The Pinnacle - Q3 2018

Presents

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Continuous Improvements Learning to Speak 802.11ax NPE 2018: The Plastics Show Customer Service Excellence Awards

Shovel Ceremony

Groundbreaking for the WSCC Summit Addition

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Contents Presidents Corner 3 Continuous Improvements Cover Story 4 Groundbreadking & Shovel Ceremony for the WSCC Summit Addition GM Insight 5 Tech Tips for Pre-Event Planning

GM Insight There are some things that one can do to ensure that the tech works and is event ready. Check out the list on Page 5

6 Learning to Speak 802.11ax

Center Update The Republican National Committee has officially selected Charlotte, North Carolina, as the site of its Republican National Convention. Page 8

Center Updates 7 Major League Baseball at Walter E. Washington Convention Center 8 Expansion at the CCC Attracts the Republican National Convention 9 Teams Work at MWCA 9 NPE 2018: The Plastics Show 10 Busy Quarter at the San Diego Convention Center 10 The Escape Game 10 Employee Appreciation Day 11 The National Education Association’s Annual Meeting

Center Update Smart City Networks was pleased to work with the NEA at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Page 11

11 Customer Service Excellence Awards Center Update The GEICO Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest was held this year at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Page 7

Green Efforts 12 Dallas Team Recycles Copper We Care and Give Back 12 Paradise Always Keeps You On Your Toes 13 American Heart Walk 13 Food Drive Challenge 13 St. Louis Team Sponsors Urban Expo & Back to School Community Festival Team Member Updates 14 Employee of the Month (June, July, August) 15 Anniversary Milestones 15 New Arrivals

We Care and Give Back Smart City is in a privileged position during these times of crisis as we work with AEG and Hawai’i Emergency Services. Page 12

We Care and Give Back Janae Tinsley had the privilege of walking in the Tarrant County American Heart Walk with the City of Fort Worth team.

16 Employee Anniversaries Follow us online!

www.smartcitynetworks.com

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

President’s Corner

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Continuous Improvement

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UR cover story in this issue is about the g r ou ndbr e a king for the Summit expansion that just kicked off at the Washington State Convention center. Seattle is experiencing tremendous growth in all aspects of its economy, and the convention and meetings industry is no exception. When the expansion is completed in 2020, I’m sure there will be numerous groups utilizing the new space to keep Seattle’s economy humming for years to come.

A number of convention centers across the country have completed renovations or expansions recently, and many others are planning expansions as well. Demand is strong again for meeting space and venues are looking to differentiate themselves to attract new business.

Boosts Walter E Washington Convention Center “Our guys just wrapped up an event in DC last week and were extremely complimentary of your team there.

They really were a great team to work with. Specifically Aymen Al-Ani (Event Coordinator).”

Wayne Bishop, ShowNets Greater Columbus Convention Center “Christy Hogan (Customer Sales & Service Manager) and Lacey Fields (Technician), I wanted to pass along that we had a great experience with service at the Columbus show. The connection was fast, consistent and the service by the team in Columbus was excellent!”

Larry Powell, Olin Corporation, Sports Inc. Outdoor Show

But continuous improvement is not just about bricks and mortar though.

Someone once told me that, what has made you successful to this point in your career, doesn’t necessarily guarantee success in the future. Customers’ needs change. Employees’ motivations change. Technology changes. If you stand still, the competition will pass you by pretty quickly, and you could be left behind for a promotion or miss out on an opportunity for new business.

Great people and companies strive to take a hard look at themselves even when things are going well.

During a recent internal meeting, we set aside some time to look at our customer survey process and the feedback we get and what we do with that feedback. We prepped for this session by having the entire team read the book, “A Complaint is a Gift” by Janelle Marlow and Claus Moller. The book introduces the notion that complaints are a valuable feedback mechanism that can assist organizations rapidly and inexpensively to strengthen products, serSan Diego Convention Center “Melissa Luckey (CSSR II), it was an absolute pleasure working with you over the past weekend at IDEAworld.

You were a complete lifesaver. Thank you so much for helping us make this event a huge success!! Stay SUPERCHARGED! Crystal Robinson, IDEAworld Santa Clara Convention Center Cecily Beltran (Event Coordinator) followed up onsite to make sure that I was happy, I was so appreciative for her efforts considering we were so busy setting up.

Chansina Luy, Cisco Systems George R Brown Convention Center Angelica Grant (Event Coordinator), on behalf of the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, thank you and the Smart City - George R. Brown Convention Center team for your

vice styles, and market focus.

Continually improving process is a core value at Smart City and we strive to walk the walk with our people and systems. We take in all customer feedback, especially the not so good ones, to make sure we don’t get complacent.

Business Principle #5 - Continually Improve Processes How do we know that a process needs fixing? It always does. We can always get better. We strive continually to improve our processes, help people do their jobs better and produce higher quality at lower costs.

To the Top!

hospitality and assistance in allowing us to host our annual Evacuation Hub Exercise on May 31, 2018. Your commitment to our mission helps to build a more resilient healthcare community. Again, your efforts are greatly appreciated and I hope that we may continue this valuable partnership in the years to come.

Thank you!

Rick Flanagan, Emergency Management Coordinator Duke Energy Convention Center Arnold Chavez (General Manager), we certainly appreciate your assistance on the internet connection for the livestream of our Beloved Community Talks event at The Duke Energy Center. It was a pleasure working with you. Everything worked out great!

