Networking a sustainable future

Eman Al Awadhi and her team at Expo City Dubai crafted a sustainable and efficient network using existing infrastructure, setting a new standard for eco-conscious event hosting.

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Story highlights

Challenges

  • Selected to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai in 2023
  • COP summits are built on greenfields due to their requirements for robust, seamless, and secure networks.
  • Expo City Dubai wanted to reuse the existing network infrastructure for a sustainable solution

Solutions

Results

  • A robust network connecting 70,000 delegates in 120 buildings over two weeks.
  • Repurposed and utilized more than 90% of the existing network infrastructure.
  • Network reprovision cost 1/5 an equivalent greenfield based on prior COP events.
  • Zero IT incidents or emergencies reported for the entire event duration.

The story

“I believe sustainability should be at the heart of any smart city. Choosing the right technology, shared knowledge, and putting people first, this is how we get to be human-centric city.”

Eman Al Awadhi, Vice President Network and Cyber Security, Expo City Dubai

Industry: Media and entertainment

Company size: 3,000 employees

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Cisco solutions used:

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