HORTICULTURE EVENT GROWS IN COLUMBUS

AmericanHort, the national association for the horticulture industry, returned in 2022 with their signature event, Cultivate ’22, hosted by the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC). This was their first full event since the start of the pandemic and the leaves have certainly resprouted once more! This year’s event brought in over 650 exhibitors and welcomed international guests from around the world. The overall event proved why it is one of the premier events in the horticulture industry.

Over 140 educational sessions, hands-on workshops, and tours of some of the local gardens in Columbus were all highlighted over the course of the event, with one of the main attractions being a tour of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The Conservatory is located approximately 2 miles east of downtown Columbus and sits on close to 13 acres of the larger Franklin Park. Attendees were able to observe a large variety of exotic plants, seasonal exhibits, and outdoor gardens.

In addition to all the exhibitor and attendees that arrived to help make the show a success, AmericanHort also turned the entire convention center into a greenhouse experience! The GCCC was decorated with thousands of plants. At the end of the show, AmericanHort generously donated most of those plants to local non-profit groups including Habitat for Humanity, the Franklin Park Conservatory, and the city of Columbus to just name a few. These plants are used for fundraising and beautification projects in the Columbus area.

Columbus has always been a beautiful city and its proud to welcome such events like Cultivate ’22 that emphasis the importance of greener future. The seeds for next year have already been planted and the GCCC looks forward to the event returning in 2023.

ARE WE READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??

Time to start preparing for the biggest sporting event of the year. It is the culmination of a hard-fought season leading to the ultimate trophy and a cherished, expensive ring. Every year, over 100 million people tune in to watch the Big Game and see the two best teams in the league go head-to-head, which means its venue must be spectacular. In 2023, football’s biggest night will be held at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and preparations are already underway to make this the best one yet. The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is the group responsible for getting the city ready and the long drive to the endzone has officially begun. It is Football Season everyone!

For 2023, the Phoenix Convention Center will host the media headquarters, which allows major networks to broadcast from the venue and Smart City Networks will be responsible for ensuring everything runs smoothly. Right now, we are working on installing a 5G cellular system in the areas that will service the NFL Experience and will provide a state-of-theart facility with the most advanced technological solutions possible. It not only helps Smart City provide excellent service to the NFL and its media affiliates for the Big Game, but also assists in bolstering all the other large events hosted by the Phoenix Convention Center in the future.

Smart City Networks has delivered technology services to the NFL’s Big Game since 2003, making 2023 our 20-year anniversary. This will be the 13th game we have provided services for the surrounding community, and we could not be more thrilled. One of the biggest perks of being the nation’s leading telecommunications and technology provider in the United States has been establishing ourselves in almost all the major cities. So, while the Big Game may jump around to a new stadium every year, Smart City Networks has remained a consistent presence for the event and has enjoyed helping the media headquarters bring the big game to life for its millions of fans.

This is a familiar situation for Smart City and the Phoenix Convention Center. History is repeating itself as the Big Game was previously held at this same stadium in 2015. A lot has changed since then. The last time this event was held in Arizona, Smart City Networks successfully installed a new distributed antenna system that boosted mobile broadband coverage, enhanced network capacity, and improved reliability. We rose to meet the demands of the venue in 2015 and now we look forward to doing it again in 2023 with a new 5G cellular system.

Upgrading our facilities for the Big Game continues the trend Smart City has set forth in previous years. For example, the 2021 event in Tampa saw us install a massive new infrastructure to the Tampa Convention Center that provided access to Wi-Fi 6 Technology and changed the game in terms of features like high-density wireless capabilities. It shows how we always look for opportunities to bring our facilities to the next level, and the Big Game is a perfect launch pad for new and enhanced technologies and services.

This event is a large undertaking. As the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee works diligently to prepare for the biggest sports event of the year, Smart City will be taking the necessary steps to make sure everything is ready on time. We may not know yet which two teams will be making the trip to Arizona on that fateful Sunday, but we can guarantee Smart City’s team will be on-hand and ready for kickoff. 18