Dane County: Invests in expanded WiFi access to help World Dairy Expo 2012

Contact: Casey Slaughter Becker, Office of the County Executive 608.267.8823 or cell, 608.843.8858

Dane County is going high-tech to help World Dairy Expo 2012, County Executive Joe Parisi announced today. The county is investing in wireless internet access for its Alliant Energy Center (AEC) campus to aid World Dairy Expo in providing a quick cattle check-in process for this year’s event.

“World Dairy Expo means millions for our economy and is a global event rooted in decades of deep tradition right here in Dane County,” Parisi said. “By making these upgrades, we’re making it easier for World Dairy Expo’s more than 2,500 head of cattle to settle into their week-long home and we are happy to do what we can to make both our two-legged and four-legged guest comfortable during this amazing showcase for agriculture.”

The $30,000 project has expanded limited Wi-Fi access to the central part of the AEC campus just in time for the 2012 World Dairy Expo, October 2 – 6. Now complete, the technology upgrade will enable World Dairy to automate their cattle check-in process, reducing wait times for Expo participants and their animals.

“We are excited about the commitment Alliant Energy Center and Dane county have shown in helping World Dairy Expo make our cattle show more efficient,” said Mark Clarke, General Manager of World Dairy Expo. “This is a huge step in streamlining our show and hopefully will prove beneficial to other events that use the campus.”

World Dairy Expo is an international event with tremendous economic impact on Dane County and the region – last year’s event resulted in $17.7M of direct spending in the Madison area. The five day event attracted a record 2,587 head of dairy cattle exhibited by 1,130 exhibitors. Total attendance was 68,006 visitors, with 2,699 registered international guests from 90 countries.