IoT at Crammerock: measuring is knowing on the festival site
Published on 24/11/2021 in Customer Stories
The music festival Crammerock attracts 35,000 visitors yearly to Stekene. The organizers use various technologies to ensure that the event runs smoothly and safely. Board member Anthony De Block explains how IoT came to be used on the festival site
Anthony De Block is logistics manager. ‘Measuring is knowing’, is the motto of the electromechanics engineer. “Many parameters contribute to a successful and safe festival. If data can help you monitor and optimize processes, you should embrace it.” The organizers first mapped out where technology could benefit them. “Aspects such as CO2 concentration and pressure measurement were a priority in times of corona, but the wind speed and toilet use also offered the necessary potential,” says Anthony De Block.
CO2 and wind measurements
Due to the coronavirus, festival organizers have to take the necessary measures to ensure that CO2 values remain within the prescribed limits. “There is no shortage of CO2 meters, but only one supplier offered us the opportunity to consult the CO2 values in real time on the smartphone”, De Block recalled. “We linked the wind gauge – a crucial part of our evacuation plan – to the same IoT module and, in this way, could also immediately consult the wind impact remotely.”
In addition, Proximus measured the air quality at Crammerock. Reinout Genbrugge, sales manager at Proximus: “We installed InsightAir measuring devices at various locations. Among other things, these gave us insight into the effect on air quality of opening the doors. It also allows us to estimate, for the sake of future projects, which factors influence air quality. For example, doors can be opened automatically based on CO2 measurements. It is important to know exactly what requirements organizers set for air quality. Such test setups provide additional input for this.”
The fact that the power generators were also equipped with measuring equipment also proved to be of great value. De Block: “I think it's important to know the power needs and peak consumption. You don't want to oversize but, at the same time, what you want to avoid, at all costs, is a festival without power. IoT makes it possible to read the relevant flow parameters and intervene in time, where necessary. That way we learn where we can potentially replace large power groups with smaller ones in the next edition.”
An outside company undertook to monitor the pumps to drain the water from the toilets and even the disinfectant dispensers were equipped with IoT technology.
Real-time Crowd Management
Crammerock likes to offer a platform for (pilot) projects from the educational field. This year, Proximus mapped out the crowds in collaboration with Karel de Grote Hogeschool and Antwerp University. Proximus Realtime Crowd Management created an accurate picture of the number of people present at a specific location and time, based on the signals from their mobiles.
Understanding the crowds teaches us, among other things, which bands cause the greatest influx and outflow.
Anthony De Block, organizer Crammerock
Proximus also installed 3D cameras and had students perform manual counts with a clicker. “This information makes it possible to check and further specify our measurements via Realtime Crowd Management. Depending on the needs of the organization, we can work even more closely with the help of those 3D cameras,” said Genbrugge.
De Block: “We are very interested in that information. For example, it teaches us which bands cause the greatest influx and outflow and where the visitors are, at a certain time. For example, based on the first data we received, we determined that of the 17,500 attendees per day, 12 to 13,000 are simultaneously on the festival site. Then it's good to know whether the remaining visitors mainly go to the campsite or simply look for other places.”
Importance of connectivity
Proximus also appears to be a crucial link for all IoT applications on Crammerock. “Proximus has been installing an extra mobile phone mast on the festival site for many years. In the past, this connectivity was mainly about visitor comfort, but now it also ensures the operability and speed of our various IoT solutions. It was precisely this extra mast that allowed those present to enjoy 4G connectivity, as the networks of the other operators in the field had limited range."
According to De Block, the added value of IoT lies in the combination of real-time data and the post-event analysis. He therefore sees opportunities in the future to further streamline Crammerock with the help of connected devices and smart technologies. “I am thinking of, among other things, monitoring the beer tanks and their flow rates, scanning the beverage stock and beaker use. Cashless payment also appears to be a good route for the future.”
The added value of IoT lies both in real-time insight and in the analyses afterwards.
Anthony De Block, organizer Crammerock
The two-day Crammerock festival brings the summer holidays to a close every year. What started on a small scale on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Jeugdhuis De Cramme has grown into a permanent fixture on the festival calendar.
Anthony De Block has observed this expansion from the front row. First as an employee and, since the end of 2011, as a director, he helps keep things on the right track. In his day job he is a project engineer at Van Hooste Mechanisatie in Stekene.
Discover the many possible IoT applications and what role Proximus plays in this.
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