AIPAC 2019

EVERY event that comes to our facilities is important. Some impact a group or organization, others impact an entire industry, and some affect our nation or even the whole planet. One such event that has global implications is The American Israel Public Affairs Committee or AIPAC. This lobbying group advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the US Government. This organization feels cooperation between the two countries is advantageous for both nations. As America’s bipartisan pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC urges all members of Congress to support Israel through foreign aid, government partnerships, joint anti-terrorism efforts and the promotion of a negotiated two-state solution.

In 2019, the AIPAC Policy Conference was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC. With over 18,000 attendees, two-thirds of US Congress and representatives from organizations across the county, this is a major political event in our nation’s capital. Speakers such as Vice President Mike Pence and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley creates an environment of national prestige.

Communicating this organization’s message to the world is paramount to the success of the event and requires a robust network, both wireless and hardline. The DC Smart City Team engineered and installed a custom network that would meet those needs. With a wireless network to support 5,000 concurrent users and 400 Megabits of dedicated bandwidth, located throughout the facility, they were prepared to provide the highest level of customer service and meet this unique event’s requirements.

On the wireless network alone, 4,000 unique users connected to Smart City’s Access Points (APs) throughout the facility and passed almost 1.4 million Megabytes (MB) of traffic over the three-day event. At the peak of usage, 4,110 Megabits per second (Mbps) of data was passing through the network. There were nearly 90,000 sessions, and the Total Session Time, or the total amount of time every user was utilizing the network, was 40,277 hours.

The DC Team not only installed services for exhibitors at the event, but they also extended fiber to several locations throughout the facility to support the Show Management requirements. With the help of Smart City’s Network Operations Center, the team engineered the network to support various locations with dedicated bandwidth and assure each site was able to accomplish their goals. On-site support and network monitoring ensured that the event went off flawlessly and addressed any changes promptly.

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center team looks forward to working on these type of prestigious events and can’t wait for the AIPAC event to come back in 2020.