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Presents

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Ransomware: What You Need to Know Providing Peace of Mind at TCEA Smart City Helps the Downtown Womenâ€™s Center The Party in Fort Worth

New WiFi Network

Installing upgrades at the Orange County Convention Center

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Contents Presidents Corner 3 Casting Wide Nets Cover Story 4 Smart City Networks to Install New WiFi Network at the Orange County Convention Center GM Insight 5 Ransomware: What You Need to Know

GM Insight Ransomware has impacted thousands of companies and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. Page 5

6 A Day in the Life of a Smart City General Manager

Center Update In 2019, TCEA branched out for the first time and went to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Page 8

Center Updates 7 AWS Summit 2019 7 Help Name MBCC’s Park 8 Providing Peace of Mind at TCEA 8 AEG Celebrates 5 Years at the LACC 9 Ethernet Alliance at OFC 2019 10 Another Successful Year at HIMSS 11 Smashing the competition at the Las Vegas Corporate Challenge 12 Leading the way in the Pacific 12 Meeting Miss Moo

Center Update The Santa Clara Convention Center held the AWS Summit 2019 on March 25. Page 7

We Care and Give Back 13 Smart City Volunteers at the Downtown Women’s Center

Center Update During the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, our NRG Park team spent some time with the show’s mascot Miss Moo. Page 12

14 The Party in Fort Worth 15 LACC goes red for Wear Red Day Team Member Updates 16 Employee of the Month (December, January, February) 17 Anniversary Milestones 18 New Arrivals 20 Employee Anniversaries

We Care and Give Back Smart City sponsored a table at the Party in Fort Worth on Saturday, February 23. Page 14

We Care and Give Back The Los Angeles Convention Center wore red to spread awareness about heart disease. Page 15

www.smartcitynetworks.com

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

President’s Corner

Casting Wide Nets

M A R T CITY’S Business Principle #3 is to Seek the Best. We seek the best in two ways: We cast wide nets to find the best people to hire and the best ideas to adopt, and we base decisions regarding them on facts. We acknowledge, appreciate, and capitalize on our diverse workforce.

the chair of both IAEE’s Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) and the IAVM Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Julia is enthusiastic, committed and engaged with IAVM and the WLC and joins others in the industry to ensure that all are represented while tackling diversity and inclusiveness.

dustry and organization By seeking the best and promoting diversity, we keep Smart City on the path To the Top!

Julia is one of many examples of Smart City folks who embrace diversity as way to make us a better in-

Finding the best people from all walks of life can be difficult, but it is worth it. Workforce diversity brings an increase in productivity, creativity and competitive advantages. By seeking a diverse labor force, we can offer more solutions to customers because of new ideas and processes brought into Smart City. Not only do we push for diversity from within Smart City but we actively seek opportunities to diversify the entire events industry. Julia Slocombe (VP of Western Region Operations) serves on

Boosts San Diego Convention Center “Drawings were provided and cabling was provided to the exact specs. Any questionable locations were resolved immediately by Donna Kacmarcik’s (Customer Sales & Service Manager) crew once we received the info. From their NOC, to the show floor, sales and everything in between… the San Diego Smart City crew ALL score a 10+ with us!” Dan Milligan, Mary Kay Leadership Conference Show Management Minneapolis Convention Center “To the Smart City Networks team, thank you for your recent donation of six pairs of shoes. You helped feed

six people with seven days’ worth of essential groceries and you helped provide quality footwear for those who struggle with financial insecurity. You made a difference in people’s lives through your partnership with Good in the ‘Hood. Thank you!” Ashley Reed & the Good in the ‘Hood Team Reno-Sparks Convention Center “Kenneth Esquivel (Operations Manager) was OUTSTANDING in service to us. I can’t say enough good things about his knowledge, kindness and extra work in helping us through the entire convention. Thank you for all of your support and assistance during the show–just outstanding work by you and your team!–and very much appreciated. Thanks again and I look forward to working with you and the Smart City team again next year!” Martin Gerich, Safari Club International

Phoenix Convention Center “I was placed in a position to oversee Telecom which is not my strong suit and Smart City not only educated me on certain processes, but allowed me to ask industry-specific, detailed questions when they were busy and treated them with a respect unknown in most venues.” WWE Royal Rumble Fan Axxess Colorado Convention Center “Stephanie Garcia (Event Coordinator) and Tommie Beltz (Customer Sales & Service Manager) were excellent at coming up with solutions to meet our unique program needs. I was really blown away by Stephanie checking in throughout the week. That is rare from someone that isn’t the overall program manager and meant a lot that they cared so much about our program!” Nikki Bibbero, ProGreen

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Cover Story

Smart City Networks to Install New WiFi Network at the Orange County Convention Center