Tony Frierson, International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies Conference Show Management

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Cover Story

Groundbreaking and Shovel Ceremony for the WSCC Summit Addition

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N August 14, 2018, the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC) broke ground on the long-awaited expansion project, Summit. Local government officials alongside the Smart City Seattle team and executives helped convention center leaders celebrate the momentous occasion. The $1.7 billion project will fulfill Seattle’s strong demand for additional meeting and convention business by adding more than 250,000 square feet of exhibition space as well as connecting multiple neighborhoods to downtown, making them more navigable for both visitors and residents. When finished, the WSCC Summit addition coupled with the existing Arch building is expected to bring in more than 400,000 new conventioneers to the city and generate more than $19 million in tax revenue each year.

Building statistics: • 252,156 square feet of exhibition space on two levels • 116,192 square feet of meeting rooms • 60,000 square feet of ballroom space • 250,000 square feet of parking and retail • Loading is accomplished below grade, adjacent to the exhibit hall, preserving the pedestrian focus of the site.

• The project also includes two adjacent blocks of mixeduse co-development towers to the north: ○○ 542,000 square foot office tower ○○ 404-unit residential tower “The Summit building is a tremendous boost to Seattle and King County’s ability to attract larger and more diverse events to an already vibrant convention destination,” said

Smart City President Mark Haley.

Smart City has been the exclusive provider of telecommunication data and internet services for the WSCC since 2003, regularly hosting industry leaders in technology; working closely with them through all stages of planning and implementation to assure the seamless delivery of communication services.

Haley adds “We are thrilled to be on the ground floor of the planning process with the WSCC staff to ensure that the technology throughout the expanded campus meets the needs of those future customers.”

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

GM Insight

GM Insight

Tech Tips for Pre-event Planning Mitchell Hughes − General Manager, Smart City Tampa

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NDERSTANDING the technology that you are using at a trade show can be tough, you also might be just “Figuring it out” on the fly. Whatever the case, the trade show floor is not the place to find out something does not work. Mission critical tech has been at the forefront of the events industry for a very long time. There are some things that one can do to ensure that the tech works and is event ready. Here is a list, although not all-inclusive, it should cover a vast number of items.

Plan ahead Planning is a vital part of implementing a successful event. As technology needs grow, it is essential to mimic the process of setup and demo or set up for the event to make sure it is working correctly before the items are shipped to the event site. Technology that sits and not used for an extended period may not function properly or may need some attention for optimal performance.

Update systems before an event Operating system updates, anti-virus, and other program updates can throw a massive pull of resources on your computer and bandwidth on a show site; it is best to ensure those items are up to speed before an event.

Have all the cords Several smaller form factor computers no longer have ports, but use adaptors and dongles to get the job done. Most event venues do not carry these items due to the large quantity of these proprietary items and the expense to have on hand. It is best to know what you will need and plan for that, maybe even double up just in case.

Have a contact for your IT team Often, technical individuals and companies on site will not be able to assist you with computer problems unless it relates directly to the services in which they are providing. Having open com-

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Boosts

Colorado Convention Center “Tommie Beltz (Customer Sales & Service Manager), on behalf of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to you and the Smart City team for the excellent service provided prior to and during the ASHP 2018 Summer Meetings & Exhibition. It was truly a pleasure working with you. We are especially grateful to you for your hard work munication with someone at your firm and dedication you devoted to ASHP. which is understanding in your setup Tommie, thank you again. We look forward to the opportunity to work isa very safe bet. with you on future ASHP meetings.”

Fran Byrnes, Conference & Convention Get your paperwork in-line Make sure you have all of your service Division Director, ASHP orders complete with detailed floorplans (Internet/networking, electric, Minneapolis Convention Center event, and decorator items). Proper “Brian Clear (General Manager) and Tim preparation will ensure the timely in- Taylor (CSSR), thank you so much for stall of all items before your arrival. your time and support in coordinating If for some reason, you cannot provide the internet and Wi-Fi details needed detailed plans on where things needs to ensure PACER Center’s 36th Annual go, please communicate that to each Benefit featuring Jennifer Hudson department. Set a time to meet at the ran smoothly. We appreciate your event site, so that departments can prompt response to our needs and have things installed where they need questions. PACER’s Annual Benefit to go to hopefully avoid labor charges. raises important funds that allow us to continue to provide and expand services for children and young adults 5GHz is the key Before you come on site, make sure you with disabilities and children who are have a device that is 5GHz capable. It bullied. Benefit proceeds also support will not matter if you “Just bought it,” projects such as the Simon Technology there are still PC manufactures that Center, National Bullying Prevention use 2.4GHz only devices to entice you Center, and the Children’s Mental with a lower cost computer. 2.4GHz Health project. Jennifer Hudson has an is highly interfered with and may not amazing voice! Guests were dancing in do well in an environment like events. the aisles when the celebrated Jennifer So much so, that a lot of companies no Hudson came down off the stage and longer provide 2.4GHz in some areas of joined them. She reached out to guests their facilities. You can get a USB du- in wheelchairs and other fans in an al-band wireless adaptor (yes another impromptu dance party! It was an adaptor) which will grant to 5GHz if amazing high point of an unforgettable you only have 2.4GHz. If you are not evening. Thank you again for your sure what you have, you can likely ask heartfelt support and encouragement your IT team to take a look and let you of PACER Center. We are grateful for your involvement in this event that know. depends on the hearts and hands of I hope this helps in the planning of your many.” event from a technology perspective Paula Goldberg, Executive Director, PACER Center and gives you some things to consider.

