VoIP provides the edge for The Perth Convention Exhibition Centre
The new Perth Conference and Exhibition Centre is achieving increased
security, greater flexibility and reduced TCO ("Total Cost of Ownership")
thanks to an innovative VoIP implementation from Macquarie Telecom.
One of Australia's most innovative VoIP implementations swung into
action when the new Perth Convention Exhibition Centre opened its doors in
August this year.
To meet the events industry's growing demand for advanced
communications on the show floor, The Perth Convention Exhibition Centre's
operator, Spotless Services Australia Limited (Spotless) contracted
Macquarie Telecom to design and build a network that can deliver
connectivity for users, employees and customers throughout the new
facility.
An increasing number of our corporate customers are including VoIP as
part of their ICT infrastructure to provide added security, reduce total
cost of ownership and ensure greater flexibility of service offerings.
Any-to-any services
According to Spotless, Macquarie's input helped the centre's
communications design evolve from a basic PABX-based telephony system into
a network that will offer true “any-to-any” services.
Using a combination of Category 6 cabling and fibre backbones, the
Perth Convention Exhibition Centre network carries both data and VoIP
traffic.
A voice gateway at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre connects to
Macquarie's voice services, while a direct Ethernet connection between the
centre and the Macquarie PoP gives users access to the Internet.
One stop communications
The VoIP infrastructure is a critical component in the delivery of an
affordable one-stop communications shop for the Perth Convention
Exhibition Centre.
Unlike an office environment, the telecommunications network set-up for
an event only lasts as long as the event itself. The ideal communications
system for the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre needed to be flexible
enough that a new environment with new users and new billing records could
be created from one event to the next.
Plug and Play service
VoIP was the simplest way to create a voice network that could be
rebuilt for every new event and meant only one connection had to be
delivered to an exhibitor for both voice and data. Once they've set down
their communications needs, exhibitors get a “plug and play” service all
the way to the stand.
“In the past, organisers, exhibitors and other attendees had to call
the telecommunications provider weeks in advance to request a line,” said
the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre's CEO Paul D'Arcy. “This request
had to be co-ordinated with the centre, the venue and the organiser. The
new, easy-to-access infrastructure gives the Perth Convention Exhibition
Centre a vital competitive edge over similar facilities in Australia and
Asia.”
Customised billing engines running on servers at the Perth Convention
Exhibition Centre allow the centre to bill exhibitors and organisers for
their access to voice and data traffic.
Supporting day-to-day operations
The same network also supports around 50 permanent users - the Spotless
staff involved in the day-to-day operation of the Perth Convention
Exhibition Centre.
The centre has six exhibition pavilions, a 2500 seat auditorium,
reconfigurable ballroom space, 19 meeting rooms and can accommodate
thousands of visitors. It is expected to add billions to Perth's economy
both directly and indirectly - all of which rests on its ability to
attract events.
The communications system designed by Macquarie, with support from
Dimension Data to build the large Cisco-based infrastructure, plays an
important role in making the centre an attractive destination for major
events. | 
