Client: Pixie
Brief: Providing connectivity for carnival-goers at Bath’s Sydney Gardens
Case Study Details
Visitors to Bath Carnival enjoyed the freedom of going cash-free thanks to mobile payment technology enabled by a self-powered dedicated WiFi network from Get Me Connected.
The event WiFi specialists were called in to provide connectivity for Pixie, a new app that lets stallholders and small businesses take electronic payments regardless of how small the amount.
That meant that carnival-goers at Bath’s Sydney Gardens could enjoy activities, food and drinks using the Pixie app instead of having to worry about carrying cash.
Bath-based Pixie sponsored the Carnival and wanted to make sure merchants had a fast, hassle-free experience using their terminals and so brought in Get Me Connected to deliver the necessary connectivity.
Pixie founder Greg Barden said: “We wanted to provide a secure WiFi network so all the terminals we gave to merchants at the carnival could take Pixie payments. There were no cash machines nearby and a lot of these businesses don’t take cards so we wanted to make sure we could increase turnover for traders and ensure no one missed the opportunity to buy a burger or a beer.”
Get Me Connected created a closed network covering the bar area and main arena – a zone of about 400 square metres. The mobile network boxes were self-powered and, having been charged up using solar power at Get Me Connected headquarters beforehand, meant the carnival WiFi was totally off-grid and environmentally friendly.
The four flight-cased WiFi access points were therefore completely wireless, mounted on tripods and feeding back to a load balanced router accessing four mobile ISPs to ensure the best possible signal at any given time.
Get Me Connected CEO Adam Steadman said: “This was a plug and play solution that gave stallholders solid, reliable internet connections at all time – perfect for enabling a mobile payment gateway.”
Pixie’s Greg added: “Get Me Connected are absolutely brilliant. They always give me loads of confidence, with site visits and then the execution of what we want.”
