Brisbane Powerhouse: transforming cultural and community experiences through technology
Optus, in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse and Brisbane City Council, revolutionised the popular Night Feast event by integrating advanced technology to enhance the cultural vibrancy of the iconic venue. Leveraging state-of-the-art 5G connectivity and smart solutions, the collaboration – marked in 2024 by a new 3-year contract – is turning Brisbane Powerhouse into an “innovation lab,” delivering seamless and immersive cultural experiences.
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The Situation Looking beyond connectivity
From 2021, Optus began providing Brisbane Powerhouse with uninterrupted 5G connectivity during popular events like Night Feast: Autumn, when the event’s food and beverage (F&B) providers rely on real-time online ordering systems to manage high volumes during peak times.
The next question was: how else could technology be leveraged to build a bridge between culture and connectivity, enhancing the overall experience for all visitors and stakeholders?
The Goal A seamless celebration of contemporary art and feasting
The objective was to transform the Brisbane Powerhouse into a truly connected cultural and community hub – to deliver a joyful and fun experience for visitors, businesses, chefs, local producers and all the back-of-house teams. Key goals included:
- Further enhancing F&B service efficiency and differentiating stakeholder experiences with private, stable, reliable Wi-Fi.
- Implementing smart sensors and cameras to optimise visitor experiences and ensure safety and compliance.
- Creating a design that would enable them to deploy, redeploy and extend the number and type of devices for greater flexibility.
“With 160,000 people coming through the site, we wanted Night Feast to be a seamless experience – from arrival to ordering food and experiencing the art. We knew that technology needed to play an important role, so we've partnered with Optus to deliver that seamless technological and artistic experience.”
Kate Gould CEO & Artistic Director, Brisbane Powerhouse
The Solution Delivering on a dream
The solution was supported by Cisco’s Country Digitisation Acceleration (CDA) Program and included a tailored suite of technologies (powered by the Optus 5G tower on the roof of the Brisbane Powerhouse):
- State-of-the-art 5G technology, leveraging Cisco’s Meraki suite, plus Peplink and CradlePoint.
- Private Wi-Fi for vendors and stakeholders: Dedicated SSIDs ensured uninterrupted connectivity for specific user groups, such as vendors, exhibitors and VIPs.
- Solution management: Optus targeted and managed the network across the site and solutions throughout the event period.
- Cameras: Deployed to monitor visitor counting and dwell time/heat mapping for traffic flow optimisation.
- Other smart sensors: Measured ambient noise, air quality and fridge temperatures, optimising event safety and comfort, and minimising any impacts on the surrounding local community.
- Online ordering integration: Supported the critical Bopple app for real-time food and beverage orders across multiple outlets. These orders are received and printed by each vendor via the dedicated Wi-Fi network using tablets/phones and Square EFT terminals. These are only connected via Wi-Fi, so a rock-solid connection is critical to the smooth operation of each of the F&B vendors.
The Results Experience enriched
This flexible, innovative setup was deployed efficiently with minimal disruption to the venue and its operations, and achieved remarkable outcomes:
- Seamless high-speed connectivity enabled over 15,000 food and drink orders without interruption.
- Enhanced visitor experiences with optimised crowd management through smart technology.
- Quick and low-impact deployment ensured smooth operation for all event participants.
The Future Foundations for a fabulous future
Optus’s commitment extends beyond Night Feast events. Through their partnership with Optus, Brisbane Powerhouse will be equipped with a fully managed Cisco Meraki environment to explore new growth and innovation opportunities beyond the current technology backbone. This infrastructure lays a foundation for ongoing cultural initiatives, ensuring technology continues to enrich the community long after the festivities conclude.
“The thing that I've enjoyed most about partnership with Optus over the years has been the relationship with the Optus team. They're so easy to work with and they go way outside their lane to think of new things, because they get excited. They're as committed to Night Feast as we are.”
Kate Gould CEO & Artistic Director, Brisbane Powerhouse
Further information
To find out more about partnering with Optus, contact your account manager or request a call back below.
Customer profile
About
Brisbane Powerhouse is Queensland’s home of contemporary culture and art.
Industry
Arts
Company Size
~200
History
Decommissioned as a power station in 1971, Brisbane Powerhouse took on a new life in 1993 as an art haven. With over 1,250 performances and events each year, today they offer a program of music, theatre, comedy, dance, film, visual arts, in-conversation and the digital arts. This includes significant festivals and events such as Brisbane Comedy Festival, MELT Festival, OHM Festival of Other Music and Night Feast.
Website URL
https://brisbanepowerhouse.org
Location
Brisbane
The Goal
• Ensure seamless connectivity throughout the site with dedicated private Wi-Fi
• Enhance the visitor, stakeholder and local community experience
• Build technology foundations that will continue to enrich the community long after the festivities conclude
Solutions
• High-speed Optus 5G connectivity
• Dedicated private Wi-Fi
• Technologies deployed include the full Cisco-Meraki suite, Peplink and CradlePoint
• Optus management of the network throughout the month