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

GM Insight

Learning to Speak 802.11ax James Casperite − Technician, Smart City Atlantic City

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I-FI: the resource we all know and love, and to the careful direction and optimization of which, the people at Smart City have applied our formidable dedication and talent. We, like everyone who works in the field of information technology, understand that the best way to remain successful is to stay abreast of all the latest innovations and advancements, and thus to be in a position to take advantage of any potential game-changers that may arise. Wireless communications technology continues to evolve as rapidly as ever, and many concepts of reshaping the Wi-Fi landscape are in various states of approaching the market.

Though all are worth studying, one can never go wrong paying attention to the generational standards defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The next of these is called 802.11ax, and this one is special.

The IEEE established the initial version of the 802.11ax (11ax) standard in early 2014, describing a new level of Wi-Fi technology to deal with the growing issue of density - more devices using more data, often on multiple legacy standards, and many broadcasting their own mobile Wi-Fi hotspots.

Earlier standards made good progress in keeping up with these issues as they developed, but 11ax possesses an exceptional array of upgrades and new features designed to maximize signal strength and clarity between client devices and access points. 11ax was given a wide range of frequencies to work with, from 1GHz to 5GHz, encompassing the most popular 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands used today, as well as spectrum territory already being explored for additional wireless bandwidth, such as the 3.5GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). While this band is also being speculated as the first big push by future cellular standard 5G, cell signals being offloaded onto Wi-Fi is already a fairly common practice, and 11ax encompasses this into its scope of features.

802.11ax

The formidable set of improvements made to Wi-Fi technology described in 11ax cannot be overemphasized. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the improved Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) used by this standard. QAM is the modern method of converting a signal into data and vice-versa, where the device looks at a snapshot of the signal’s characteristics and compares it to a library of other snapshots called symbols. Each symbol corresponds to a set of binary data, just how much depends on how ‘big’ the symbol is. The current standard of 11ac uses 256-QAM, allowing one byte of data per symbol. 11ax boasts a much beefier 1024-QAM, essentially doubling the previous standard, then doubling it again. Taking it up a step in abstraction, the new Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) is a boost to the efficiency of how multiple streams of information are physically carried on an electromagnetic wave. Packing more data into smaller spaces is assisted by the implementation of a new organizational scheme in which the signal wave is divided into Resource Units (RUs), which are then handed out by the 11ax access point. Using the RU concept as a basis for how network resources are allocated improves communication ef-

ficiency by reducing overhead and creating a standard on which other technologies can operate, such as the new Trigger-based Random Access which sets aside some RUs for new clients to connect and upload right away without the danger of signal collision, thanks to a new information-laden signal called a trigger frame. RUs also feature heavily in 11ax’s new form of Multiple-In and Multiple-Out (MIMO) communications called Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO).

The old MIMO only functioned in one direction, but again with the synchronizing utility of trigger frames, bilateral MU-MIMO communication stands to optimize wireless transmissions for multiple-antennae devices, which are becoming more and more commonplace. Another key feature of 11ax of special interest to the convention industry is the concept of spatial frequency reuse, wherein data transmissions in each network are ‘colored’ to identify all access points in the area what traffic belongs to which networks.

Too often in high-density wireless environments, a high-traffic and likely overpowered network will fill an area with Wi-Fi signals that not only act as background interference but can cause a neighboring network’s access point to deny new traffic because it was fooled into thinking that the line was busy.

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Center Updates Spatial frequency reuse combines the traffic coloring identifiers with adaptive power and sensitivity thresholds to ensure that adjacent Wi-Fi networks no longer interfere with each other’s traffic, a feature sorely needed in many modern network environments.

All that being said, one might assume that the market is chomping at the bit to immediately get 11ax onto every ceiling-mounted access point, desktop router, laptop, and smartphone they possibly can. Indeed, the first hardware claiming to be 11ax-compliant was already announced as early as Q4 2016, and a fully-functional 11ax router was demonstrated at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, which boasted an impressive 11 Gbps transmission speed, enough to run hundreds of simultane-

ous 4K video streams. The big telecom and PC hardware manufacturers have all promised 11ax-compliant releases in 2019, despite the final ratification of the official standard being planned for the end of that year. Experts predict 11ax implementation will follow a similar pattern as the previous 11ac did, in that high-end enthusiasts and businesses that thrive on cutting edge experimentation will lead the charge with purchasing the pre-standard 1st generation products, with the broader mass market only following suit after a few iterations of 11ax devices and a significant reduction in cost as the technology becomes cheaper to manufacture, likely reaching market saturation by the end of 2022. Some have suggested that this process could be slowed by the implementation of another stan-

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dard, 802.11ad, whose excellent speed but extremely limited range make it useful in home and small office environments. It is often difficult for venue management entities to decide exactly when to take the plunge and upgrade their wireless network infrastructure, as the cost of new technology deployment is always considerable, and the frequent news of new advances can intensify the holdout effect, in which buyers feel as though their investments will be vastly devalued in a very short time. These concerns are perfectly logical and somewhat pragmatic, but to those large event venues who hold such doubts about upgrading, it can confidently be said that if what you’re really waiting for is the Next Big Thing, 802.11ax Wi-Fi is it.

Washington, DC Major League Baseball at the Walter E Washington Convention Center Kurkjian ESPN Analyst and our own President of Smart City Mark Haley.

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HE GEICO Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest was held this year at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. July 13 -17.

This included the events at the Convention Center and also events like ALL Star Sunday, Home Run Derby and AllStar Game at the Nationals Stadium.

