NIKOS – Festumzug

Visitor safety at the Cologne Carnival Parade

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

Warnings must follow the parade along its entire route

The Cologne Carnival Parade moves along a long route with numerous floats, walking groups and constantly changing crowds of visitors. Dense crowds, the loud mobile sound systems on the floats and an intoxicated audience make clear warnings and targeted crowd management more difficult. In a hazardous situation, announcements must reach the location where the relevant section of the parade is currently positioned.

Solution

One unified solution for everyday use and emergencies

With NIKOS, announcements, system monitoring, visitor information and device control come together on a single platform — fully independent of the public network. For events such as the Cologne Carnival Parade, NIKOS combines announcements, alerting, information messages, remote control and status monitoring in a single platform. The system ensures that information can still be transmitted in the event of a power failure or disruptions to public communication networks. Quickly deployable, radio-based units make announcement locations along the route usable without lengthy cable runs. NIKOS [dispatcher]² controls the announcement units as required for individual announcement locations, specific areas or the entire site; NIKOS [audio]² receives the voice transmission on site via radio and outputs it as an analogue audio signal through the mobile sound systems on the floats. At positions without an existing sound system, NIKOS [horn]² provides additional coverage, reducing the need for separate loudspeaker equipment, cabling and operator effort.

FAQ

Information for planners and organisers

Is NIKOS designed to meet the relevant standards for announcements?+
Yes, indeed: NIKOS meets the requirements of DIN EN 50849 for electroacoustic emergency warning systems. The system was developed specifically for safety-relevant announcements and alerting and is technically designed for both everyday operation and emergency situations. DIN EN 50849 represents the relevant reference framework for ELA systems. Unlike mobile network-based systems, NIKOS does not depend on any external network and is therefore immediately ready for use at all times — fully meeting the standard as a result. 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 NIKOS, as they are not applicable to radio-based public address systems like NIKOS. NIKOS is a public address system for temporary and mobile applications and has been used successfully many times for 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 NIKOS provide cost advantages?+
NIKOS enables recurring coordination tasks to be controlled centrally and monitored or carried out by NIKOS. This reduces the need for personnel travel, operators and security posts, because announcements, status monitoring and remote control do not have to be handled through separate subsystems. These savings can quickly offset the rental and installation costs of NIKOS. You can find several specific examples of potential savings here.
Is NIKOS crisis-proof for the Cologne Carnival Parade?+
Yes. NIKOS operates via its own autonomous radio network and independently of public communication networks. As NIKOS does not rely on cable connections, the connection is restored automatically after an interruption. NIKOS [audio]² has an internal battery with a runtime of up to 16 hours and also supplies connected accessory modules. This ensures that visitor safety at the Cologne Carnival Parade remains reliably functional even in the event of a power failure or disruptions to public communication networks.
How can announcements be heard when loud music is playing during the Carnival Parade?+
When loud music is playing, NIKOS [flash]² uses a flashing light to signal to the conductor, bandleader or DJ that the music must be interrupted immediately. In response to the light signal, the performance or playback is stopped so that announcements can be understood reliably. This ensures that important safety information reaches the audience even in dense crowds along the parade route.
Visitor safety at the Cologne Carnival Parade: 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

Rent NIKOS for your operation

Talk to us about your requirements – we will advise you with no obligation.

Request rental