The City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues renewed their agreement with Smart City Networks recently to extend the telecommunication company’s services for 5 more years. These services include separate agreements for the telecommunications services and management of the cellular carriers at the PCC.
Smart City Networks began as a service provider to the Phoenix Convention Center more than a decade ago, said Smart City President Mark Haley.
“Back then, the City was running all of the IT themselves within the Convention Center and the event requirements were getting progressively more complex,” Haley said. “They wanted to go out for a bid and find ways to increase service and generate revenue. Smart City was awarded the contract for internet and technology event communications. We made upgrades and put in a new network just as the Convention Center’s expansion was wrapping up.”
Smart City started in 1984 in the basement of the Houston Astrodome as a telephone provider, Haley said. From Texas, the company expanded to California and soon had 30 contracts across the country. Haley said Smart City has been a part of 13 Super Bowls, two of them in Phoenix, numerous Final Four events, republican and democratic national conventions, and thousands of trade shows.
“People expect their service to be fast and they don’t care how it works,” Haley said. “In Phoenix, with the renewal of the contract, we plan to make upgrades to the Convention Center’s network, including the latest Wi-Fi standard of 6e. Smart City will implement this upgrade as the PCC is operating events in the venues. We like to say it’s like changing the tires on the car while it’s going 50 miles per hour! But that’s how we operate. We know you have to work weekends and off hours to have the smoothest process possible for PCC staff and users of the facilities.”
Haley said keeping their operation in lock-step with the Phoenix Convention Center’s needs is due in large part to the collaborative efforts of the on-site general manager, Todd Zuccato.
“We have the spirit of collaboration not just on big projects, but every day,” Haley said. “Todd is working with PCC leadership and that collaboration often takes the form of a customer coming in and saying they need a specialized technology solution, or they have a specific financial budget to meet. Or both! At that point, Todd and his team work closely with the PCC staff to make it a success. Todd collaborates with the staff to deliver solutions."