Special guests included Commissioner Rob Manfred, Max Scherzer, Ryan Zimmerman, and Bryce Harper. Also in attendance were Washington DC Mayor Bowzer, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Chris Jackson actor from Hamilton, Tim

Move in at the Convention Center started July 3rd and took over ten days to complete. Smart City Networks played an interictal part in assuring the network and Wifi for this event ran flawlessly. “Our Smart City team worked very hard from the beginning to assure Major League Baseball didn’t have to worry about the network performance during this event” stated Jim Erickson General Manager, Smart City Networks.

Some of the major sponsors at the AllStar FanFest were Chevrolet, GEICO, T-Mobile and Coke. Smart City worked closely with their team’s network demands. Before the event even started to move into the Convention Center, T-Mobile with direction from Smart City upgraded their Distributed Antenna System.

Smart City not only is involved with Convention and Trade Show event services but with Sporting and eSporting

events as well. Smart City’s network teams can set up simple to complicated network systems like the Major League Baseball event. Here are some of the activities and displays you would have seen while attending FanFest including some of the Smart City staff.

Left to Right: Jim Erickson (General Manager), Aymen Al-Ani (Event Coordinator), Teresa Williams (CSSR), and Tammy Clark (CSSR III)

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Center Updates

Charlotte Expansion at the CCC Attracts the Republican National Convention

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HE Republican National Committee has officially selected Charlotte, North Carolina, as the site of its Republican National Convention. An RNC panel had recommended Charlotte over Las Vegas, citing the North Carolina city’s large number of hotel rooms, major airport and demonstrated fundraising ability. Charlotte most recently held the 2012 Democratic National Convention, so the Smart City Team will rely heavily on their past experience to provide support, as well as improving in areas recognized previously.

The $110 million expansion project at the Charlotte Convention Center (CCC) is on course to begin Spring 2019. A premiere component of the expansion will include a pedestrian bridge linking the new wing of the convention center to the Westin Charlotte hotel, the city’s largest hotel with more than 700 rooms. The architecture will boast a “picture window” design element and have a similar feel to New York’s High Lines. low the center to house 54 individual breakout sessions at one time with capacities ranging from 50-600 people theThe pedestrian connectivity is located along the Center City’s atre-style breakout. In total, the expansion will increase the convenient LYNX light rail with access to the “Stonewall Cor- capacity of the existing meeting level by 50,000 square feet ridor,” which is currently undergoing a $2.7 billion develop- including: ment boom. The development includes a Whole Foods Market that has recently opened with residential living above and • 26,000 square feet of breakout space comprised of 15 retail space below. Summer 2019, will see a Home2 open, admeeting rooms ranging from 940-2,600 square feet jacent to Whole Foods, adding 181 rooms to the market and • 24,000 square feet of pre-function space an “Even Hotel” across the street, adding an additional 176 • The ability to configure the Richardson Ballroom into rooms. four meeting rooms (7,700 square feet each) Additional updates to the configuration of the 22-year-old Charlotte Convention Center will allow for an increase in meeting rooms and soft spaces where attendees can network between sessions. The supplementary meeting space will al-

The project will begin after Charlotte hosts the 2019 NBA AllStar Game in February of 2019 and conclude prior to the RNC in July of 2020. At no point will the convention center be fully closed during the renovations.

Boosts Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center “Patrick Nelson (Operations Manager) and Peggy Moreth (Event Coordinator) onsite were so great and helpful.

This was a first time meeting and so many unknown expectations. Peggy was flexible and helpful while Patrick spent so much time helping troubleshoot and was always available! They did a great job and it was much appreciated!”

2018 Connect Conference Show Management Phoenix Convention Center “Staff was friendly, helpful and worked as a partner to solve our planning needs and stay within budget. Excellent communication. Chris Clark (Customer Sales & Service Manager) and his team were great to work with. Greg

Smith (Technician II) has a wonderful customer service attitude that was refreshing to have all week! Thank you for everything!”

PLM World San Diego Convention Center “Donna Kacmarcik (Customer Sales & Service Manager), thanks for all your help last week. It was so nice to see you again. Your entire staff, but particularly Jason Bussie (Data Operations Professional), were a great help in assisting us.

It’s so nice when we go into a venue and get treated with the respect and courtesy that your team showed us. I hope we don’t have to wait a whole year to partner with you again.”

Gary McInttyre, Production Show Manager, MSI

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Center Updates

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Los Angeles

assure they stay in tune with industry trends. Covering over 2,000,000 square feet of exhibit space, NPE offers attendees access to over 2,000 of the world’s leading suppliers and equipment manufacturing companies showcasing their best new solutions.

Teams Work at MWCA

Knowing the importance of successful networking and communication, the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) relies on Smart City Networks as their Technology Solutions Partner for the facility. The whole Smart City Orlando team, led by Tim Overall (General Manager), takes pride in meeting challenges that arise with any event large or small.

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HE second annual GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas incorporates a thought-leadership conference that features prominent executives representing mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors and content owners from across the world. At the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), the Smart City team partners with Cisco to deploy over 380 access points, 110 with dual trout, specifically for GSMA. The LACC Management team would like to thank everyone who helped with GSMA. The team worked long hours in order to make the show a huge success. A super boost to the local staff and a special thanks/boost to the support that we received from San Diego, Anaheim and the corporate office; Matt Foust (Help Desk Operator, Corporate), Lester Michael (CSSR II, Corporate), James Zarharchuck (Wireless Network Administrator, Corporate), Mike Hertweck (Wireless Network Administrator, Corporate), Doug Sowell (Wireless Network Administrator, Corporate), Quas Sine (Technician II, Smart City Anaheim), Nick Corr (Technician, Smart City San Diego), Ryan Holdren (Technician, Smart City San Diego), and Jeff Le (Technician, Smart City Anaheim).