MART CITY Networks recently began the installation of one of the largest wireless networks ever deployed in a convention center in North America this month at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), in Orlando, FL. “These technology updates focus on enhancing the experience of our attendees,” stated Jessie Allen, the Interim Executive Director at the OCCC. “With all of the other campus improvements that we have made over the past year, Smart City’s massive network upgrade will keep us ahead of our competition for years to come.” Over 3,100 of the latest generation of Cisco access points will be installed, all having 802.11AC Wave 2 capability, meaning increased speeds for more users. Device capacity will increase by 50,000 to allow up to 64,000 concurrent devices online. With the support of its sister company, Smart City Telecom based in Orlando, the upgraded bandwidth capabilities will far exceed industry standards with a fully re-

dundant network backbone operating at 20Gigabits as well as 40Gigabits of fully redundant internet connections. “To say we’re excited, is a huge understatement!” said Mark Haley, President of Smart City Networks. “The capabilities of this new network will keep the Orange County Convention Center ahead of the game as event planners’ technology needs continue to grow.” With more than 1 million linear feet of Category 6 cable needing to be installed the project will take a crew of 26 technicians working full-time for a year. There will be scheduling logistics around the OCCC’s jam-packed show calendar, so the installers will be working plenty of nights. This is not unusual for Smart City since they have done twenty major network upgrades, of both Wi-Fi and Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), over the last four years including a new network at the Hawai’i Convention Center completed in just 27 days.

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

GM Insight

Ransomware: What You Need to Know

Ben Behnkendorf − General Manager, Smart City Indianapolis

S a show manager or exhibitor, the data you possess is one of the most critical pieces of the business. If that data were to suddenly no longer exist or be inaccessible, it would have a significant impact. There is a form of malware, called ransomware, which encrypts data. The data still exists but is not accessible. Ransomware has impacted thousands of companies and resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. What is ransomware? Ransomware is a form of malware that runs on an infected computer and systematically encrypts as many files as it possibly can. Its reach isn’t limited to the infected computer. The program can infect other workstations, servers, file servers, etc. If the entire office of an employee all accesses a shared drive, it’s possible that everyone’s work could become encrypted. Pictures, documents, programs, videos, would all be inaccessible. If you were preparing for an upcoming event, this could spell disaster. The infected computer will typically have a popup saying that files have been encrypted and the only way to undo the damage is to pay a ransom with bitcoin. The demand can be hundreds to thousands of dollars. Even if the payment is made, there is zero guarantee that the entity receiving the ransom will follow through and provide a method to decrypt the files. There are some decrypters from several well-known antivirus companies that can try to decrypt the files, but it is never guaranteed. That is because ransomware has morphed into a plethora of versions that utilize unique encryption keys for each infection. That lowers the chance of decryption to virtually zero.

open it or ask IT for assistance. Proper data backups are essential If ransomware strikes and immediate action is taken to ensure that the infection is eliminated, it’s possible that data can be restored from backups so long as the backups haven’t been infected themselves. Adhering to a rigorous and frequent backup policy is essential to any business. The 3-2-1 rule is a great starting point for a backup policy. 3) At least three copies of the data. 2) On two different types of media.

How to prevent ransomware from happening? To stay safe from ransomware, as well as other forms of malware, it’s imperative that all computer systems run a form of antimalware or antivirus and regularly receive updates. Any computer needs to be retired or updated if running an unsupported version of Windows. Windows Vista support ended on April 10, 2017, Windows 7 support ends on January 14, 2020, and Windows 8.1 support ends on January 10, 2023. This means Microsoft won’t release any additional security updates past that point which could leave the computer vulnerable to new forms of malware in the future.

From time to time, the backup should be tested by IT to verify that files can be restored and that the correct files and folder are being backed up. The IT department should also occasionally check that the backup schedule is accurate, that the backup ran successfully, and that there are no file errors. It would be terrible to be rushing to put the finishing touches on an event, need a file from a backup, only to find that the backup had been failing for the past six months and there’s no backup of the file in question.

Employees should be very cautious when opening email attachments from any sender. If it seems out of place, don’t

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin

1) One copy at an offsite location.

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

GM Insight

A Day in the Life of a Smart City General Manager Michael Nolan − General Manager, Smart City Charlotte AST month the kings of the NBA returned to the Queen City for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game Feb. 15-17, 2019. It was the biggest sporting event Charlotte had ever hosted, and the city was abuzz the entire week. The Charlotte Convention Center (CCC) was active with every department coming together for one goal; a successful NBA All-Star Events weekend. With more than 150 city-wide events expected, a number of them occurred here at the CCC. It was a hectic time for Smart City Charlotte! This is an account of one day in the life of a Smart City General Manager.

