Case Study: Oregon Convention Center achieves reliable, high-density Wi‑Fi for events up to 10,000 attendees with Riverbed Xirrus

Flexible HD Network Provides Great Wi-Fi Experience for Events with 10-10,000 Attendees

The Oregon Convention Center, the largest convention facility in the Pacific Northwest with more than one million square feet of event space, needed a reliable, high‑density Wi‑Fi solution that could serve everything from 50‑person seminars to 10,000‑attendee conferences. Their challenges were supporting thousands of simultaneous connections, flexibly covering divisible ballrooms and halls, and centrally managing all access points with a two‑person IT team.

OCC deployed a Xirrus Wi‑Fi network with multi‑radio access points and a central management system, allowing quick reconfiguration (including switching radios to 5GHz) and fast SSID/power changes. The result: 75% fewer access points, the ability to connect up to 2,000 users in a single hall (and 1,000 devices in 15,000 sq ft), lower staffing and wiring costs, real‑time usage reporting, and consistently positive customer feedback.

Oregon Convention Center

Matt Pizzuti

Deputy Director