Orlando NPE 2018: The Plastics Show

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LASTIC touches every aspect of our daily lives. As the world’s leading plastics trade show and conference, NPE assembles the full array of products, tools, equipment, and resources in one efficient venue. Innovation, new technology, and policy are just part of what makes this event the major facility in shaping the future of plastics. One hundred countries and more than 65,000 attendees come to this event to

Ashley Tolan (Event Coordinator) and Megan Hullinger (Event Coordinator) took great care to provide the highest level of customer service to NPE’s Show Management. Their order consisted of over 30 phones and 40 drops dispersed throughout the entire facility. Wireless buyouts supporting hundreds of concurrent users was also provided to assure connectivity to staff and VIPs coming to the event. Along with these services, 122 exhibitors placed separate orders including several dedicated networks and over 50 hotspots located directly in individual booths. The engineering and installation of this massive event was challenging, but the Operations Team led

by Whitey Rodriguez (Operations Manager) was up for the task and installed everything in a timely professional manner.

The data requirements for this show were high, but the facility has three separate 10 Gig circuits coming into the building, with the capability to increase should the need arise. These circuits are designed to failover should the need arise and are more than sufficient to support this event and any others choosing the Orange County Convention Center for their event.

NPE decided to utilize the OCCC’s digital signage to broadcast their opening ceremony throughout the facility, the Smart City Digital Signage Manager, Mark Thompson, made sure everything was ready to go. Working with the event’s AV Company, the production was broadcast over Smart City’s network and displayed on several screens including the 30x50 foot screens at the entrances to the exhibit halls. Orlando’s Mayor, Buddy Dyer, spoke at the event welcoming the attendees to Orlando and the convention, which was live streamed not only to all the digital signs, but also NPE’s website.

Each event comes with its own unique characteristics and requirements. Being flexible and up for any challenge makes Smart City a leader in the Hospitality Technology Industry.

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Center Updates

San Diego

Smart City Boost

Busy Quarter at the San Diego Convention Center

Miami Beach Convention Center “We want to give out a boost to Jerry D’ Angelo (Technician) for helping with the Miami Beach Convention Center network upgrade. His due diligence of receiving and keeping inventory for over 3,000 items has been imperative for this project to sail smoothly. Thank you Jerry for all you do!”

Andrew Brown, General Manager, Smart City Miami Beach

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HE Environmental Systems Research Institute, or ESRI, is the leading supplier of geographic information system (GIS) software. They have chosen the San Diego Convention Center to host their International User’s Conference since 1997. Servicing about a million users in 200 countries, ESRI owns over 43% market share in their industry, more than any other vendor.

The systems installed for their event of the year are sophisticated and complex.

The ESRI IT team builds an in-center server farm, and blends hosted information with real-time satellite data to show off the far-reaching possibilities of their software suites. The team at Smart City San Diego planned and prepared for months in advance to provide all the services ESRI required and more. Network drops in the hundreds deployed throughout the center, home run fiber lines between server booth and exhibit booths on the show floor, and Wi-Fi networks with plenty of bandwidth to show off applications.

Choosing to go with Premium Wi-Fi service, ESRI attendees utilized several gigabits of bandwidth.

Key to a successful deployment was early planning and early staging. Mike Ferreri (Operations Supervisor) considered every location, every drop, to find ways to get work done in advance of the official move-in day. The tech team organized and tipped spools and spools of cables, and counted out patch cables in advance to speed up the install and minimize extra steps later on.

Technician hours were shifted to allow installations to extend much later into the night than usual. Every staff member was informed with the latest info, eliminating the chance of mistakes.

Throughout the five day conference, thousands of connections were made and several gigabits of data were transferred. The networks performed to meet ESRI’s high expectations. Johathan Woodul, Network Administrator

for ESRI commented on Smart City’s services stating, “The entire conference from start to finish was executed extremely well. Overall, I think this was one of the smoothest years, and the very few minor issues that did come up were resolved quickly.”

The 2018 ESRI User Conference concluded one day prior to the 2018 Comic-Con move-in. The entire full facility ESRI show was struck and cleared in 14 hours. The team in San Diego immediately began installing the next big event of the year.

Orlando The Escape Game

Washington State Convention Center “Thank you Adam Chau (Customer Service Manager)! During PAX, our biggest event of the year, he was brought into a situation with a client without knowing anything about the issue. Adam was able to smooth the whole situation over in a professional and timely manner. We are very proud of him.”

Joe Melacon, General Manager, Smart City Seattle

Anaheim Employee Appreciation Day

O Left to Right: Tim Overall (General Manager), Billy Bischof (Sales & Marketing Manager), Jessica Torres-Cruz (Customer Sales & Service Manager), Whitey Rodriguez (Operations Manager), and Mark Thompson (Digital Marketing Manager)

N August 29th the Anaheim Convention Center held their Annual Employee Appreciation Day Lunch. Our General Manager Kevin Patch was chosen by the committee to get in the dunk tank.

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HE Orlando team recently held a managers’ meeting at The Escape Game Orlando. They used this experience to build teamwork and strengthen relationships. They escaped with just 38 seconds left! Throughout this game, they realized how much each manager brings to the table and gives a different perspective on how to handle a scenario.

