Connection in Detroit just got faster. The Cobo Center completed a $2 million technology upgrade that includes the installation of 60 intermediate distribution frames (IDF) throughout the center that will support and enhance the 10-gigabyte (Gb) broadband network.
“We are creating a network that will accommodate the largest technology power-using events in the industry,” said Claude Molinari, general manager of SMG/Cobo Center. “We can attract new markets like esports, the online gaming shows.”
Cobo Center’s broadband supplier, Rocket Fiber, is Detroit’s newest broadband company, and has a hub on the center’s property. The Cobo hub will create a fiber pipeline into the facility that will offer 10Gb broadband, and the increased number of IDFs allow for a more complex, flexible and robust system.
Recent technology upgrades also created a captive Wi-Fi portal and provides the opportunity for events to have a custom splash page that can be sponsored and create revenue opportunity for show managers.
“[The recent upgrades mean] more streaming services, more augmented reality displays, and more virtual reality displays such as with projection mapping,” Molinari said. “The customer demand for these exhibit enhancements is increasing. It also means our security services are among the best in the business not only with technology but with the partnership formed with local, state, federal and international agencies.”
The Cobo Center offers 723,000 square feet of exhibit space. There is the 40,000-square-foot Grand Riverview Ballroom and more than 100 meeting and banquet rooms. Molinari also shared that upcoming projects include additional parking in two garages, exhibit hall renovations and continued technology services upgrades.
