Networked Evacuation Solution for New Exhibition Center

A comprehensive public address system for Expoforum, the new ­convention and exhibition center in Saint Petersburg, has been delivered by Bosch Security Systems.

The Expoforum is a modern venue for exhibitions, conventions and forums, but also hosts cultural and sporting events. In its current first stage opened in 2014 it comprises three exhibition pavilions with 40,000 m² exhibition space, a conference center, two hotels, a business center, a customs facility as well as outdoor and underground parking.

The operators required a multi-zone public address system to cover all areas for public announcements and background music in normal operation while doubling as a voice evacuation system in case of emergencies. The solution had to take into account the different requirements of exhibition halls, outdoor areas and the convention center to guarantee perfect intelligibility throughout the entire premises. Another important requirement was easy integration into the complex overall security system.

IP Control
Bosch designed a fully digital Praesideo solution with eight controllers, some 90 amplifiers and more than 2,500 EN54-24 certified loudspeakers, allowing very targeted sound and message distribution. All components are networked via TCP/IP for transmission of both audio and control data. Due to the tight integration of all subsystems, the entire solution can be easily configured and operated remotely from multiple operator workstations. Operational status and connections are continuously monitored to guarantee the availability of the solution while the system is protected against unauthorized connection of external devices, making it highly tamper-resistant.

While this Praesideo solution covers the existing infrastructure today, it is intended to be expanded in line with the entire exhibition center. Due to its modular and flexible architecture, the solution can easily be scaled to include additional pavilions as they are added over time without the need to modify the basic solution design.