The Millennium Dome has re-opened this week as entertainment venue The O2, with a technology infrastructure central to the future of the organisation.

The O2, now owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), includes a 20,000-seat arena, a custom-built digital cinema, venue management using radio frequency identification (RFID) and a converged IP network.

AEG chose supplier NEC to deliver the custom-built technology and wireless infrastructure for the complex in Greenwich.

Michelle Wahlgren, worldwide vice president of IT for AEG, says The O2 is the first time that AEG has built a campus network that ties together separate buildings in one seamless voice, data and wireless infrastructure.

‘This meant building more than just the arena, it also required fitting out and networking the entire entertain ment district within The O2,’ she said.

NEC is providing two types of RFID functionality. Contractors clock in and out on a time and attendance system which feeds into back-end systems so AEG knows how much they must be paid. And a membership platform uses an RFID card to track activities of VIP customers.

‘It will become an engine of information to be able to understand what drives the entertainment buzz in the facility and to better develop the rest of the property,’ said Wahlgren.

She says that providing technology for The O2 was a complex task.

‘It is a huge property and within it there are separate buildings which we lease out, and others that we own. In each scenario, we need the infrastructure to allow us to easily address business and human issues securely,’ she said.

The infrastructure will also allow for future growth.

‘We will continue to expand the project and need an infrastructure which can support that. This is just the beginning,’ said Wahlgren.