Anyone who manages a facility with massive square footage, or who has attended a huge trade show for that matter, can relate to the wasted time and footsteps that traversing a large building many times during the day presents. With more than seven million square feet of meeting and exhibit space, the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, FL was looking for a way to increase productivity and lessen the stress for its team of event coordinators. Specifically, they wanted to respond more quickly to the needs of visiting show managers, and cover more ground during the crucial set-up and take-down periods.
A solution to the problem was found in a pair of Segway® Human Transporters (HTs), self balancing, battery powered transportation devices manufactured by Segway LLC. Julie Smith, supervisor of event coordination at OCCC, says the machines have been a big hit with her staff and her clients. “Because of the size of our facility, responding to a customer inquiry in the next building used to take a considerable amount of time and energy,” says Smith. “With the Segway HTs we can now have an event coordinator there in a couple of minutes, and he or she will arrive composed and ready to help.”
In addition, some show managers are so impressed with the use of devices that they have been renting some of their own. “We have a Segway HT rental operation right here in the Convention Center and many show managers rent one or two machines for their own use during their event,” says Smith.
