We're going behind the scenes of some of the world's biggest sporting events, where a dropped call isn't just annoying, it could be dangerous.
In this episode, we talk with John Mantas, Team Lead Account Manager for Motorsports and Global Events at Riedel. With experience from major Summer and Winter Games as well as football World Cups, John and his colleagues design and deliver communication systems that simply cannot fail under extreme pressure, where precision and reliability are everything.
The pressure of performance: Delivering full availability for half a billion viewersWhat does it truly take to deploy a mission-critical communication network for a global event with up to half a billion viewers? We dive into the massive logistical and technical challenge of temporary, high-stakes deployments. John reveals the intense, two-year planning cycles, the ever-changing international regulations, and the constant battle against signal interference and last-minute changes.
From managing frequency-dense environments and securing temporary networks to ensuring complete redundancy in everything from power to antennas, we unpack the leadership and engineering required to keep thousands of staff - from race control to medical teams, safely connected.
Listen in to discover:- The four pillars of planning, including international regulations and worst-case scenario calculations.
- Why redundancy is the key factor when "failure is not an option."
- How teams mitigate threats ranging from cyberattacks to RF interference in crowded venues.
- The unique challenges of balancing client cost pressures with non-negotiable safety requirements.
- Real-world lessons and advice for designing your first event-based critical comms deployment.
This isn't just a technical deep dive. It’s a front-row look at the high-stakes world where flawless communication ensures both a great show and the safety of everyone involved.
John’s privileged insider perspective on delivering full availability makes for compelling listening.
Timeline:00:00 Introduction
02:31 The scope & pressure of global events
08:52 Reliability & environmental challenges
13:40 Security, compliance & interoperability
17:27 Cost, innovation & client expectations
21:51 Lessons, stories & advice
26:08 Wrap-Up
John Mantas is the Team Lead Account Manager for Motorsports and Global Events at Riedel. He specialises in designing and implementing professional communications solutions for large-scale, high-visibility events, focusing on absolute reliability and resilience under pressure.
