Music City Center to add iBeacon technology

Navigating the Music City Center for conferences could be getting easier with the help of new iBeacon technology that is rapidly gaining traction nationwide.

Few details are available on how the technology will be used in the convention center, but based on the Nashville Chapter of the American Marketing Association's website and a photo on a Nashville company's website, it will likely guide guests to their appropriate meeting hall. In a 1.2 million-square-foot building, directions appearing on a phone screen could be a welcome addition for visitors, as well as help the new facility distinquish itself with the cutting-edge technology.

IBeacon is supported by Apple and relies on Bluetooth wireless technology that allows retailers, for example, to recognize customers with their app in and near stores and offer targeted promotions through their phones. Sports venues and museums have recognized the potential for engaging with visitors through beacons and are experimenting with the technology, so it makes sense that convention centers would be exploring its use as well.

The Music City Center would be among the first crop of convention centers to adopt the technology, helping it stand out among a crowded convention field and attract groups looking for spaces with the latest tech offerings. While beacons have raised privacy concerns, users must download the relevant app to receive push notifications or alerts, meaning they can opt in and out as they choose.

Music City Center officials declined to go into detail on the technology, but confirmed that iBeacon technology would be used in the convention space. An announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

On the marketing association's site it advertises its meeting taking place today at the Music City Center, saying attendees will be able to try "a brand-new app using iBeacons while at the Music City Center and hear the practical side of implementation in a large facility."

On Nashville company Ziiio's website on Wednesday, a picture features a Music City Center hallway, as well as the center's branding, as it showcases the type of technology it helps create. The website has since been edited with the image and text removed.

"Our navigation system currently powers large-scale turn by turn navigation for buildings, including a convention center with over 1 million square feet," the site read. "Our intelligent guide tells your customers where they are and how to get to where they want to go."

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_.