Guests visit the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion, an 11,000-capacity open-air performance venue in Rogers, Arkansas, to enjoy live performances while taking in the air of the Ozarks. It’s an ideal combination.

If there had to be a downside, it is that venues like the Walmart AMP struggle to deliver reliable Wi-Fi coverage because of heightened density and mobility requirements. Around 185,000 square feet is covered at the Walmart AMP, including a covered seating area, a lawn, concession stands, walkways and the backstage areas.  If there’s one thing we know about today’s customers, it’s that poor connectivity leads to lower satisfaction. Regardless of the event, they demand reliable, fast connectivity.

In addition, employees use the network for administrative tasks, and artists and the touring production companies run their jobs from the venue, so a reliable network is an absolute must at the Walmart AMP and similar venues. With Juniper’s AI-driven networking to improve the technology experience for its artists, guests and staff, that is now a reality.

“As a nonprofit, we’ll never have an army of network engineers,” said Jon Downey, director of IT, Walmart AMP and Walton Arts Center. “Learning about Juniper and Mist AI opened my eyes that the network, with AI-driven radio resource management and self-healing capabilities, can be my army.”

Juniper’s wireless access points and EX4400 multigigabit switches are in the venue in conjunction with the Juniper Mist Cloud and Mist AI. The EX4400 Ethernet switch is a cloud-ready, AI-powered access switching platform with advanced security for high-performance campus deployments. Mist AI uses AI, machine learning and data science techniques to ingest data from access points and switches for end-to-end insight into user experiences.

At the Walmart AMP, by optimizing the Wi-Fi settings in real time, artists, guests, and staff all experience seamless wireless connectivity throughout the venue. To add to that, Juniper Mist Wi-Fi Assurance and Wired Assurance streamline network operations and speed troubleshooting.

“We want our customers to have the fastest deployment they have ever had across all Wi-Fi vendors and technology generations, the fastest mean-time-to-resolution of problems and, overall, the simplest and easiest operations ever,” said Sudheer Matta, group vice president of product management for the AI-driven enterprise, Juniper.

Operations are improved because Juniper provides a full picture of the network that the Walmart AMP didn’t experience before. The Walmart AMP now sees where people are throughout the venue to optimize entry points and assist them in locating services.

“Not only can we get 1,000 people through the gates in 10 minutes, but the entire guest experience has also been transformed from the moment a patron’s ticket is scanned,” said Downey.