Left: Kevin Patch (General Manager) getting dunked Right: Nick Urquiza (Data Operations Professional) excited to dunk his manager

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Center Updates

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Las Vegas – Corporate Customer Service Excellence Awards

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AS VEGAS Metro Chamber of Commerce presented their quarterly Customer Service Excellence Awards on August 14, 2018. Two team members from the corporate office received the award; Marina Joyner (Administrative Assistant II) and Ashley Bryant (CSSR II).

Minneapolis The National Education Association’s Annual Meeting

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DUCATORS, who dedicate their lives to teaching our children are some of the most influential people in the country. Educators guide and inspire our children to achieve their goals and become positive members of our society and should be valued way beyond what is now common. The National Education Association’s Annual Meeting also host the Representative Assembly (RA) which is the highest decision-making body within the over 3 million-member National Education Association (NEA). The RA, consisting of nearly 10,000 delegates representing NEA local and state affiliates, student members, retired members, and other segments of the NEA membership is the world’s largest democratic deliberative body. Over the course of 8 business sessions spanning four days, RA delegates debate the vital issues that impact American public education and set Association policy and activities for the year ahead.

In July of 2018, Smart City Networks was pleased to work with the NEA at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Lead

by Smart City Networks General Manager Brian Clear, the team worked diligently to assure everything was prepared, and all the services were ready for this important event. With almost 56 network hardline service installs, 43 telephone service installs and four separate wireless networks, the re-

quirements for this show were demanding. Long before the event, Brian reached out to other Smart City centers for additional help and equipment, and they readily responded sending additional technicians and access points (APs). Brian and his team, Tim Taylor (CSSR, Smart City Minneapolis), Lang Situ (Technician, Smart City Minneapolis), Aaron Kahn (Technician II, Smart City Fort Worth) and Neftali Mendoza (Technician, Smart City Phoenix) installed an additional 141 APs to cover the RA’s 9,703 seating space. The additional APs were to help support the delegates during the significant RA part of the event.

Not only did Brian and his team have to install services for show management, but six exhibitors also placed orders for an additional 18 network hardline service installs and two wireless networks in the Expo Hall. As part of Smart City’s Business Principles: “Do Right by All Our Customers” the Minneapolis team provided the highest level of customer service throughout the event. Katie Smith, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Minneapolis Convention Center, stated “An event of this magnitude includes a high degree of complex internet requirements. Thanks to our partnership with Smart City Networks and their work on this project, the technology required for our NEA convention attendees worked seamlessly.”

Marina Joyner excells in Administration. With the departure of our receptionist over a month ago, Marina has been at the front desk every day handling most of the front desk responsibilities (which is no simple task), along with her own tedious job of arranging the never ending travel for most of Smart City, all while supporting three executives. Not only has she handled it graciously, and been helpful and courteous to everyone that has called or entered the building, but she has continued to manage her own workload without issues. Even at the toughest times at the front desk she has a smile and offers assistance to everyone with a can and will-do attitude.

Ashley Bryant is a proven leader in Customer Service. Ashley takes the time to evaluate the customer and goes above and beyond. Ashley exemplifies what great customer service is all about and our Business Principle #2: “Do Right by All Our Customers. Doing right means acting with the best interest of the other party in mind. An important word in this phrase is “all” it includes every relationship at Smart City.”

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

We Care & Give Back

Hawai’i Paradise Always Keeps You On Your Toes

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018 has presented some interesting challenges for the State of Hawai’i.

We began the year in January with a false alarm that left residents fearing the worst (that we were under very real nuclear threat). In May the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island began a slew of volcanic activity that Hawai’i has not experienced in a very long while, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes, destroying property, major roadways and quite literally reshaping the landscape of Hawai’i.

cane (Lane) since the 1960s. Luckily, the storm dissipated as it drew closer to the islands. But it was not without incident, Big Island and Maui did experience high winds and flooding.

Now, two weeks later, Hawai’i is under threat of hurricane Olivia which looks to be a close call as well.

Smart City is in a privileged position during these times of crisis as we work with AEG and Hawai’i Emergency Services to set up network connectivity for the Emergency Command Center, a hub that gathers intel and relays messages and updates across the state. The cost of living in paradise is often unpredictability, but it is nice to know that we are in the business of helping our community during such times.

On Kauai, floods and rainfall devastated the island. Causing landslides, destroying infrastructure, homes, and crops across the island. Now, we find ourselves in hurricane season. At the end of August, Hawai’i had its closest brush with a major category 4 hurri-

Green Efforts Dallas Team Recycles Copper

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N September 12, 2018, our Dallas team at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center recycled over 2,700 pounds of copper cable (CAT5e, CAT6, 25 pair phone cable, phone punch down wire and electrical cable).

Boosts NRG Park “Jessica Fobbs (Event Coordinator), thank you SO much for working ALL DAY with Fay and getting us so much help! I really appreciate it and I know the experience of the kids and their chaperones will be great!! Mahalo!”

Keith Amano, ELCA 2018 Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center “Many thanks are owed Adrian Juarez (General Manager), Eleazar Martinez (Technician), and Naceur Garouachi (Technician) for taking care of the League’s telecommunication and internet needs during our annual conference. Smart City is fortunate to have such a great team in Long Beach.”