Today started like any other, bringing the Smart City team together for our morning Lineup. Lineup is our time to make company announcements and read aloud one of our Daily Basics & Business Principles. These principles define our business, relationships, and values as an organization. To start, our Customer Service Manager walks us through each customers’ order. The NBA has purchased a “Wi-Fi buyout” which allows any number of their guests to access an upgraded high-speed network. Our technician will be keeping an eye on their numbers throughout the day, monitoring total customer usage. Next up on the agenda, an NBA Sponsorship Event where a customer ordered a dedicated 10mbps hard-wired connection to register guests into their event. Now that everyone is on the same page with our customer’s orders, I take this time to boost my team members for their continued hard work throughout the year. Without my dedicated team success would not be possible. It’s a perfect segue to today’s Daily Basic: “Team members will recognize their membership in several teams and will actively participate in the team’s collective success.” After Lineup, it’s time for us to go out and welcome our customers into the building and introduce ourselves. This morning we have an “NBA Pre-convention” meeting in which all departments involved come together and dis-

cuss opportunities for improvement or successes for the upcoming NBA AllStar Event. At this time the Convention Center Event Manager introduces everyone to the NBA Event representative who in turn explains the day’s agenda and highlights of the show. I introduce myself and briefly describe the role that I will play throughout the event. I explain how very excited we are to have them in our great city and breakdown the services that they have ordered with Smart City. My technician and I hand them our business cards and assure them we will work to give them a tremendous event! As the General Manager, It is my job to build a rapport with the client that makes them feel at ease and lets them entrust us with their business over the coming days. As the day progresses, the team stands by on their radios, listening for any calls requesting assistance. We have met with all our clients, tested their products, and are confident there will be no issues. Currently, the Charlotte Convention Center is undergoing a $110 million renovation adding 26,000 sq. ft. of breakout space for visitors to relax, recharge, or hold informal meetings. Although the building will not be closed over the next 24 months, we have had to get creative on how

we can continue to service customers and generate revenue throughout this process. I take a moment to reach out to the building sales team to set up a time to meet with the hope of discussing pricing strategies for possible hotel meeting displacement. Effective communication and creative thinking will drive our success as we look towards the future. Before the day ends, I reach out to my customers again to request their feedback. I take this time to reconnect with them and tie-up any questions or issues they may have. Fortunately, it’s been a successful event so far. As a General Manager, it’s easy to become distracted by all of the administrative reporting and paperwork, but it’s just as important to be on-hand for each event. Customers always come first, and that extra personal touch of speaking with them directly can make their event just a little bit more special. A good General Manager and a great team are what makes Smart City a terrific company and my job a pleasure to do. If we participate in the team’s collective success, where are we going? To the top! Where at the top? The very top!

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Center Updates Santa Clara AWS Summit 2019

HE Santa Clara Convention Center held the AWS Summit 2019 on March 25. It is a free event, attended by 5,000 people, designed to bring together the cloud computing community to connect, collaborate, and learn about AWS. The AWS Summits are tech-heavy events, and at Santa Clara, in 2019 the show required 275 Mbps of bandwidth, 110 internet drops, 5,500 yards of Cat5

cable, with five separate Wi-Fi sponsorships for 5,000, 300, 250, 200, and 100 users. To meet these requirements, Smart City Santa Clara enlisted the help of five technicians and programmers from San Diego, Anaheim, and Reno for additional support. To ensure the best service for the show the team installed an extra 123 Cisco AP devices, 33 Cisco managed switches, 35 AP stands, and 260 AP antennas. With everyone coming together Smart City was able to provide top-of-the-line support to the AWS Summit 2019 proving our Business Principle #7–Teams Work.

Picture: Santa Clara team at AWS Summit

Miami Beach Help Name MBCC’s Park

OW that the renovation is almost complete at the Miami Beach Convention Center the focus is on the 5.8acre parking lot located just west of the building that is being converted into a park that will feature canopy trees, a public lawn, and a plaza. The conven-

tion center will look out over the park, due for completion in Fall 2019, adding to the facility’s tropical feel. Help be part of establishing a name for the new park across the Miami Beach Convention Center. Please go to the link below to place your vote: https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/cityhall/communications/city-park-survey/

Boosts Anaheim Convention Center “I was in a bind in the Press Room and Michelle Dolf-Gualtieri (Event Coordinator) went out of her way to help. Thank you Michelle, you made my day!” Patty Maroder, American Rental Expo Greater Columbus Convention Center “Bill Duke (General Manager), thank you for providing the Wi-Fi service to our staff, speakers, and attendees at the 2019 National Reading Recovery & K-6 Literacy Conference. You and your staff met our Wi-Fi challenges with much professionalism. We thank you for this awesome customer service. It means a great deal to our speakers and attendees. Going into the planning stages for the 2020 National Conference, we look forward to working with you again. Many thanks to you and your team for providing such excellent customer service which aided in the success of our Conference!” Amy Summers, Conference Manager, 2019 National Reading Recovery & K-6 Literacy Conference

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Center Updates

San Antonio

technicians and two managers delivering services. Thanks to proper planning and a lot of pre-work, the team was able to hit the floor running, and get this event installed ahead of the carpet crews, and stay on top of new orders and trouble tickets.

Providing Peace of Mind at TCEA

OR 38 years, the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) has lived and held court at the Austin Convention Center. In 2019 they branched out for the first time and went to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. It was a learning experience, and one Smart City will get to repeat when TCEA heads to Dallas in 2021.

In addition to all of this, the team got to try out the new Connected Moblie Experience (CMX) system. It was still in the early stages, but it shows to have some amazing features! The CMX system allows Smart City to track the effectiveness of guest wireless infrastructure by measuring Wi-Fi analytics and adoption to find better solutions for the future. Because as we know customers define quality, and in the case of TCEA, the bar was set high.

