Tomorrow.City Insights: Key Trends Powering Smart Venues and Next- Generation Fan Experiences

At a glance:

At Tomorrow.City, one of the premier U.S. conferences on urban innovation and smart cities, Boingo Chief Commercial Officer Michael Zeto spoke on the panel “Smart Venues: Powering Next-Gen Fan Experiences,” where leaders across connectivity, AI, and wireless infrastructure explored how stadiums and entertainment venues are evolving into fully connected, AI-driven environments. Zeto highlighted how connected venues are powered by converged distributed antenna systems (DAS), Wi-Fi, private networks, and edge computing to enable AI, IoT, and real-time engagement at scale.

Delivering seamless fan experiences starts with smarter networks

From the moment fans arrive to the final buzzer, today’s sports and entertainment venues are driven by a constant stream of digital interaction. Mobile ticketing replaces lines, real-time stats and betting reshape engagement, and connected services power everything from concessions to security.

What feels effortless to fans is anything but simple.

Behind every seamless experience is a highly sophisticated network infrastructure—one that must support tens of thousands of simultaneous connections and process massive volumes of data.

These growing demands were front and center at Tomorrow.City USA 2026. On a panel, Boingo Chief Commercial Officer Michael Zeto shared what it takes to deliver world-class fan experiences amid rising digital demands. Drawing on Boingo’s experience across large-scale network deployments at venues, Zeto highlighted how connectivity is evolving—and what it takes to build for the future.

Three key themes emerged from the conversation: AI, convergence, and designing networks from the inside out. 

What does it mean to build a smart venue from the inside out?

Today’s venues require designing wireless connectivity as critical infrastructure from day one.

The way we’re designing the networks is really with the future in mind…breaking down application silos and understanding the outcomes across the entire organization—from operations to fan experience, revenue generation, and public safety.

– Michael Zeto, Boingo Wireless CCO

Boingo’s approach starts with outcomes and designing, building and managing wireless networks that meet a venue’s overall goals. That means designing networks to support:

• Seamless fan experiences (ticketing, streaming, in-seat engagement)
• Operational systems (POS, staff communications, security)
• Thousands of IoT devices powering automation and insights

Connectivity must be purpose-built. This “inside-out” approach ensures networks are:

• Scalable for future demand
• Flexible for new applications
• Aligned to business outcomes, not siloed technologies

For venue leaders, that transforms connectivity to a strategic driver of revenue, efficiency, and safety.

What role do wireless networks play with AI?

Another major theme from Tomorrow.City was the growing role of AI—and the infrastructure required to support it.

AI depends entirely on network performance. Its rise is directly tied to advances in 5G, Wi‑Fi and private networks—the high-speed, low-latency backbone that makes real-time intelligence possible.

In a live venue environment, milliseconds matter. Whether it’s optimizing crowd flow, enabling real-time security insights, or enhancing in-seat experiences, AI requires the ability to:

• Process data instantly
• Act on insights in real-time
• Operate reliably at massive scale

The leaders in AI will build it on high-performance, converged networks that allow it to operate effectively.

What is a converged network and why does it matter for venues?

By bringing together cellular distributed antenna systems (DAS), Wi-Fi, and private networks into a converged network ecosystem, venues move beyond siloed systems to deliver more reliable performance, simplified operations, and a better experience for everyone on the network.

Boingo is a leader in delivering converged networks, enabling:

• Consistent, high-performance connectivity across all devices
• Operational simplicity and visibility
• Better scalability during peak demand
• A foundation for AI, IoT, and future technologies

Connecting 2030 and beyond

Demand for connectivity continues to accelerate. With data consumption continuing to rise, AI expanding and emerging technologies like 6G on the horizon, the question isn’t whether networks need to evolve—it’s whether they’re built to keep up.

The venues that lead into the next decade will be the ones that:

• Design networks around outcomes
• Embrace convergence
• Integrate AI into a cohesive ecosystem
• Build infrastructure that evolves over time

For Boingo, building for the future is core to how we operate. For more than 25 years, Boingo has helped drive the evolution of connectivity, from 2G to 3G to 4G to 5G and 6G.

Ready to power a converged future?

Boingo powers more than 70 sports and entertainment venues nationwide, delivering converged network infrastructure that brings together cellular, Wi‑Fi, and private networks—helping venues support AI, scale with demand, and power the next generation of fan experiences.

Download the Sports & Entertainment 5G Playbook to explore how leading stadiums are building smarter, more connected experiences.

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