Triangle connects Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is Europe’s largest ballooning event, taking place annually over 4 days in August. From small beginnings in 1978 the festival has grown exponentially and now caters for 300,000 spectators over the course of the weekend.

As well as the breathtaking mass balloon ascents, the festival hosts nightglows with the balloons lighting up to music, attended by up to 50,000 people.    

The Opportunity 

With Triangle focused on working with the property sector and technology businesses to deliver connectivity to SMEs and enterprise customers, an event the size of the balloon fiesta offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate the capability of ultrafast connectivity and fibre infrastructure. 

The Balloon Fiesta has a larger population than most business parks! In fact, its population is comparable to that of a large town comprised of a number of key buildings with varying requirements from each. 

In the case of the Balloon Fiesta, the requirements vary from connectivity for key stakeholders for communication purposes through to the live streaming of event coverage for the important media partners. 

In partnership with our IT experts, and the balloon fiesta team, each year the Triangle team challenges itself to demonstrate operational expertise in delivering connectivity on time and with little fuss.  

The Challenge 

The site is located within a natural bowl, which is excellent for protecting balloons ahead of their take offs, but difficult for connectivity. Poor connection would cause disruption for the teams working on the fiesta, limiting critical communication within teams and externally. Good internet connectivity helps to stop delays in messaging.  

The fiesta team have previously had to rely on the use of radios, which are expensive and inefficient as not every team member can carry one.  

Key infrastructure like trader payment systems rely on internet connection so any disruption to connectivity could mean loss of revenue, especially at key trading times. Connectivity is also required for the scanners at car park entry points where efficiency is key, and a huge media presence from outlets all over the world rely on the internet for live and sending back pre-recorded broadcasts worldwide.  

Testimonial 

Ben Hardy, Executive Director at Bristol International Balloon Fiesta said: 

“The importance of connectivity on any event site cannot be underestimated, but for the Fiesta it is essential. From simply being able to access our web-based file storage for access to our schedules and site plans during the build, running multi agency meetings with the emergency services via video conference and running our live, multiuser command and control logging system, a strong, reliable and data connection is essential. Overlay this with the requirement of over 300 accredited media from around the globe, Triangle have become an integral part of the Fiesta’s delivery team”. 

The Triangle Solution 

Each year, Triangle delivers a gigabit leased line service and more than 2km of fibre and wireless connectivity to reach the balloonist’s village at the opposite end of the site.  

A live connection was maintained for the press team and major media outlets like BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Breakfast, who used 500GB of data throughout the event weekend improving the reach for the fiesta’s coverage.  

Triangle installs this connection on a 6-month term which is much more flexible than standard leased line contract terms (normally 12 or 36 months). In the case that a backup connection was required, a Starlink system is put in place so teams always have the reassurance that they would have the connectivity they need. 

Wireless technology is deployed, mimicking business park connectivity, connecting bars and traders throughout the site so that they could take card payments using PDQ machines without fear of losses caused by dropouts.  

To ensure safety across the site a connection is deployed for Severnside Security Ltd’s CCTV system, like that of a City Centre deployment, allowing them to monitor crowd movements throughout the site and act on any reported incidents.  

Hardwired internet and Wi-Fi points are installed in the event control area, allowing Richmond Event Management to deliver and run the event effectively. A partner’s cloud telephone system allows the team to take external calls and to communicate internally. 

The Wi-Fi access points serve as access for users in every marquee onsite and public, carrier grade Wi-Fi ensures strong coverage throughout the whole event for the network of event partners. Nearly 2000 clients were able to connect over the course of the weekend, showing how seamlessly Wi-Fi technology can manage access between public areas, something that is becoming increasingly important for hard to reach high-rise and rural premises. 

In addition to the fixed-wire infrastructure, the Triangle long-range wireless connections provide internet access to the more remote Sky Lounge and the Balloonist’s Marquee areas allowing guests to log onto local Wi-Fi equipment to share content including pictures and videos online. 

A whopping 750GB of data was used over the course of the four-day fiesta, more than some of our customers use in 12 months. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta takes place on the second weekend of August annually. For more information visit https://www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk/.