NIKOS – Festumzug

Crowd Management for Carnival Parades in Cologne

autonomous reliable cost-effective

NIKOS is not a conventional PA system, but a radio-based public address, alarm and control system for large events, construction sites and crisis situations, which you can rent by the day through certified partners and either integrate into your PA or use on its own.

Challenge

Announcements must follow the floats along the route

At carnival parades in Cologne, dense crowds continually shift along the parade route while floats, walking groups and marching bands remain in motion. In this environment, warnings and guidance announcements must quickly reach the places where they are currently relevant, rather than being audible only at fixed points. Narrow streets, high noise levels from the floats’ mobile sound systems and overloaded mobile network cells make coordinated communication more difficult in an emergency. If the power supply or public networks fail, safety-critical announcements must nevertheless continue to be delivered without delay.

Solution

One unified solution for everyday use and emergencies

One platform for everything: NIKOS unites visitor information, alerting, crowd management and control in a single, network-independent system. For events such as carnival parades in Cologne, NIKOS [dispatcher]² can target individual announcement locations, specific areas or the entire parade route. NIKOS [audio]² receives the voice transmission locally via radio and outputs it as an analogue audio signal through the floats’ mobile sound systems. NIKOS [horn]² supplements the audio output at positions without an existing sound system, eliminating the need to install continuous, separate announcement systems along changing crowd areas. Quickly deployable, radio-based units reduce the effort required for setup and cabling, while NIKOS [powercheck]² monitors the system’s operating status.

FAQ

Information for planners and organisers

Do announcements made with NIKOS comply with the applicable standards?+
Yes. NIKOS meets the requirements of DIN EN 50849 (electroacoustic emergency warning systems). NIKOS was developed specifically for safety-relevant public address and alerting applications and is technically designed for use in both everyday and emergency situations. For electroacoustic emergency warning systems, DIN EN 50849 is the relevant reference framework. Unlike mobile network-based systems, NIKOS fully meets the requirements specified therein, as it does not depend on an external network and can therefore be used immediately at any time. Other standards known from safety technology, such as DIN EN 54, DIN VDE 0833-4 and DIN 14675 (voice alarm systems), do not apply to the field of use and functional scope of NIKOS and are therefore not relevant for approval. NIKOS is a public address system for temporary and mobile applications and has been successfully deployed in numerous mission-critical communication tasks since 2017. RADACOM and your regional NIKOS partner will be happy to advise you on the wide range of NIKOS functions and support you in implementing the requirements cost-effectively.
Where does using NIKOS create cost savings?+
Depending on the application, NIKOS can be used to implement different functions through a single, unified communication platform. These savings can quickly offset the rental and installation costs of NIKOS. You can find some specific examples of savings here. When its wide range of functions is used consistently, NIKOS often not only increases the level of safety and makes employees’ work easier, but can also reduce the overall budget. Particularly for temporary, time-limited events, the costs of planning, setting up and operating safety technology decrease significantly because personnel and other equipment can be reduced.
Does crowd management remain operational if the network fails?+
Yes. NIKOS operates via its own autonomous radio network and is completely independent of public communication networks and their availability. Because NIKOS does not rely on cables but communicates via radio, the connection is automatically re-established after an interruption. NIKOS [audio]² has an internal battery with a runtime of up to 16 hours and also powers connected accessory modules. This means that crowd management for carnival parades remains reliably operational even if the power supply fails or public communication networks are disrupted.
How can announcements be heard when loud (brass) music is playing?+
When loud (brass) music is playing, NIKOS [flash]² uses a flashing light to signal the conductor, bandleader or DJ to stop the music immediately. In response to the light signal, the performance is stopped so that announcements can be understood clearly. This ensures that important announcements reliably reach the audience even during parades.
Crowd Management for Carnival Parades in Cologne: Where can NIKOS be rented?+
NIKOS is rented by the day through certified partners, including advice, instruction and technical support. Your regional partner coordinates the deployment with you. Find a partner and request a rental

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