Unisto's barcoded seals bring event WiFi under control.

Most of us like to attend large outdoor events such as rock festivals, sports competitions, village  fetes and jamborees but the organisations which make these events happen, build the stages and wire them for sound and light deserve our respect. Working to tight deadlines and managing thousands of pounds worth of vulnerable technical equipment are responsible and demanding tasks indeed.

Controlling the delivery and collection of kit on- and off-site is a significant logistical challenge that can be expensive to get wrong. This is where security seals can be very handy and practical, not just for securing tote boxes and vehicles but also for providing an audit trail of equipment loaded onto vans, to control safe arrival on site and subsequent return after the event.

One organisation which uses such a system is Get Me Connected, a specialist, award-winning firm  that  provides  wifi  coverage  at corporate events and festivals. Adam Steadman, its founder and CEO, has been in the events business after spinning Get Me Connected off from his IT support firm five years ago. Adam was looking for a solution to manage his hardware after some hairy experiences setting up, when mission-critical cabling and adapters had been left behind.

He reports: ‘You cannot just run down to Maplin when you’re setting up in a field miles from anywhere! So I first thought that RFID could hold the answer for us, being in line with our technical experience, but after a few tests it became clear that the good, old-fashioned barcode would be a better solution. We chose a security seal, being a more rugged, all-weather carrier than a self-adhesive label.

‘Scanning a barcode brings you into close contact with your equipment, so that you can quickly see if it has incurred damage and requires replacement before being loaded up for the next event. This solution has streamlined our service and thankfully made emergency trips back to base, or same-day couriers for components we have left behind, a thing of the past.’ Using its current integrated solution, Get Me Connected can group together equipment on its system, creating a pick-list from a computer enquiry that gives full traceability of all components required.For example, a satellite broadband modem, compatible cabling and power supply all need to be scanned into the transit tote box before the computer confirms the satellite modem kit as complete.

Adam can now host multiple, simultaneous events catering for tens if not hundreds of thousands of users, even providing wifi from deep within a nuclear grade bunker for a well-known music streaming site. Success has reached new heights, with the recent provision of event wifi for MotoGP at Silverstone, Barclays Bank and the annual Oxford and Cambridge Varsity ski trip, as well as for a famous beverage brand. An already successful year culminated in the winning of “Best Venue Solution” at the Event Technology Awards, beating off competition from the likes of the O2 Arena!

The use of Unisto’s Medio barcoded seals has given Adam confidence to invest in premium quality network and power cables ‘because now they don’t get lost!’ At a recent MotoGP event at Silverstone, Get Me Connected was also offering a phone charging service. With traceability on each of the cables lent out to sponsors and team members, and a £10 charge if the cable was not returned, they achieved a 100% return rate.

Adam Steadman declares himself delighted with the effectiveness of Unisto’s barcoded seals: ‘Our equipment is now mo using barcoded seals has saved us money!’

■ Get Me Connected is a specialist technology company providing reliable, fast and secure wifi connectivity at events of all sizes and in the most challenging locations. It deploys the latest technology to deliver Internet services to events where there is no existing connection. If these services are of particular interest to you, you can email Adam Steadman, CEO of Get Me Connected, at: adam@get-me-connected.com, call the Central London (0207) 111 1656 or Midlands hotline (01788) 377 777, or visit www.get-meconnected.com.