The team went into the event with next to no information from Austin and had no idea the number or complexity of the exhibitors coming in. Smart City provided a facility-wide wireless system, with interactive sessions in several rooms, and live workstation labs which peaked at nearly 5,000 concurrent users connected on Wi-Fi. The team installed a custom Apple caching server with a 10Gb uplink and tied the wireless buyout to it–saving us several terabytes of throughput, and a lot of outbound bandwidth. The server was Apple directly as a courte-

Los Angeles AEG Celebrates 5 Years at the LACC

HE Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), owned by the City of Los Angeles, recently celebrated five years of successful operations by AEG Facilities Management. The public-private partnership has exceeded expectations and established the LACC as an integral centerpiece of convention and special event development in Downtown LA. When AEG Facilities was awarded the management contract in 2013, the privately-owned company set out to increase the number of events, increase revenues, reduce expenses as well as make capital improvements to the aging facility. With nearly 250 events and 2.5 million visitors per year, the LACC

sy to TCEA. More than 100 exhibitor booths required services. In total, the Smart City team installed 94 cabled internet drops and ten wireless hotspots in addition to the buyout. The biggest lesson reiterated in this event is, you can never prepare too much. The Smart City team managed to get all this installed with only three

is now generating approximately $781 million per year in economic impact for the City of LA and has built an operational profit of $35.6 million in five years, much of which has been reinvested in the convention center.

“The team was wonderful to partner with. They were able to help pre-event and onsite to make sure all ran smoothly. The Smart City San Antonio team exceeded our expectations. I came in with a preconceived notion that things would be awful, based on previous experiences, but they made it all work and were an extension of our team onsite. It was apparent they wanted us to succeed as much as we did.” Kristy Breaux, TCEA Show Management

The Smart City LA team would like to congratulate AEG on their five-year anniversary and look forward to maintaining a strong relationship with them for years to come!

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Center Updates

San Diego Ethernet Alliance at OFC 2019

HE San Diego Convention Center held the 2019 Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exhibition (OFC 2019) on March 3-7. Companies from the United States, Asia, and Europe came to market the latest technologies in network communications ranging from optical components and devices, test equipment, software, specialty fiber and 400GbE network hardware to real-world 5G communications. The future of networking was there to see and nested in the middle of the bestof-the-best in network technology was Ethernet Alliance. Ethernet Alliance is a global non-profit industry organization comprised of system and component vendors, industry experts, and university and government professionals. Members of Ethernet Alliance work together to expand Ethernet technologies. Principal members include Dell, Juniper, Spirent, Finisar, Intel and Cisco to name a few. At the OFC 2019 show, Ethernet Alliance presented an exhibit space which hosted racks of servers and switching components. Their booth was interconnected over fiber networks to other member exhibitors throughout the exhibit halls in a joint demonstration designed to showcase 400 Gbps networking. Members joining the collaboration

Picture: Ethernet Alliance booth at OFC 2019

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Dave Estes of Spirent and Ethernet Alliance President Greg McSorley of Amphenol Corporation were Xilinx, Cisco, Spirent, OIF, EXFO, Juniper and Finisar. Jennifer Mewett (Event Manager for Ethernet Alliance) organized the connectivity between the members and the Ethernet Alliance booth. She rounded up the member’s varied needs and presented these to the Smart City Networks team in San Diego. From the beginning, it was clear this show would be anything but routine and require creative solutions and plenty of teamwork. With leadership from Donna Kacmarcik (Customer Sales & Service Manager) and Jason Bussie (Data Operations Professional), the San Diego team developed

multiple plans to deliver the extremely high-speed fiber network needed for these cutting-edge developers. Planning, pre-staging and ultimately teamwork was critical to the successful installation of this high-speed fiber network. The participating members of Ethernet Alliance were pleased with the 400 Gbps speeds they were able to demonstrate to show attendees. When asked about the work done by the Smart City Networks team in San Diego, Jennifer commented, “Awesome, incredible job! Couldn’t’ have done it without their expertise. Love their professionalism and friendly manner!” The San Diego team was equally excited about working with Ethernet Alliance and the successful outcome. The Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exhibition will return to San Diego in 2020, then off to San Francisco for 2021, returning to San Diego for 2022, 2023 and 2024. With the fast pace of advancing technology, the speed of optical networks will quickly increase to 800 Gbps, 1.6 Tbps and beyond and with that will come new needs that require new ideas and lots of teamwork. The Smart City Networks team in San Diego is looking forward to future OFC shows and is eager to meet these challenges.

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Center Updates

Orlando Another Successful Year at HIMSS

HE Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is at the forefront of supporting the transformation of health through information technology by acting as the worldwide leading advisor and thought leader. Headquartered in Chicago, it serves the global health IT community for “Better health through information and technology.” Its membership surpasses 72,000 individuals in the healthcare, government and not for profit industries.

