BMCC: When a state-of-the-art venue needs a matching network infrastructure

Challenge

The city of Bruges needed a large, multipurpose venue. As a result, they decided to build one in 2021: the Bruges Meeting & Convention Center (BMCC). An impressive building in the heart of the city, with an equally impressive surface of 4,500 m². The ideal venue to host fairs, public events, conferences and concerts. To organize those large events and attract event organizers, a stable and fast network throughout the building was essential. The BMCC’s main requirement? A future-proof solution that would last at least five years after the opening.

Solution

Citymesh was invited from the beginning to collaborate on and implement a state-of-the-art network infrastructure for the upcoming decades. We installed a fiber ring that enables speeds up to 100 Gigabits per second. A speed which is not needed today, but will certainly be needed in the years to come. So for now, we capped the fiber ring at a speed of 40Gbps and added 10Gbps switches, given their current internet line speed of 500Mbps. Instead of installing all the top-notch devices right away, we chose to set up a framework in which every aspect of their network could be upgraded gradually depending on their needs and budgets.

Being involved from the beginning gave us the opportunity to act as a consultant and to prepare a network that would meet all their needs beyond simple internet access. As all their digital signage, heating and air conditioning systems also use the network, they really needed a complete solution from which they will benefit now and in the future. So, we delivered! Even better, should they want to connect their solar panels or EV charging stations in the near future, the infrastructure is ready to serve that purpose.

Since BMCC was built from scratch, we couldn’t test or measure anything on-site, so we had to do a predictive site survey. However, this gave us the advantage of closely working together with the constructors so the entire cable infrastructure could be integrated into the structure of the building.

In addition, we installed the Citymesh Access Box, a device that only requires power and can connect to the network, basically anywhere there is an electrical socket. This allows visitors, organizers or exhibitors to make a fast and stable connection to the BMCC network without any hassle. Its biggest advantage is that you don’t need cables in case there are floors or carpets.

Results

All of these efforts resulted in a pleasing partnership. As we took care of the offloading of their network infrastructure, they are able to enjoy the benefits. The team at BMCC knows they have a future-proof infrastructure built to last. And whenever they have a special or last-minute request, the team knows they have a fast-acting partner in Citymesh.