Helen Marshall, League of California Cities, Show Management

Left to Right: Rey Crespo (Operations Manager) and Ryan Myles (Technician) separating cable for recycling

Chalotte Convention Center “Chris Delane (Technician II) does a wonderful job representing Smart City, inside the Charlotte Convention

Center. I look forward to our show, because I know that Chris will greet us with a smile and work out any issues we come across during our Annual Show.”

Bob Reese, Southern States Greater Columbus Convention Center “Lacey Fields (Technician), thank you for your part in helping us make Pokémon the success that it was. I truly appreciate the professionalism, depth of knowledge and hospitality you brought to the table. Once again, it has been my pleasure to work with the Smart City family and I hope we have the opportunity to work with you and your team here in Columbus again soon.

Tom Martin, Pokémon Internationals Show Management 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 Show Management

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

We Care & Give Back

Fort Worth

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Boosts

American Heart Walk

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ANAE TINSLEY (General Manager) had the privilege of walking Saturday, September 8, 2018 in the Tarrant County American Heart Walk with the City of Fort Worth team. They walked in memory of Max Weurdig, who worked for the Public Events Department at Will Rogers Memorial Center and was taken far too soon by heart disease.

The weather was simply awful, it was pouring down rain, there were many that braved the weather and walked for such a good cause, they all had their reasons for joining this effort. Janae was able to collect $100 in donations and said, “It was such a great feeling of accomplishment to have given just a little bit of one’s self to help someone else. I’m looking forward to walking next year.”

Santa Clara Food Drive Challenge

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NE of the business principals of Smart City is to give back to our communities. Smart City Santa Clara is proud to support the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo. The Smart City Challenge Food Drive which runs from September 1st through November 20th will target an estimated 450,000 people in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties who are at risk of being hungry and not getting help.

St. Louis St. Louis Team Sponsors Urban Expo & Back to School Community Festival

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MART CITY proudly sponsored the wireless internet services for the Urban Expo & Back to School Community Festival, the area’s largest Back to

Left to Right: Betsy Price (Fort Worth Mayor) and Janae Tinsley (General Manager) School Giveaway, at the America’s Center Downtown on August 10-12. At the free two-day event, more than 10,000 backpacks were filled with school supplies and 50,000 new shoes were be distributed to students and their families.

Indianapolis Convention Center “Smart City in Indy made our networking needs at our GME Conference something we didn’t have to worry about. Which is something I am honestly not accustomed to. I have been in charge of the networking at our conferences for 5 years now, and speaking from past experiences, it never goes smoothly. From our initial conference calls with Jennifer Roeder (CSSR) and her team, I felt everything would be good to go. But I was still apprehensive. Low and behold, it only took 2 conference calls and a few emails to make our plan work perfectly. The 2nd day I was onsite I was called by Smart City Employee Desmond Baskerville (Data Operations Professional), and my coworker met Jennifer. I then met with Ben Behnkendorf (General Manager) and Jennifer and started my assessment of our order onsite. Every single drop we asked for was either in place and working, or about to be run. The PoE+ worked as promised, the 10MBps dedicated lines tested at higher speeds. Just wanted to say thank you again. You made my job easier, and made our Conference a success.”

Michael Brennan, Network Engineer, GameStop Reno-Sparks Convention Center “Kenny Arzola (Technician), thank you so much for all your help with the WiFi. You and your staff were so nice and patient with us while you connected us to the Wi-Fi. We really appreciated your knowledge and expertise.”

Terrie Schulte, President, TMQ

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center “Peggy Moreth (Event Coordinator) has always answered my questions/ concerns in a timely manner. She regularly walks by my registration area to ask how things are going and to make sure our services are Middle: Corey Anderson (Technician) accept- functioning properly.” ing a certficate of appreciation from Urban Texas Bandmasters Association Show Management Expo Representatives

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Employee of the Month

August James Zarharchuck, Wireless Network Administrator Las Vegas – Corporate Office

June Naomi Bonami, CSSR II San Diego Convention Center

vironment that inspires them. Naomi continually does great things, focusing on the team’s success, by helping other members of the team succeed.

July Marina Joyner, Administrative Assistant II Las Vegas – Corporate Office Left to Right: James Zarharchuck (Wireless Network Administrator) and Eric Mowrey (Engineering Director)

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Left to Right: Shawn Lowrey (General Manager), Naomi Bonami (CSSR II) and Donna Kacmarcik (Customer Sales & Service Manager)

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AOMI continually shows ongoing initiative, leadership, and dedication. She has made measureable impact on the team as a whole. Her peers respect her and look at her as a “go to person” when something is needed. She inspires those around her with her positive, energetic, upbeat, and approachable outlook. She always has a smile on her face and is more than happy and willing to assist at any time. “Customers Define Quality” and that has been expressed by our clients many times over via Client Critiques, emails, or phone calls. Naomi goes above and beyond to ensure that the clients receive the correct service for their needs, and doesn’t hesitate to suggest “other” services if she feels the client may be ordering the incorrect item. Naomi “does right” by all of our customers, making herself available always. “It’s the People” and great people flourish in an en-

Left to Right: Marina Joyner (Administrative Assistant II) and Kelli Bonds (Office Manager)

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ITH the departure of our receptionist over two months ago, Marina managed the corporate office front desk every day handling the majority of the front desk responsibilities (which is no simple task), along with her own tedious job of arranging the never ending travel for most of Smart City, all while still supporting three executives. Not only has she handled it graciously, and been helpful and courteous to everyone that has called or entered the building, but she has continued to manage her own workload without issue. Even during the toughest times at the front desk she had a smile and offered assistance to everyone with a can and willdo attitude.