In February 2019 HIMSS held its international conference in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). The HIMSS Conference utilized over 4 million square feet of space resulting in a remarkably successful event for more than 45,000 professionals and 1,300+ technology and healthcare vendors from 90+ countries. Technology is of the utmost importance to ensure that the industry’s leading education, innovation, and collaboration go off without a hitch. As the OCCC’s trusted Technology Part-

Boosts

Picture: Orlando team at HIMSS 2019 ner, Smart City Networks understands the importance of providing the highest levels in reliability and commitment for all of its technology solutions– this is never more apparent than at the HIMSS conference. With only one week for show move in and over 380 extensive orders, the Orlando Team had wide-ranging plans in place to deliver flawless experiences. In total 2,163 Mbps were secured for client booths, educational sessions, demonstrations and more, with 197,000+ feet of cabling–that’s enough

identifying more efficient strategies for data storage, monitoring user equipment/software effectiveness, providing options for backup solutions. In a short period of time, Glenn has become a resident expert as we upgrade equipment/software and Duke Energy Convention Center address our aging local server. Glenn “Glenn Sparkes (IT Operations as proven to be an expert in his Professional) has been a great field and having his knowledge as a addition to the Smart City team at the part of our team is key to delivering Duke Energy Convention Center, in excellence to our customers and to our Cincinnati Ohio. His knowledge and client, the City of Cincinnati.” expertise has proven valuable in many Denese Dye, CPA, Divisional Finance Director ways, as he services the internal users at DECC for Spectra Venue Management and for Spectra Food Services & Hospitality. Corporate — Las Vegas More specific, he has made several “Albert Kwong (CSSR II), I just wanted contributions in the areas of managing to thank you for all of your help with the local server, assisting employees getting me power at the Fashion Focus with their computer needs, proactively show last weekend! I know it was a

to stretch across 548 football fields. Wrapping up another successful HIMSS Conference, Smart City Networks and the HIMSS event team were able to review the event as a whole to make strong suggestions and recommendations for a smoother experience during next year’s 2020 event. Smart City Networks commitment to excellence and the dedication of their personnel continue to solidify that the team is the trusted technology provider for HIMSS Conference.

last min request and you really went out of your way to help me and walk me through a process that I was not familiar with. You made it so easy to work with your company and I had everything that I needed when I arrived on the show floor.” Nth Degree Santa Clara Convention Center “Thank you Dan Concepcion (General Manager) and the Smart City Team for outstanding service. Your ability to provide internet, Wi-Fi and cable service to 12 televisions made me so grateful to have you support our event.” Rachel Pitman, Colonnade Group, NCAA College Football Championship

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Center Updates

Las Vegas Smashing the competition at the Las Vegas Corporate Challenge

HE Las Vegas Corporate Challenge is the largest amateur sporting event in Nevada. The city along with other sponsors bring the games to 18,000 employees from more than 125 companies around Las Vegas. The Corporate Challenge is dedicated to bringing fun competition that builds morale, camaraderie and community for employees of some of the major employers and small businesses in the Las Vegas valley. The Smart City corporate team has been competing in the Corporate Challenge during the first quarter and will continue in to quarter two. The first event participated in was Dodgeball, on March 7. The team battled through fierce competition placing 4th out of 32 teams. On March 13, our Coed Doubles Tennis team took home the 3rd place metal after making it all the way to the semi-finals. The following week, the Indoor Volleyball and Ping Pong teams enjoyed some strong competition. Both securing a victory in their first matches but falling short in round two. The Las Vegas Corporate Challenge will continue through May. During this time Smart City teams will participate in Bocce Ball, Soccer, Bowling and many more!

Tennis Team pictured LEFT to RIGHT: LaBrea Marshall (AES) and Dion Doucet (Marketing Associate)

Dodgeball Team pictured LEFT to RIGHT: Quintin Daily (AES Supervisor), Christy Hogan (Customer Sales & Service Manager), Matt Foust (Help Desk Operator), Pedro Arias (Customer Sales & Service Supervisor) Angel Pereda (AES), Sal Bernal-Flores (CSSR II), Kiana Falefitu (AES) and Melinda Hernandez (CSSR III)

Volleyball Team pictured LEFT to RIGHT: Terrell Collins (Senior Systems Administrator), Dina Bower (HR Director), Alexus Gammage (Help Desk Operator III), Dane Hardy (Senior Accountant), Kiana Falefitu (AES) and Pedro Arias (Customer Sales & Service Supervisor)

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Hawai’i Leading the way in the Pacific

N early 2019, the Smart City Hawaii Team launched a program called the “Technological Diplomacy Initiative.” This program consists of monthly meetings in which the Hawaii Team hosts an educational session for the AEG/HICC Sales, Events and Executive Staff as well as an open Q&A forum.

