In this always connected age, reliable Internet service is as essential for any hospitality business as fresh food and clean sheets. Anyone visiting a convention center or hotel anywhere in the country expects to access their email at any time just as they expect working escalators and bathrooms.
That’s where Jalen Thomas and his team at Smart City Networks come in. Thomas and his colleagues work around the clock to keep the Wi-fi and other telecommunications streaming at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and Memorial Auditorium in the heart of Sacramento. Whether it’s a craft brewers conference at the convention center or a naturalization ceremony at Memorial Auditorium, online connectivity is a prerequisite to a successful event, Thomas said.
“Nowadays the Internet is almost as important as electricity,” Thomas said. “People notice when their Internet is not working. When things are buffering and moving slowly, when you pick up a phone call and you can’t hear someone, you notice those things very quickly. It’s very important that we’re doing all we can to make sure people have seamless transitions into the building and right back out.”
Smart City Networks, in fact, has become a critical link in networking the hospitality industry. The Las Vegas-based company operates telecommunications networks at 38 convention centers nationwide, including those in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim, San Diego and Santa Clara.
The company discovered Thomas while he was staffing the guest services desk at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. A general manager operating the center’s telecommunication system noticed Thomas’ engaging manner with visitors and introduced himself. Thomas was soon offered a customer service position at the company along with training in information technology, or IT, fundamentals and networking. Thomas transferred two years ago with the company to Sacramento where he now manages a three-person team at the convention center and arts complex.
Although Thomas mainly works with IT networks, he said his mission is the same as those of other hospitality professionals – creating unforgettable memories for guests. In Thomas’ case, he just makes sure visitors can immediately share those lifelong memories with the world via social media or text.
“Being able to come together and experience something that will be with you forever, that’s extremely important so whether that’s a sporting event, a convention you go to or even just a hotel, the experiences we have in these places they stick with us and that’s why it’s so important to me,” Thomas said.
The construction of ever more palatial high-tech venues such as SoFi Stadium in Inglewood or the Chase Center in San Francisco points to strong growth in the event business as well as in the IT support those venues require, Thomas said. Smart City Networks helps its employees stay on top of that industry expansion through constant technical training, including helping employees pay for technical certifications.
And as a hiring manager, Thomas said he’s always on the lookout for promising new talent, especially for people like himself who are passionate about both hospitality and IT.
“Reading through a lot of resumes, sometimes there are people who are changing industries and don’t have the background we would typically look for,” Thomas said. “But you need to be able to go through and dive deep because there are so many talented people looking to join the industry.”
Thomas, who in two years transitioned from a guest services representative in Washington, D.C., to the network manager of Sacramento’s main convention hall, knows all about the potential of new career paths.
