From Pop-Up to Payment-Ready: How Hawk Networks and AirFair Delivered a Seamless, High-Volume Network for Alameda County Fairgrounds

Nestled in Pleasanton, CA, the Alameda County Fairgrounds hosts large-scale community events and is tech-forward in many respects, but lacks reliable outdoor internet infrastructure.

For the inaugural event of the spring season, The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association’s 41st All American Get Together, the stakes were high. FairFirst, the Master Concessionaire responsible for coordinating food vendors—including Wahlburgers (Mark Wahlberg’s family restaurant chain)—and alcohol sales, needed more than basic connectivity. They required a high-performance, cashless-ready network to support real-time sales, staff coordination, and vendor operations.

With hundreds of thousands of dollars in transactions on the line, even brief downtime could jeopardize revenue. That’s where Hawk Networks and AirFair stepped in.

Hawk Networks, in partnership with AirFair, delivered a turnkey Private LTE wireless solution within 24 hours, enabling uninterrupted point-of-sale (POS) operations—resulting in a near doubling of gross vendor revenue by enabling faster payments and eliminating the need for store-and-forward transactions.

Challenge

The fairgrounds needed fast, secure, and reliable internet to support over 40,000 attendees and more than 25 vendors—without disrupting existing infrastructure.

Specific challenges included:

• Seamless indoor/outdoor coverage across vendor areas

• Real-time POS capabilities with minimal downtime

• Rapid deployment and teardown, without permanent infrastructure

• Transparent financial reconciliation with near-zero sales discrepancies

Previous Wi-Fi setups had failed to meet the demand, especially during peak usage. A more robust and adaptable solution was essential.

Solution

In partnership with AirFair—a provider of point-of-sale systems, contactless ordering, payments-as-a-service, and value-added services for fairs—Hawk Networks delivered a high-capacity private LTE network, powered by the Althea platform and our KeyLTE/5G core—a lightweight, versatile core and routing solution purpose-built for agile, multi-vendor deployments. 

This flexible architecture enabled a fast, flexible rollout without trenching, towers, or permanent cabling. Vendors were brought online within hours, and the architecture ensured reliability where it mattered most.

Highlights of the Deployment:

Efficient Radio Deployment	Only two Airspan Airspeed1030 Band 48 (CBRS) radios were needed—far fewer than a traditional Wi-Fi network—thanks to the efficiency of private LTE architecture.
Licensed-by-Rule Spectrum Access	Utilized CBRS GAA spectrum with the SAS (Spectrum Access System) for rapid, localized frequency grants and minimal regulatory overhead.
Seamless Upgrade Path	The KeyLTE/5G Core allows for easy “upgrade in place” transitions—from LTE to 5G and across different spectrum bands or RAN vendors—without replacing hardware.
Ruggedized Edge Infrastructure	Connectivity was anchored by a ruggedized Althea KeyLTE/5G router, providing secure backhaul and local breakout for fast, reliable data flow.
Future-Ready with Band 53	Custom-built for the customer, this private LTE network did more than connect devices—it drove revenue, slashed downtime, and set a new standard for vendor operations.

Results

The deployment was completed and operational within hours. Performance was optimized on the fly with minimal fluctuation throughout the event:

• Total vendor sales processed: Nearly half a million dollars

• Network uptime: 100% over the event duration

• Error rate: <0.06% discrepancy between POS and bank records, down from over 1% historical

• Vendor satisfaction: Overwhelmingly positive, with early requests for repeat deployments

Even at peak load, the system never faltered—a testament to the power of Althea’s modular infrastructure paired with the operational efficiency and support of AirFair.

The fairgrounds' team called it a “fantastic run,” noting that FairFirst, operating on this network, exceeded expectations for performance, transparency, and simplicity.

Conclusion

The Alameda County Fairgrounds deployment is a clear example of how Hawk Networks’ KeyLTE/5G core, management, and flexible Althea tools, along with AirFair support, unlock the full potential of pop-up and event spaces.

In partnership with AirFair, we delivered more than just connectivity—we delivered operational efficiency, financial transparency, and a real economic impact for vendors and the broader community.

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Want to turn your next event into a seamless digital experience? 📞 866-425-8432 | ✉️ hello@althea.net | 🌐 www.althea.net

Interested in AirFair’s fairground technology solutions?✉️ ryan@farm2fair.org | 🌐 https://farm2fair.org/

Hawk Networks_AirFair_Case Study.pdf

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