"Digital2018", Cologne Trade Fair Centre

The first digital summit hosted by Deutsche Telekom and its partners was held in Hall 8 of the Cologne Trade Fair Centre. For two days, the focus was on trends and issues relating to the subject of digitalisation. The goal of the initiative is to create a platform for large enterprises, medium-sized companies, start-ups and local councils. Technologies and innovations were the focus of over 100 presentations and discussions, which were held on four stages and also featured numerous examples from everyday practice. Companies in the exhibition area invited attendees to take part in workshops and to exchange ideas on specific applications, best practices and the exhibits on the stands. Further highlights included the presentation of the "Digital Champions" award in the evening of the first day of the congress as well as the "Black Eyed Peas" gig, which closed the event.

The basis for the smooth running of an event of this size is a secure, fully stable, high-performance network. We set up a powerful WLAN for the 7,000 summit attendees and for the technical set-up serving the event as a whole; the 40 exhibitors could use an additional wireless network for the presentation of their exhibits. A separate, high-performance LAN was also available to suit the requirements of the individual products, some being fixed installation while others mobile.

The keynote speakers were able to centrally manage, check and update their presentations both before and during the event using "come2present", our server-based presentation management system, which saves all presentations in an online database in a structured form ahead of the event or locally by means of a central media depository. The database was connected to the individual stages via the network so that all involved could be absolutely sure that their charts would be available when their presentation began.

The team – made up of technicians from N&M's Frankfurt branch office, which was responsible for the project, plus employees from five other sites – also connected up all of the technical areas: the six control centres and 14 equipment rooms were connected to one another via a glass-fibre network that distributed the audio, light, video and control signals. A redundantly structured Dante network distributed the audio signals to all of the stages while 18 distributed Dimmercity units were controlled via an MA-Net or Artnet protocol to provide the lighting.

We were also responsible for the sound in the hall: besides setting up the conventional PA, we also provided the guests with over 3,500 small receivers and headphones, which guaranteed quiet sound transmission, thus allowing the audience to wander from stage to stage. This meant we were able to keep the volume as low as possible, even while speakers held presentations simultaneously on all four stages. Deutsche Telekom also tasked us with the design and implementation of the lighting for the exhibition and catering areas measuring 11,000 m² as well as with the show lighting for the auditorium. Last but not least we were also responsible for video, whereby, in addition to the local presentation control desks, a central signal was transmitted to all of the stages and over 100 m² of LED surface and 120 individual displays were installed for moving images and other content.