The Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) in Seattle, Wash., will offer free Wi-Fi in its client lobbies and pre-function space, as well as The Galleria – a four-story public atrium featuring restaurants, shops and seating areas, through its partnership with Smart City Networks.
Until now, any Wi-Fi connectivity at the facility was only available for a fee. The new free Wi-Fi service will offer visitors to the WSCC and The Conference Center at Convention Place a wireless Internet connection in any of the convention center’s public spaces to check email or surf the web at no cost.
For users with more advanced connectivity needs, like streaming video and downloading documents, and on the exhibit floor, upgraded Wi-Fi options will still be available for purchase.
“The WSCC welcomes some of the most tech-savvy customers to events every year, and we understand their desire to use Wi-Fi for email or web browsing for free,” said Mark Haley, president of Smart City Networks. “More people are carrying smart devices that use Wi-Fi, so we are working with our building partners, like the WSCC, to implement technology solutions that meet the changing needs of their customers and the event industry.”
Haley added that many people simply use Wi-Fi to check email or access websites. The new “Free Wi-Fi” product at the WSCC will meet these basic needs in the public areas, outside of the exhibit floor, where attendees tend to congregate and get online most.
“The Washington State Convention Center is pleased to work with Smart City to offer this service to our customers,” said Michael McQuade, director of sales and marketing for the Washington State Convention Center. “As a convention center in the heart of Seattle, we wanted to respond to the growing trend of Wi-Fi availability while being sure to provide our customers with the best services possible.”
By the end of the year, the free Wi-Fi service will be fully operational at the WSCC. The network implemented and maintained by Smart City will provide free Wi-Fi connectivity for basic tasks. The network will also be able to support thousands of users at once with a variety of buyout and sponsorship opportunities for hot spots facility-wide.
Since 2001, Convention Communication Provisioners Inc. (CCPI), a subsidiary of Smart City Networks, has provided the event technology services, including telecommunications, data and Internet services, at the Washington State Convention Center.
