On June 1st, the city of Astana in Kazakhstan began hosting the world’s largest International Exposition dedicated to renewable energies. CAME, on the strength of its successful experience at the Universal Exposition of Milan of 2015, which attracted more than 21 million visitors in just six months, was selected to develop a new and innovative visitor access solution, and seamlessly integrate it with the most up-to-date control, security, surveillance and connectivity systems available on the market today.

The organizers of Expo Astana 2017 were seeking a system capable of managing large flows of persons and vehicles of all types and embedding a high degree of innovation and technology. The project brief was to build a system that was efficient in its operations and in its energy use, and that would fit in with the theme of the exhibition and with its futuristic design.

CAME’s project team developed a technological solution for controlling access and the flows of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and integrated it with Kazakhstan’s principal provider of ticketing systems. CAME’s proposal had envisaged the installation of automatic motorised turnstiles for pedestrian traffic serving different categories of users. It is also had proposed an innovative system of automatic parking based on its 'PS One' product line to manage more than 5,500 spaces and cater to vehicle pass-holders, visitors, staff and VIPs alike.

CAME assistance was provided on a 24/7 basis for the duration of the event, and was delivered through “CAME Connect”, a centralised technology solution that is backed up by a redundant server and is connected to all areas and units through an intricate web of fiber optics. Thanks to this setup, the Control Room of the Exhibition can carry out advanced, continuous and real-time monitoring of the entire system of Expo Astana 2017.

Perimeter access to the site is controlled by more than 185 units connected, including:

• 1 redundant server;
• 56 XVia automatic turnstiles;
• 4 Saloon swing turnstiles;
• 11 Twister tripod turnstiles;
• 18 OCR car-plate readers;
• 20 PS One automatic payment stations;
• 35 electronic noticeboards for the management of free-of charge exhibition spaces;
• 12 Gard barriers.