Everything starts with the floor plan of the booth at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center. Once we have that, I\u2019ll start mapping out where all the store technology needs to go: we work with our partners to decide where to place their solutions to ensure they can work optimally.<\/p>\n

For instance, we met with EVERYANGLE to determine what areas we want to monitor for footfall analytics, queue counting, and engagement zones. Cameras had to be placed in strategic locations to give us full coverage of the store.<\/p>\n

Queue counting camera<\/p>\n

Cogniac helped us figure out where to place our Meraki MV63 camera to have a clear view of specific T-shirts that were used in a demo in conjunction with Wipro VisionEDGE. When a shirt is picked up off the rack, the MV63 relays that information to Cogniac, and then Wipro VisionEDGE receives a trigger alert to change the screen next to the shirt to educate the customer about the product and explain how our products empower an inclusive future for all.<\/p>\n

Before we ship out to Amsterdam, I\u2019ll set up the technology we\u2019re taking in a lab in San Jose to test that everything is functional. I had our equipment road-tested and packed into just three crates by mid-December (a month and a half before the show), and JLL Logistics helped us ship it all over to Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

Arriving in Amsterdam<\/h2>\n

A few days before the start of Cisco Live, JLL delivered the crates to our booth at the RAI, and our team started unpacking and deploying the equipment. Since we had the map ready, placing everything where it needed to go was seamless. I gave the network team the placement of the switches, cameras, smart fitting rooms, and so on beforehand so they could run the proper electrical lines through the booth, and all we had to do once we arrived was plug everything in.<\/p>\n

The Cisco Store Tech Lab<\/p>\n

Technology Deployment and Store Operations<\/h2>\n

This is the first year we\u2019re baselining the store\u2019s power consumption, both at the San Jose store and at all our travel stores, with the help of CAE Labs\u2019 WiserWatts. We plan to schedule our power at next year\u2019s shows to compare energy and cost savings. It took a bit to figure out how to route the power for all the technology through the Meraki MT40s (smart power controllers that monitor and remotely control power). We deployed twelve MT40s for full coverage of the booth, and it took a few trips to the electronics store to get the right adapters, but now that we\u2019ve done it once, it will be a lot easier globally. After that, Fidel (the store\u2019s Merchandising Project Manager) helps us place all our Meraki cameras. Everything is online by the Saturday before the show starts, and then we do any last-minute configuring and deploying our digital signage playlists.<\/p>\n

The technology makes it a lot easier for our store associates in their day-to-day functions. Meraki smart buttons were set up to allow the associates to change our digital signage (for instance, changing the screens to indicate that the store was closed) without requiring backend access. Our travel stores utilize temporary store associates, so the process of restocking merchandise was similarly simplified: all they had to do was input the product\u2019s ID, and the corresponding electronic shelf label would flash in the back of house to indicate the item\u2019s location.<\/p>\n