How Strategic IT Infrastructure Transforms Buildings and Protects Long-Term Value: Insights from the Brighton Centre
Connectivity sits at the heart of the modern built environment.
Whether it is a smart building, office space, mixed-use development, or large-scale event venue, developers and asset owners know that tenants, visitors and operators expect fast, reliable digital access from the moment they arrive.
The Brighton Centre demonstrates how long-term thinking, strategic planning and smart design can transform a building’s capabilities. Over the past 15 years, Curve IT has worked closely with the venue to design, deliver and continually evolve its IT infrastructure.
The result is a network that continues to evolve and meet the demands of modern, high-density events right on Brighton’s seafront.
A venue with changing demands
The Brighton Centre hosts some of the UK’s largest conferences and exhibitions, as well as big name music acts, comedy and family shows, and university graduations.
Each event has huge digital demands, and different technical requirements:
- Thousands of delegates bring multiple devices that need access to reliable WiFi.
- Exhibitors need private, secure and reliable connections for their stands and demos.
- Organisers rely on WiFi for presentations, live polling and audience interaction.
- Media teams need high-speed wired connections in multiple locations.
With auditoriums, meeting rooms, foyers and exhibition areas often active at the same time, the Centre’s connectivity has never been about a one-off technical installation, but about creating a digital foundation that can adapt for any event at any time.
Connectivity that continues to evolve
Curve IT installed the Centre’s original WiFi network over 15 years ago, when expectations around connectivity were far lower than they are today. Since then, the venue has benefitted from connectivity that continues to evolve, with regular reviews, expansions and upgrades to match new technologies and user expectations.
Key aspects of the network’s evolution include:
- Multiplying access points to improve coverage and handle greater demands without comprising performance.
- Upgrading legacy hardware to an enterprise-grade Ruckus platform for reliability in high density spaces and stability during peak demands.
- Regularly conducting wireless scans to identify and address any changes in performance, particularly before major events.
Flexibility at its core
One of the most valuable parts of the Brighton Centre’s connectivity is that it has been designed with flexibility at its core. Strategically placed network distribution points also allow wired and wireless connectivity to be delivered wherever and whenever it is required:
- Organisers can operate on secure WiFi networks for internal workflows and systems.
- Exhibitors can use private wired connections for their stands and demos.
- Media teams can use dedicated feeds at specific speeds in different locations.
- Visitors can use public WiFi without compromising network performance.
As Ian Hardy, Building Manager of the Brighton Centre, notes “the infrastructure we have developed in conjunction with Curve IT has been a complete game changer for the venue.
Without Curve IT’s support, we would not have been able to keep pace with increasing bandwidth demands, fibre upgrades and the day-to-day needs of a large live venue, and this would have had a huge adverse impact on business.
Instead, we are able to provide reliable connectivity to everyday visitors, exhibitors and organisers, and we have been one of the first conference venues to provide free delegate WiFi”.
For large-scale events, the Centre can also deliver fully bespoke connectivity setups in line with detailed technical specifications, and on-site technical support. This has involved repositioning access points, installing additional hardware, and deploying multiple engineers to actively monitor the network, perform scans and resolve issues before they impact users during events.
What this means for commercial properties
Although the Brighton Centre is a live event venue, commercial offices, mixed-use developments and multi-tenant properties face similar challenges:
- High-density footfall as people move through the building at different times of the day.
- Fast, reliable WiFi expectations from tenants and visitors in receptions, meeting rooms and shared areas.
- Reliance on secure networks supporting access systems, CCTV, BMS and day-to-day operations.
- Use and behaviour patterns changing, with hybrid working, flexible tenancies and evolving building use becoming the norm.
Coupled with new, emerging technologies, these challenges can place considerable pressure on a building’s digital infrastructure.
This is why digital infrastructure should be considered early with longevity in mind. By planning for flexibility, capacity growth and future upgrades from the outset, developers can avoid disruptive, reactive or costly overhauls, and create a foundation that can evolve alongside the building itself.
Digital infrastructure should also be proactively managed to protect long-term value. A resilient, well managed network can attract and retain tenants, reduce operational risk, support changing building uses, and protect long-term asset value.
Final insights: IT infrastructure that lasts
The Brighton Centre is a powerful example of what can be achieved when digital infrastructure is treated as a long-term asset rather than a short-term installation. It shows how a network designed to evolve can successfully support thousands of devices, multiple user groups and complex operational requirements year after year.
The same thinking should be applied to commercial properties of all sizes. Buildings designed with flexible, resilient connectivity that continues to evolve are better placed to respond to changing tenant needs, new working patterns and future technologies.
Investing in IT infrastructure is not simply a technical decision. It is a strategic one. When integrated in early design stages, it can underpin better tenant experiences, support smooth, smart operations and protect a building’s reputation today and in the future.
Want to know more?
Curve IT consults with developers, architects and contractors to deliver resilient, future-ready digital infrastructure that protects long-term building value. Get in touch with our team to talk about your next project.
