The challenge

It’s not every day you get names like Fat Boy Slim and Basement Jaxx playing in the Isle of Man. With a launch weekend featuring such globally recognised performing artists, it was crucial for Hummingbird Promotions, the company behind the Metabolizm brand, to have reliable technology to support events that would draw people in their thousands.

This included having a fast and reliable broadband service that would support handheld scanners at the two festival entry points on either side of the site, service the hospitality payment terminals and provide secure internet access for performing artists in their “green room” accommodation.

Metabolizm also wanted to allow attendees to easily share their experience on social media whilst they were at the concerts.

The solution

After an initial meeting between Metabolizm and Manx Telecom, a site visit was arranged which allowed engineers to understand the extent and limitations of the outdoor site and develop a plan that would address all of Metabolizm’s requirements. This involved the supply of a temporary state-of-the-art fibre broadband service to the area to provide the connectivity needed to run the ticketing and hospitality systems as well as giving internet access. 

Engineers reviewed and assessed each of the key locations on the site and carefully planned delivery routes to be out of sight. Once installed, the broadband was tested to ensure it was performing as expected. Finally capacity was freed up on the nearest permanent mobile mast to ensure that concert-goers could share their experiences on social media whilst at the event. 

The outcome

The temporary fibre broadband infrastructure worked faultlessly providing a fast and reliable service to the ticket and payment systems and supplying internet access for the artists. At the same time, event attendees were able to share their experience across social media creating great coverage for the Metabolizm event and brand. 

“The fibre installation was fantastic,” said Andy Corrin, Managing Director of Hummingbird Promotions, the company behind Metabolizm. “Manx Telecom engineers did a lot of work very quickly and very professionally. The cables were all hidden so they were practically invisible and we had absolutely zero issues with the connectivity – no outages at all. Everything worked smoothly over the whole weekend.