Center Updates

Boosts Santa Clara Convention Center “Thank you to the entire Smart City Team for making our meeting successful! You responded to our last minute request quickly and professionally.” Katie Tirschel, Design Con Corporate — Las Vegas “I mainly worked with Lester Michael (CSSR III). He was very helpful right from our first phone call. And we

Houston — NRG Meeting Miss Moo

D In these meetings, the team covers topics that imbue Smart City’s partners with a working knowledge of networking technologies and their respective capabilities. Events industry topics are selected, such as “Types of Networks”, “Importance of WiFi Frequencies” and “FCC Regulations”. The goal is to give our partners a broad sense of networking technology and making it accessible to their day-to-day tasks with clientele. The Q&A forum following the educational block makes the Smart City Hawaii Team available to answer any questions that the AEG/HICC staff have for them, recent issues or concerns from past clients, inquiries that they are currently handling with prospective clients, or simply any technological curiosity they wish to have addressed. The main goal of these sessions is to let our partners in Hawaii know that our door is always open, that we are ready to go the extra mile when needed, and that we are always proactive towards supporting our goals, leading the way in an ever-evolving landscape.

emailed numerous times throughout the process. He was easily reachable, very knowledgeable and eased so much of my stress about this booth.” Zap Surgical Systems America’s Center Convention Complex “I felt that the Smart City staff were a part of my team and helped in every way. It was truly a pleasure working the Daryl Olson (General Manager), Corey Anderson (Technician) and Keith Bean (Technician). They had everything ready the moment I entered the building.” Dean West, United Methodist Conference showcases Western heritage and provides year-round educational support within the community. More than 34,000 individuals serving on 108 different committees are responsible for helping maintain its charitable purpose year after year. Since its beginning in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has committed more than $475 million to the youth of Texas.

URING the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, our NRG Park team spent some time with the show’s mascot Miss Moo. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo promotes agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly The event covers the entire NRG Park experience that educates and enter- complex and last three weeks. tains the public, supports Texas youth,

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Chris Pendleton (General Manager), Zackery Smith (Technician), Elvis Guy (Technician), Miss Moo, Apollo Tee (Technician) and Fredy Andrade (Technician)

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

We Care & Give Back

Smart City Boosts

Picture: Smart City and AEG LA Teams volunteering at the DWC

Los Angeles

Corporate — Las Vegas “I just wanted to say that I just interacted with Pedro Arias (Customer Sales & Service Supervisor) for a customer need. His approach was very pleasant and professional, and he demonstrated excellent care and patience. These instances can go unnoticed, so I wanted to do my diligence to bring it to your attention. Thanks for a great customer experience from your field team.” Mark Thompson, Digital Sales & Marketing Manager, Smart City Orlando

Phoenix Convention Center “I wanted to give a big boost and cooked fajitas for lunch that was my sincere gratitude for all of Todd donated by Levy, while twenty volZuccato’s (General Manager, Smart City unteers sorted donations at the two Phoenix) help. He helps here in Reno DWC locations (San Pedro Street and when I need assistance with any phone Los Angeles Street). December is the issues or configurations and thanks busiest time of year for donations at to his assistance we were able to have the DWC and because of our voluna successful Safari Club International teers’ hard work, we helped the DWC show in January. We have been in get through the overwhelming amount transition here in Reno to a new PBX of donations and put them on track for and without his help in the meantime 2019. I’m not sure how we would’ve survived. Thank you Todd for all your timely responses and huge help you have given us!” Kenneth Esquivel, Operations Manager, Smart City Reno-Sparks

Smart City Volunteers at the Downtown Women’s Center

HE Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) is the only organization in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving and empowering women who are experiencing homelessness or formerly homeless. Their mission is to end homelessness for women in greater Los Angeles through housing, wellness, employment, and advocacy. Ten volunteers from the Los Angeles Convention Center’s Smart City and AEG teams

Corporate — Las Vegas “Nycole Smith (CSSR II) is always available to assist in and out of the field, she continually on a daily basis demonstrates her desire to go above and beyond for each team member and client.” Pedro Arias, Customer Sales & Service Supervisor, Smart City Corporate Office

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Matthew Chavez (Operations Manager), Henry De La Rosa (General Manager), Adolfo Ramirez (Technician), Paula Ruiz (Event Coordinator) and Abel Soto

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

We Care & Give Back

Boosts Corporate — Las Vegas “The last two days I have had multiple questions regarding internet for my booth at LA Auto. After calling the Smart City Customer Service hotline, Vahe Oundjian (CSSR II) answered and I’m so glad he did. Most of your reps are helpful. Not only was Vahe super helpful, he was kind, courteous & very friendly. Additionally, his follow-up to my questions was very timely & he even called with questions to insure he was answering my questions correctly. I deal with a lot of customer service reps from a lot of different vendors. You need to know you are lucky to have Vahe on your team!” CosmoProf Salon Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Stacy Clark (President, Leap Learn Live Lifestyle Design Training & Coaching and Janae Tinsley (General Manager)

Fort Worth The Party in Fort Worth

MART CITY sponsored a table at the Party in Fort Worth on Saturday, February 23, 2019, 7pm-11pm at the Fort Worth Convention Center Ballroom. There was local art, raffle prizes, food stations, dancing and four local bands for entertainment with guests from various industries. The money raised will support the Fort Worth Promotional and Development Fund, a crucial source of funding for organizations and initiatives that:

