Nashville’s Music City Center, a bustling hub for conventions and events, is enhancing its security with the deployment of a cutting-edge surveillance system powered by Hanwha Vision technologies. Stretching across four city blocks with 2.1 million square feet of space, the center is vital to the local economy and central to downtown activity.
Jim Greer, the director of security, emphasized the ripple effect of their operations on downtown, stating, “Everything that happens here impacts everything in downtown Nashville. We needed a security system that could take us into the future.”
Advanced surveillance installation
In collaboration with Convergint Technologies, Music City Center embarked on its search for an effective security solution, culminating in the adoption of the expansive Hanwha Vision-based surveillance system.
The busy location naturally presents numerous security challenges, particularly given the high foot traffic through the facility annually. Their existing security setup struggled with coverage and was inefficient in retrieving and sharing recorded video with internal teams and law enforcement.
Improving security operations
The previous system suffered from being predated by the building's construction
By enhancing situational awareness and operational efficiency, the upgraded system, supported by the longstanding partnership between Convergint and Hanwha Vision, addresses critical safety needs while supporting economic and tourism benefits for the area.
The previous system suffered from being predated by the building's construction; it was fragmented and lacked integration, comprising separate access control and video management systems that hindered effective investigations.
Enhanced camera coverage
The installation has significantly increased the number of cameras to around 700 Hanwha Vision models, providing widespread coverage through strategic configurations. “We have more than 1,600 views throughout the facility,” Greer noted, highlighting the facility's improved observational capabilities by replacing outdated models with advanced Hanwha Vision cameras without extensive infrastructure changes.
The new system, as Eric Blouin, director of technology at Music City Center stated, offers high-quality video coverage, “360-degree coverage, not only on our exterior but also within the facility that extends beyond what most cameras systems can provide.” These advanced features enable functionalities such as cross-camera tracking and AI analytics for real-time incident identification, improving response times dramatically.
Proactive security measures
By integrating analytics capabilities, the center can optimally utilise advanced features like heat mapping to assess traffic patterns. “The biggest benefit is integration,” Blouin remarked, highlighting the seamless blending of various technologies. This approach lets the security team respond swiftly to incidents, and efficiently share critical data with local law enforcement using the Hanwha Vision system’s open data transmission.
With the initial phase of camera upgrades complete, the center plans to replace older models with new Hanwha Vision cameras. Greer emphasized the commitment to security, stating, “We never want to get back to a situation where we’re ever playing catch up to the security of this building again.” Greer reassured visitors of their safety, reflecting the invaluable nature of the upgraded security infrastructure.
Music City Center is Nashville's convention center, hosting a year-round schedule of conferences, events, and exhibitions. Occupying four city blocks across 2.1 million square feet, the organisation is an anchor of the Broadway district and a significant contributor to the city’s economy.
“Everything that happens here impacts everything in downtown Nashville,” said Jim Greer, director of security, Music City Center. “We needed a security system that could take us into the future.”
Full-featured surveillance system
The Center worked with its partner Convergint Technologies to determine the right path, starting a search that ultimately led to the deployment of a large-scale, full-featured surveillance system based on Hanwha Vision technologies.
Being located in the heart of downtown Nashville presented a number of security challenges for the Center, starting with the sheer volume of people passing through the facility each year. Its existing security system didn’t provide adequate coverage for such an expansive complex and the Center’s security team constantly struggled with retrieving recorded video easily and quickly to share internally and with law enforcement.
Performing effective investigations
The long-standing collaboration between Convergint and Hanwha Vision helped the Center achieve its goal of increasing its situational awareness and strengthening its operational efficiencies, while bolstering the downtown area from an economic, safety and tourism perspective.
Greer noted the Center’s previous system was designed well in advance of the building’s construction -- “it was already old before it was even installed” – plus it was less of an integrated system and more a patchwork of disparate technologies. “We had an access control system and a video management system,” he said. “Neither one of them talked to each other and that made it difficult to perform effective investigations.”
Efficient camera configurations
The Center has more than doubled its camera count to about 700 Hanwha Vision models, achieving effective coverage through efficient camera configurations.
“We have more than 1,600 views throughout the facility,” Greer said. “Now, our ability to take a five-head Hanwha Vision camera and put it in the place of an older, poor quality fisheye model without actually having to change much infrastructure has made a huge difference in what we see and what we can do with our systems.”
Enhanced operational capabilities
“By far, the quality of the video has proven to be a game-changer for our organisation,” said Eric Blouin, director of technology at Music City Center. “We have 360-degree coverage, not only on our exterior but also within the facility that extends beyond what most cameras systems can provide.”
In addition to higher-quality video, the new cameras are supporting a range of enhanced operational capabilities, from cross-camera tracking to the use of AI analytics that detect loitering and line crossing as well as near real-time identification of persons or objects. “We’re able to lock in on a lost child and figure out where they were just 10 minutes ago to find them now,” Blouin said. “Before, it took hours to track somebody down throughout the facility. Now we're talking minutes.”
Proactive approach to security
The Center plans to continue using analytics in newer ways, for example, relying on heat mapping to analyse traffic patterns in and around the facility. “The biggest benefit is integration,” Blouin said. “We're able to take all our technologies and blend them together."
The new system is helping the Center’s security team take a more proactive approach to security, dispatching staff to the site of an incident in a timelier manner. When it’s necessary to involve local law enforcement, the open nature of data transmission using the Hanwha Vision cameras makes sharing footage and resolving issues with Metro Nashville Police Department easy and fast.
Constantly monitoring everything
“Being able to quickly provide video and sit reps regarding incidents that happen in and around our facility has been paramount,” said Blouin. “Having that eye in the sky constantly monitoring everything makes the whole community safer.”
With its first phase of new camera installations now complete, the Center will continue updating its older cameras to newer Hanwha Vision models. “We never want to get back to a situation where we’re ever playing catch up to the security of this building again,” Greer said. “When people come to Nashville, and when they come to this convention center, they're going to be safe. It's hard to put a tangible value on what this new system has delivered, but it's made this building safer.”
