Xirrus equips Messe Munich Trade Fair

The implementation provides Wi-Fi in all 16 exhibition halls, all entrances, the ICM Congress Centre, the Messehaus meeting rooms, both press centers and the "Atrium" between Halls A and B. Only 183 Xirrus Arrays were needed to equip the trade fair's expansive grounds (a total of approx. 217,000 sqm: 180,000 sqm halls, 30,000 sqm atrium and 7,000 sqm ICM) with a scalable network to accommodate high densities of mobile wireless clients, while maintaining Wi-Fi flexibility. A total of 1,188 integrated access points (APs), with a maximum of eight APs per Array, were deployed. While conventional installations require a cable run for every single access point, the only cable runs needed for this deployment were for the actual Arrays. As a result, Messe Munchen reduced installation efforts by 650 percent.

Xirrus Arrays' software configurability enables granular customization, down to the Wi-Fi radio frequency (2.4 or 5 GHz), allowing for real-time adaptation to Messe Munchen's various trade shows. Radio coverage can be customized according to the layout of an individual exhibition hall and address any bottleneck issues resulting from a large group of people in one area. The Xirrus Management System (XMS), implemented as a virtual appliance in a VMware environment in both Messe Munchen data centers, enables administrators to monitor the network at all times and make any event-specific adaptations autonomously.

Messe Munchen is also realizing huge financial benefits from Xirrus' software configurability -- due to the significant reduction in operating expenses. Changes can be made quickly without any complicated physical handling of the access points. Alternative solutions require physically handling of all 1,188 access points to make such changes. With the Xirrus solution, the XMS management system handles the change.

For the planning, implementation and setup of the Xirrus solution at the fairgrounds, Deutsche Telekom was supported by Value Added Distributor for network and mobile business solutions, brainworks computer technology GmbH.

"We host a wide variety of events at Messe Munchen," explained Stefan Schussler, manager of IT infrastructure at Messe Munchen. "In addition to the trade shows we organize, conventions play an important role, too. A number of organizations rent space in the ICM Congress Centre. Conventions frequently travel around the globe every year, selecting locations according to detailed criteria catalogs. They almost always pose detailed questions about the venue's Wi-Fi infrastructure."

"Messe Munchen is committed to offering excellent trade fair services," emphasized Dr. Johannes Lorenz, CIO Messe Munchen, a strong proponent of the trade fair's Wi-Fi revamp. "These days, services must also include robust and free Wi-Fi. Fast Internet access is simply a given, even more so in high-tech venues such as trade fairs. In this business, being able to exchange information quickly and easily often seals the deal."

"Our partnership with Messe Munchen is immensely valuable to us. I am certain that Xirrus will meet the extreme and varying requirements of Messe Munchen for a long time to come," said Shane Buckley, chief executive officer of Xirrus. "We are ideally positioned to address the latest industry developments, such as the IEEE 802.11ac standard for high-speed Wi-Fi. Many network specialists are nervous about replacing an existing wireless infrastructure, just to do an upgrade. But thanks to the architecture of our Xirrus Arrays, this is no longer a problem. All Xirrus Wireless Arrays are compatible to 802.11a/b/g/n. All existing Arrays of the XR-Series are compatible to 802.11ac and to all future protocol versions."

"Our deployment at Messe Munchen clearly demonstrates the breadth and strength of Xirrus's capabilities," commented Thomas Weiss, vice president Xirrus EMEA. "As a World player in their field and as the venue for iconic events such as bauma, we are naturally delighted to be working so closely with the Messe Munchen teams to help keep them at the forefront of their industry. We also believe this reference site will significantly support our standing with the most challenging customers around the world."