O ensure success at ESRI 2018, the NOC at Smart City Corporate sent in reinforcements to elevate service and install confidence in the event planners that all measures had been taken for the success of their show. Enter Wireless Network Administrator James Zarharchuck. Following Smart City’s Business Principal #9, Think Fast, Work Fast, James stepped up to join the San Diego team on short notice. Working in coordination with Jason Bussie (Data Operations Profesional), James quickly studied the network design down to every last detail. He placed custom monitors and checkpoints in place to keep a real-time finger on the pulse of network traffic. He watched for trouble spots, ready to make changes where needed before potential issues could arise. For six days (including his birthday!) James monitored the networks and created detailed custom reporting that he delivered to the ESRI IT team. The customer was extremely satisfied with the support and services Smart City provided. James’ full commitment to the team, the customer and the success of Smart City was key to a very positive outcome.

Team Member Updates Anniversary Milestones Smart City Corporate’s Senior Accountant, Dane Hardy, pictured with Amy Stone (Controller), celebrated his five-year anniversary with the company in July. We want to thank him for all of his hard work with Smart City for the past five years!

Smart City Orlando’s Assistant General Manager, Jennifer Way, pictured with Tim Overall (General Manager), celebrated her tenyear anniversary with the company in July. We want to thank her for all of her hard work with Smart City for the past 10 years!

Smart City Anaheim’s Customer Sales & Service Manager, Tammy Espinosa, pictured with Kevin Patch (General Manager), celebrated her 25-year anniversary with the company in August. We want to thank her for all of her hard work and dedication with Smart City for the past 25 years!

The Pinnacle Q3 2018

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Boosts San Diego Convention Center “Naomi Bonami (CSSR II), I hope you are recovering from Comic-Con. Sorry it’s taken me awhile to respond, but I wanted to say how great it was to work with Jason Bussie (Data Operations Professional) during our show. As you know, we were really nervous about going full Wi-Fi and Jason was confident from the beginning. His knowledge and confidence convinced me that it was the right choice.

During the show, he was outstanding. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to work with. He was always available and willing to roll up his sleeves to research any issues. We didn’t have many issues, but he was right there by our side when we did. I truly appreciated his hard work and “can do” attitude. I had a lot of colleagues back in Dublin that were second guessing my decision to go wireless because we have never done it before. Once I got back, they said we set the new standard for RBC. It felt good to come back and be able to tell them we did it!

Jason was a huge part of that success and truly appreciate his efforts. It was great working with the entire team, you included. I really enjoyed our time at the San Diego Convention Center and can’t wait to go back. Thanks for everything you and your team did to make RBC 2018 a successful event!”

Scott Cummins, Pharmaceutical Distribution Information Technology Manager, Cardinal Health Greater Columbus Convention Center “Please convey a special thank you to Lacey Fields (Technician) with Smart City. She worked restlessly to ensure that all of our internet needs were met in a timely and effective manner. She was extremely patient, professional and helpful.

Kim Sarkady, ATA Manager, Event Services, NRG Park “Codey Eichenour “Ike” (General Manager), thank you to you and your team, our event went very well! I appreciate all of the assistance and patience with all of the last minute changes!

Sanh Luc, Herbalife

New Arrivals Rachel Gamble, daughter of Keith McNeely (Senior Director) and Patricia McNeely, had a healthy baby boy on August 30th. Noah Gamble was born at 6:42am and weighted 9 lbs. 6 oz.’s, and was 21 ¼ inches long.

Left to Right: Olivia (Noah’s bigger sister) and Noah

We are happy to announce the arrival of Benjamin David Foust.

Benjamin was born June 21st at 2:12pm weighing in at 7lbs 6oz.

This 20” bouncing baby boy is brought to us through Matt Foust (Help Desk Operator) and fiancé Amanda.

Left to Right: Judith (Benjamin’s sister) and Benjamin

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The Pinnacle Q3 2018

Employee Anniversaries

July - 2018 Tammy Clark Jennifer Way Nicholas Urquiza Hector Ruiz Dylan Deering Dane Hardy Alexis Mayfield Michael Hertweck

11 years 10 years 8 years 6 years 6 years 5 years 5 years 5 year

Thomas Lam Adam Chau Terry Funk Jessica Fobbs William LaPrad Daniel Little Bray Pabalan Jose Torres Bernard

2 year 2 year 2 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year

25 years 21 years 18 years 16 years 16 years 16 years 16 years 16 years 13 years 12 years 11 years 9 years 7 years 6 years

Keith Bean Jesse Gallegos Brian Clear Marcos Catena Stephanie Garcia Mark Thompson Jason Bussie Ryan Stephens-Miles Cody Campbell Kenneth Arzola Alexus Gammage LaBrea Marshall Larissa Franzen

6 years 6 years 5 years 4 years 4 years 3 year 2 year 2 year 2 year 2 year 2 year 2 year 1 year

21 years 19 years 19 years 14 years 7 years 7 years

Paul Russell Nycole Smith Michele Cinquegrani Aymen Al-Ani Salvador Bernal-Flores

7 years 4 years 3 year 2 year 1 year

August - 2018 Tammy Espinosa Janae Tinsley David Langford Michael Hampton Jr. Frank Loyke Ronald Roberts Whitey Rodriguez Robert Romero Quas Sine Francisco Magdaleno Hue Banh Christopher Delane Dona Denton Corey Anderson

September - 2018 Julia Slocombe Beatrice Rivera Greg Smith Tina Shields Jennifer Mezquita Timothy Wass

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