Birmingham’s NEC has invested over £7 million in new technology to boost its data gathering and Wi-Fi capabilities. Using WaitTime technology, the venue is the UK’s first to adopt the industry leading software in crowd intelligence.
Providing real-time measurement of venue capacity and crowd density during events and conferences, WaitTime also alerts organisers to capacity issues in line with COVID-19 safety measures. Attracting 2.3 million visitors annually, NEC has also invested in the latest Wi-Fi solutions developed by Cisco, installing 1,800 access points across all public spaces to prevent any black spots across the venue.
“Our new Wi-Fi solution teamed with WaitTime’s crowd and business intelligence is revolutionary,” said NEC Group Managing Director Ian Taylor. “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.”
WaitTime CEO, Zachary Klima, added: “It’s no surprise that as the UK’s largest exhibition venue is on the forefront of innovation and adoption of technologies.
“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.”