IdeenExpo

… science and technology. Established by companies, associations and the state of Lower Saxony, its aim is to inspire the young audience with exciting experiments, interactive activities and science shows, arouse interest in research and showcase options for vocational training in technical and scientific professions. This concept has not only proved a success but also continues to attract growing numbers of visitors and exhibitors to the biennial event: in July 2022 around 425,000 visitors attended the nine-day event; 280 exhibitors invited attendees to try out over 720 interactive exhibits and participate in around 750 workshops. Once again, an extensive range of experiments and knowledge shows, discussion evenings and congresses were presented on stage. The numerous stage acts and open-air concerts on the large main stage are always a highlight – in 2022 there were six of them on three evenings! The performers included Jan Delay, Giant Rooks and Casper.

We have been committed to supporting IdeenExpo since its inception and have been responsible for implementing the technical infrastructure for networks and power since the event was launched 15 years ago. We also provide audio, lighting, video and rigging, and act as a point of contact for all exhibitors, who we provide with media equipment, for example. One focal aspect for our team is a complex sound system for emergency announcements that guarantees the best possible levels of speech intelligibility throughout the entire exhibition area. As attendance figures have grown, so has the need for safety measures to protect the stream of young visitors.

The system is based on a redundant glass-fibre network, which we design and set up. In addition to audio signals, this network is also used to exchange data and video signals. Our technicians install a total of seven kilometres of fibre-optic cable to connect the three exhibition halls, the congress centre hall and most parts of the outdoor area – totalling well over 100,000 square metres. All of the signals converge in a central control room. The safety precautions implemented by N&M also include a redundant power supply.

N&M’s “Information and Communications Technology” (ICT) business unit is given the opportunity to display its multi-layered expertise in the planning, set-up, commissioning and support for the temporary installations. Starting in the planning phase, our specialists collate the requirements of the services involved. We can then determine the physical size of the network across the entire exhibition site as well the network capacity. We installed a redundant, secured data network consisting of over 70 switches and several kilometres of fibre-optic cables to enable audio, video and control signals to be transmitted throughout the entire Hanover exhibition site on a flexible basis. It is made available to users as a “Managed Network Service”. We provide permanent support for the installation throughout the entire duration of IdeenExpo, with our experts at N&M’s own “Network Operations Centre” (NOC) in Hanover ensuring permanent monitoring.