Walter E. Washington Convention Center “Thank you so much for the excellent customer service! It’s always a pleasure when working with Smart City, and you guys went above and beyond.” Jeff Sima, Senior Manager, Charles Schwab Technology Innovation Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center “I have worked with Peggy Moreth (Event Coordinator) in past years and it was great to work with her again. She is a true professional, always friendly and responsive. Thank you!” AUSA / Association of the US Army Tampa Convention Center “The service was great! It exceeded my expectations. Madison Grimes (CSSR) and Mitchell Hughes (General Manager) were both quick to respond to emails and very available during our event. Keep up the great work!” Monica Nelson, Walden University

• Market the City’s First-Class business environment

• Attracts Conventions and Tourism

• Showcases Fort Worth’s diversity,

economic strength, cultural treasures and exceptional quality of life

Picture LEFT to RIGHT: Janae Tinsley (General Manager) and Angela Mooney (Corporate Secretary/ Events Administrator, Nations Best Sports)

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

We Care & Give Back

Los Angeles LACC goes red for Wear Red Day

EBRUARY was American Heart Month, and the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) wore red to spread awareness about heart disease and encourage heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in America. Show your heart some love by making simple changes to lower your risk:

• Get your blood pressure under control

• Manage your stress • Get 6–8 hours of sleep per night • Lower your cholesterol & blood sugar by eating healthy

• Don’t smoke • Stay active

Boosts

Colorado Convention Center “Smart City exceeded our expectations, on the last day before we were on show-site, the Army decided they wanted to do Video Teleconferencing and needed to get the internet lined up. It was a Friday and the building was pretty much dark since It was the Memorial weekend Holiday. I called Tommie Beltz (Customer Sales & Service Manager) on his cell phone and explained to him the situation, and he sent me the paperwork and got it all set up. He never hesitated even though he was off that day, since he was getting married that weekend. I was very impressed and thought he went above and beyond! I also wanted to mention that Stephanie Garcia (CSSR II) assisted me on-site and was a pleasure to work with. Great customer service from the

Picture: LACC spreading awareness about heart disease during Wear Red Day

beginning to the end from Smart City.” in the lead up to and during the event! You were always there to help Laurie Yarra, ASMC, Show Management and always had a smile on your face. I have to also pass on thanks from Corporate — Las Vegas Cvent – I spoke to Rachel last week “Cara Kroenke (Recruiter), we and she mentioned that it was the appreciate your service and time on behalf of the students of Nevada DECA best internet/connection she has ever and hope you’ll choose to join us again had at a show. She said normally she constantly worries about the internet in 2020! Many thanks!” but she didn’t have to worry at all and Becky Trimble, Nevada DECA that you guys were great. That is a real credit to you and the rest of the team, Phoenix Convention Center so thank you so much for contributing “The Smart City Team at the Phoenix to the success of our event.” Convention Center was very pleasant Kayleigh Kowalewski, Head Logistics to work with. What a great team!” National Association of Credit Management Manager, CWC Solutions NRG Park “Thank you, Smart City NRG team, our event went very well! I appreciate all of the assistance and patience with all of the last minute changes!” Sanh Luc, Herbalife

Washington State Convention Center “Thanks for another successful event Adam Chau (Customer Sales & Service Manager). See you next year!” Glenn R. Whitcomb, IT Operations Manager, Pasco School District

Walter E. Washington Convention Center “Aymen Al-Ani (Event Coordinator), it has been a crazy few weeks following WGC 2018, but I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support

Anaheim Convention Center “I greatly appreciated Michelle DolfGualtieri’s (Event Coordinator) kind assistance and excellent service!” Janet Tufo, NAMM 2019

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

We Care & Give Back

Employee of the Month

December Desmond Baskerville, Data Operations Professional Inianda Convention Center

Left to Right: Desmond Baskerville (Data Operations Professional) and Ben Behnkendorf (General Managert)

January

February

Josias Badillo, Technician George R. Brown Convention Center

Cecily Beltran, Event Coordinator Santa Clara Convention Center

ESMOND noticed that Smart City did not have a report within Aesop to print off BIPI tags to place on the ethernet cord we install at a customer’s booth. For a while he utilized something that he created himself. This still involved a lot of manual work for each event that had BIPIs. Towards the end of 2018, he started working on something bigger and better. He got involved with Duane Law and myself. Then we all started working directly with Bob to get a report created within Aesop based off Desmond’s work. After some Left to Right: Josias Badillo (Technician) and tweaks, we arrived at a report that Chris Wharry (General Manager) matches Desmond’s initial vision. Bob then got official approval to add the reN addition to performing his job at an port into Aesop. exemplary level, Josias demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to our It is for this reason, as well as every- daily basics. While truly seeking the thing else that Desmond does, that best, Josias has to-date provided referI nominate him for employee of the rals that have resulted in three techmonth. He deserves it for continually nician hires within our GRB and NRG improving processes and making our properties. All of which incorporate customers’ experience more uniform the same qualities and values we have when they travel from Smart City cen- come to respect in Josias. ter to Smart City center. Thank you for your hard work and dedication, Desmond!

