October 15, 2019
Who
The US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota proudly hosted Super Bowl LII in 2018. Preparing for such an event takes years of planning and strategic decision-making. From the early days during the construction of US Bank Stadium in 2016 to the final months leading up to the Super Bowl, Vertex was there ensuring every aspect of the wireless network was primed for the event.
The Challenge
Building a state-of-the-art stadium is a monumental undertaking. In addition to the vision of the owner, there are municipal requirements and NFL mandates that must be satisfied. Coordinating all of these, sometimes competing, needs is complex.
US Bank Stadium was selected to host the 2018 Super Bowl in 2014. At that point, the site of the billion-dollar stadium was still under construction. Yet, tailoring the stadium to the NFL's suggestions began. Venues that host the Super Bowl have special needs that include increased media areas, additional broadcast booths, extra lighting, and of course, lots of Super Bowl graphics. Some of these needs were worked into the initial construction, while others could not occur until much closer to game day.
The initial wireless network installed in the US Bank Stadium was designed to meet the needs of regular event use. In preparation for the Super Bowl, the venue needed to dramatically increase the capabilities of the network. The upgrades to the system had to occur in a tight window of opportunity during which many other Super Bowl preparations would be going on.
The Solution
Vertex began working on the upgrade project a year before the Super Bowl. The team worked with designers, the Minnesota Stadium Authority, the venue owner, vendors, and carriers to create an ideal upgrade strategy and then coordinated all moving parts of the project. Without an expert on the ground, seemingly small aspects are easily missed and snowball into schedule delays, rework, and cost increases.
The on-site Vertex neutral host distributed antenna system (NH DAS) expert acted as a single point of contact for all construction and project management questions. This included attending all design reviews, facilitating communication between multiple vendors, and ensuring that every requirement, from every source, was met.
The Results
As a result of the expertly delivered project and construction management, the network upgrades completed on time and budget. The 67,612 Super Bowl fans and 5,800 media members in attendance enjoyed seamless wireless connectivity.
NFL Senior Vice President Peter O-Reilly classified Super Bowl LII as the “most ambitious and complicated Super Bowl planning process to date." Vertex is proud to have supported US Bank Stadium as they prepared to deliver the best possible experience to Super Bowl fans.
Data Points
- Delivered completed project on-time for Super Bowl LII
- Served as on-site project and construction manager
- Coordinated needs of numerous stakeholders