More than 5,000 exhibiting companies from 55 countries, and more than 62,000 in-person attendees – to which we must add another 40,000 in digital format – and an economic impact for Madrid of 100 million Euros. That is the final balance of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) held during the month of May at the IFEMA Madrid venue. After a very hard year and a half, especially for the Tourism sector, achieving a success of this size was not only a challenge, but a necessity.

Wizzie Analytics, in collaboration with its partner NTT Ltd, did not hesitate to embark on this project. It was not only about helping to energize one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic, but it would also demonstrate how cutting-edge technology can guarantee safe spaces for trade shows. The key is to achieve what is called a smart venue, that is, to use state-of-the-art technology to manage the flow of people from one pavilion to another, ensuring that the mobility of visitors does not compromise anyone’s health.

Big data and the application of AI

Thanks to its Wizzie Data Platform (WDP), Wizzie Analytics has been able to manage the flow of people throughout the seven exhibition halls that totalled about 44,000 square meters. It was not only about the more than 62,000 visitors, but also all the staff of the organization that provides service at the trade show, where Wizzie Analytics itself had its stand to showcase its solutions.

The technology behind this deployment goes far beyond the geopositioning of people through NTT’s Wi-Fi hotspots. The Wizzie Data Platform also relies on technology for automatic detection, classification and real time counting. These elements, although essential, represent only the basis of the entire network so that visitor movements can be reflected on heat maps, triggering possible alarms even before the established capacity limits are reached.

For this, both Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are key, since the system developed by Wizzie Analytics is capable of detecting behavioral patterns and, based on unusual flows of people, anticipating any unforeseen agglomeration.

All this information is provided in real time, while helping to maintain COVID security, and is invaluable for IFEMA services (security, cleaning, hospitality …) when it comes to improving service to the public and responding to any incident. Likewise, report generation and the processing of Big Data allow the detailed analysis of all the implemented measures, optimizing those where room for improvement is detected.

International award

The success of Wizzie Analytics’ technology is no accident. The company’s trajectory is supported by previous projects, such as the one developed at Fira de Barcelona, ​​which was a pioneer in Spain, becoming a smart venue thanks to the implementation of the Wizzie Data Platform. This technology was key so that, in September 2020, Bizbarcelona and the Saló de l’Ocupació, the first events with in-person visitors, could take place.

That successful experience, among others, has served Fira to be awarded the Operations & Services Award 2021 granted by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), the association that brings together the world’s main trade show operators.

The UFI evaluation committee has specially distinguished the Fira’s response mechanisms to the health crisis, highlighting precisely the application of artificial intelligence solutions, capacity control and physical distancing, such as those carried out at shows such as Biz Barcelona and Saló de l’Ocupació, where almost 1,300 devices were monitored simultaneously without any alarm being triggered for exceeding the established people density.

The good results achieved by Wizzie Analytics have made the company a reference in the sector. In fact, its technology will be used at the next Mobile World Congress, where up to 8,000 events per second may be processed.