Smart City Networks, the nation’s leading provider of technology services for the convention industry, joined representatives from the Seattle Convention Center (SCC) at the end of January to celebrate the official ribbon cutting for the Center’s new $2 billion addition in downtown Seattle.
The new state-of-the-art Summit facility adds almost 600,000 square feet of event space to SCC, which includes ballrooms, meeting rooms, and a garden terrace, among other additions. Contractors first broke ground four years ago, and in that time, Smart City has been managing the installation and deployment of a new high density wireless network.
“2023 is a special one for us, full of rapid changes and growth. Smart City, a long-time service partner at the Center, is a meaningful part of that growth,” said Seattle Convention Center President & CEO Jeff Blosser. “After years of outfitting Arch with the technology to support a diverse range of SCC events, Smart City and SCC continue to work together in the newly open Summit building to provide world-class event capabilities.”
For Summit, the network upgrade includes close to 650 new Wi-Fi 6 capable Access Points (APs), bringing SCC’s total AP count to over 1200. Wi-Fi 6 is the next generation of high-density wireless capabilities, and after previous successful Wi-Fi 6 installments in Tampa and Charlotte, Smart City is thrilled to bring this technology to Seattle. Faster speeds, stronger network complexity, and enhanced security features are all benefits of the upgrade, which Smart City and SCC believe will continue to attract large-scale technological events to the city.
“Since 1998, Smart City has provided SCC with the latest in technology that delivers a reliable, secure and high-speed experience,” said Smart City Networks Regional Director Jim Snook. “SCN is excited to continue our partnership with SCC as we embark on this game-changing journey with Summit.”
SCC’s new Summit building represents more than just new event space. As part of the land purchase and permitting agreement, SCC provided an investment package for the community totaling over $93 million. This comprised of funding for a wide assortment of community projects including affordable housing, improvements to Pike and Pine Streets, parks and open spaces, and bicycle infrastructure. Overall, the addition represents a commitment to the future of the downtown Seattle community.