park, the first LEED-certified major professional sports stadium in the United States. The most recent addition is Gateway DC, an innovative and versatile space featuring a covered and open-air pavilion in the center of a 1-acre park, conveniently located in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.eventsdc.com.
About Smart City Networks:
Founded more than 30 years ago, Smart City Networks is the nation's largest provider of event telecommunications and technology in the convention industry. Smart City Networks can provide wired and wireless Internet services, phone services and digital signage solutions at convention centers and meeting facilities of any size. Smart City Networks designs, installs and maintains data, voice, electrical and utility platforms, coupled with voice, video and data network engineering, security and monitoring. Providing technology services to over 3,000 conventions and meetings annually, Smart City Networks currently serves more than 35 convention and meeting facilities across the U.S., totaling over 17 million square feet of exhibit space. For more information about Smart City Networks, please call 702-943-6000 or visit www.smartcitynetworks.com.
