Xirrus to Provide Wi-Fi for European Tour Events

Xirrus, the leader in high-performance wireless networks, has partnered with the European Tour to provide spectators with high-performance Wi-Fi at its golfing events.

The deal began with the use of the Xirrus Wireless Arrays system at the Wentworth Club headquarters for the BMW PGA Championship in May. This covered the 2,000 seat grandstand as well as the PGA Village and hospitality sections of the course, providing fans with access to a raft of services such as on-demand video and digital content to improve their event day experience.

Graham Gifford, ICT Director at European Tour, said: “Wireless is playing a fundamental role in helping us entice fans away from watching golf on their TV screens at home, to get out and enjoy the live event itself. The delivery of high-performance Wi-Fi from Xirrus allows us to provide spectators with a home entertainment type experience on the golf course, enabling them to enjoy video and interactive content, visit online communities and share their experiences with friends on social media.”

“The European Tour environment has very specific requirements, with multiple temporary structures that need to be rapidly constructed and deconstructed week-on-week. We needed a Wi-Fi provider that could quickly deploy the network, offer high quality coverage and then relocate the network equipment in a very tight time frame. Other vendors quoted up to six weeks for this process, whereas Xirrus had our Wi-Fi up and running in just a few days.

Xirrus worked closely with channel partner, AJP Solutions, a specialist network analysis solutions supplier on the deployment. The strong working relationship between AJP, Xirrus and the European Tour was instrumental in delivering a successful launch at the BMW Wentworth Championship.

The European Tour used the Xirrus Management System (XMS) to provide full monitoring and management of the network, which provided a wealth of rich user data, such as identifying which areas experienced higher user density and tracking typical visitor movements. This will enable the organisers to learn from this user behaviour and structure the next event accordingly.

Sean Larner, VP International at Xirrus, commented: “The use of Wi-Fi on the PGA European Tour is a clear demonstration of the flexibility of Xirrus’ wireless offering and the speed at which we can get these powerful networks up and running for our customers in demanding environments. We’re seeing more sporting venues tap into Wi-Fi as a way to provide fans with tailored digital content and value-add services, while also providing the venue itself with new revenue streams for them and their partners.”