|
Farnborough International operates one of the UK’s largest multi-purpose event spaces and hosts the Farnborough International Airshow, one of the world’s most prestigious aerospace, defence and space events. In a continuation of a relationship stretching back to 2008, Farnborough moved from a purchased radio system to a fully managed 5-year hire agreement with 2CL. It provides Farnborough International with a single contract built to run the venue’s day to day operations and scale up when the airshow and other large events take place to support the extra exhibitors, contractors and staff. Farnborough International operates over 20,000 square metres of exhibition and meeting space, with capacity for up to 10,000 guests in its largest space. Alongside the biennial Farnborough International Airshow, which typically welcomes over 140,000 trade and public visitors, the venue runs a near year-round events calendar spanning corporate conferences, consumer exhibitions, product launches, film and television productions and major shows such as the British Motor Show. Other organisers hire their spaces for their own events, which makes 2CL the single point of contact for every radio user on site, not just Farnborough’s own teams. |
AT A GLANCE Industry: Exhibition Centres / Events
|
The Challenge
2CL has supplied Farnborough International with two-way radios since 2008, and in 2016 installed a purchased radio system for them that supported their day to day operations for almost a decade. However, as the equipment aged it became increasingly difficult to maintain and support. Degraded batteries reduced the radios operational hours, faults became more frequent, and Farnborough International was left running day to day security, events and facilities operations on radio infrastructure it could no longer depend upon.
Farnborough runs a full calendar, including corporate conferences, exhibitions, product launches and film and TV productions, using a two-way radio fleet sized for everyday operations, and every two years, the same infrastructure is needed to scale for the airshow itself. In 2026, in addition to Farnborough International’s own operations were 18 exhibiting companies and operational contractors, including CEVA, G4S and BAE, that all needed radios for the duration of the airshow.
The Solution
In December 2025, Farnborough International took the opportunity to entirely replace their purchased system for a fully managed hire with 2CL.
Because the hire is fully managed, Farnborough International’s team can contact us 24/7 any day of the year whenever they need help or support. This can be for extra radios or to report a problem, while OFCOM licence management, an annual Planned Maintenance Inspection, telephone support and a dedicated account manager are also included in their support package.
The contract includes 30 Motorola MOTOTRBO R5 portable radios and two Motorola SLR5500 repeaters, running on a MOTOTRBO Capacity Plus digital trunking system.
The R5 radios were chosen for their reliability, and their AI noise suppression algorithm keeps messages clear across the site. Up to 32 hours of battery life puts an end to the degrading batteries that had plagued the old system.
“Whatever we need, day or night, 2CL are contactable and respond immediately. That level of support is exactly why we’ve stayed with them for so long.”
— Chris Dillon, Head of Security and Venue Services, Farnborough International
The installed system is designed to dynamically accommodate additional radios for events. When required, 2CL supplies and programmes these additional radios onto the existing network for the event’s duration.
For the 2026 airshow, 2CL also installed a temporary control room and scaled the existing repeater setup from its usual two units to eight to ensure every radio user had coverage. With the additional infrastructure, the system scaled to 690 radios, deployed across 18 different companies.
As the Farnborough estate has grown, with new buildings including Hall 1, Hall 5, additional offices, and an adjacent housing development, 2CL has continued to survey the site and adjust the network to maintain its performance.
One example of this ongoing work came when a scheduled site survey found an existing antenna and base station were no longer in an optimal position, prompting 2CL to identify and move it to a better location that improved coverage significantly.
Coverage also extends to the off-site parking at Queen’s Parade for both the airshow and the British Motor Show.
“Our site is genuinely unique. Permanent buildings together with areas that change year to year mean that coverage blackspots can often appear. 2CL regularly returns to survey the site, and when an antenna position wasn’t cutting it anymore, they found us a better one. That’s the difference between a supplier and a partner.”
— Chris Dillon, Head of Security and Venue Services, Farnborough International
The Results
The 2026 Farnborough International Airshow was delivered successfully and the radio communications ran smoothly. Stewards, security, medical teams and event organisers stayed connected throughout the week, alongside every contractor and exhibitor hiring radios from 2CL, supporting everything from working dogs and crowd flow to medical emergencies and lost children.
Day-to-day, coverage has remained reliable and consistent across a site that combines permanent buildings with shifting spaces such as car parking and studios.
A cost effective solution
Moving to a hired system has proved cost effective for Farnborough International. It has replaced their ageing kit with a modern two-way radio system combined with OFCOM licensing management, an annual PMI and 24/7 support.
Support has extended beyond the equipment itself. 2CL’s engineers were there for the transition from the old system to the new one and remain on-hand to support Farnborough International whenever needed. All this helps the keep their team free to focus on running events.
“Moving to the hire agreement has been very cost effective for us. We’ve ended up with a far better system than we had before, for less outlay, and we don’t have to think about licensing or maintenance, it’s all taken care of by 2CL.”
— Chris Dillon, Head of Security and Venue Services, Farnborough International
Find Out More
For more information about how 2CL can support your venue or event, call us on 0800 389 2278 or send us a message.
Also see:
Sector: Two-way Radio and Bodycam Hire for Events
Product: Hiring vs Buying Two-Way Radios
Article: Two-Way Radio Myths