Left to Right: Dan Concepcion (General Manager) and Cecily Beltran (Event Coordinator)

ECILY was nominated for living out all of our company values, additionally: Since Cecily’s promotion in June of 2018 to Event Coordinator, she has been a one- person-show. Until recently, she managed show management and exhibitor requirements—ensuring SOP’s were followed correctly. As a result, revenues increased and our customer satisfaction scores average around “5”.

We Care & Give Back

Team Member Updates

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Anniversary Milestones

Smart City Washington DC’s Operations Manager, Mike Newton, pictured with Jim Erickson (General Manager), celebrated his fifteen-year anniversary with the company in January. We want to thank him for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past 15 years!

Smart City Dallas’ CSSR, Tasha Graves, pictured with Kasandra Williams (Event Coordinator) and Chris Pendleton (General Manager), celebrated her one-year anniversary with the company in February. We want to thank her for all of her hard work with Smart City for the past year!

Smart City Corporate’s Systems Administrator, Dewayne Martin, pictured with Eric Mowrey (Director of Engineering), celebrated his five-year anniversary with the company in January. We want to thank him for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past 5 years!

Smart City Denver’s General Manager, Debbie Olivas, pictured with Jim Snook (Regional Operations Director), celebrated her ten-year anniversary with the company in February. We want to thank her for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past 10 years!

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Team Member Updates

New Arrivals

Pictured to Right: Adelynn Rose Teller Ruth Teller (Human Resource Generalist) welcomed her daughter, Adelynn Rose Teller, into this world on November 1, 2018 at 1:01pm, weighing 4lbs. Adelynn was in the NICU for over three weeks but is now a healthy 15+lbs! Congratulations to Ruth and her family!

Pictured to Left: Adrian Juarez (General Manager) and Tristan William Juarez Adrian Juarez, Tristan William Juarez came into this world at 9:08am March 11, weighing 8lbs 15.5ounces, 21â€? long. Congratulations to Adrian and his family!

Pictured to Right: Oliver Josiah Badillo Josias Badillo (Technician) and his wife welcomed their new baby boy, Oliver Josiah Badillo. Born February 26, 2019 at 10:57PM weighing 8lbs 8oz and measuring 21â€?. Congratulations to Josias and his family!

The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Team Member Updates

Pictured to Left: Nova Le Beltz Thomas Beltz (Customer Sales & Service Manager) and his wife, Phuong Le, welcomed their baby girl, Nova Le Beltz, into this world at 10:04 pm January 14, weighing 6lbs 5ounces. Congratulations to Thomas and his family!

Pictured to Right: Zion Fetu McCall Elijah McCall Elijah McCall (AES) and his girlfriend, Meleane Solorio, welcomed their baby boy, Zion Fetu McCall, into this world at 4:29 am March 19, weighing 7lbs 14ounces, 18â€? long. Congratulations to Elijah and his Family!

20 The Pinnacle Q1 2019

Employee Anniversaries

January - 2019

Adrian Miller Peggy Moreth Michael Newton Guilermo Huerta Garcia Mark Graham William Heyer Harvey Rivera Dewayne Martin Curtis Graham

17 years 17 years 15 years 14 years 12 years 8 years 7 years 5 years 3 years

Fredy Andrade Taylor Harris Laszlo Berta Claudia Luevano Raul Garcia Gonzalez Paul Ruiz Angel Pereda Chaidez Ruth Teller Jennifer Roeder

3 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 1 year 1 year

24 years 14 years 14 years 13 years 13 years 12 years 10 years 7 years 6 years 6 years 6 years

Gerald Dâ€™Angelo Charlton Pitman William Scott Ryan McCart Mark Kotal Jason Arnold Cabrea Bridges John Svoboda Tasha Graves Alicia Stevens Cristiano Meneses

5 years 5 years 5 years 3 years 3 years 3 years 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

24 years 20 years 15 years 14 years 12 years 9 years 9 years 8 years 8 years 8 years 6 years 6 years 5 years 5 years 5 years 4 years 4 years

Donnita Butler Alexander Graham Alice Taylor Aaron Michael James Casperite Desmond Baskerville Ashley Bryant Shawn Lowery Ryan Holdren Felipe Paxtor Josiah Boone Justin Johnson Albert Kwong Alyssa Whitmer Jessica Dominguez Devin Wolery

4 years 4 years 3 years 3 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 2 years 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

February - 2019 Adrian Juarez Daryl Olson Daniel Dobson Gabriel Wood Michelle Dolph-Gualtieri Reinaldo Crespo Rivera Debbie Olivas Luis Rojas Neftali Mendoza Quintin Dailey Arnold Chavez

March - 2019 Vanessa Cuthen Frank Lopez Donna Kacmarcik Mitchell Hughes Dean Johnson Debra Green Louis Hoffman III Kevin Walker Jose Vasquez Christy Hogan Bill Duke Naomi Bonami Michael Ferreri James Lagomitzis Raymond Nicolas Elard Flores Dion Doucet Follow us online!