This week at the Roundhouse in London the Roundhouse, Mind over Matter and Showsec teams conducted forty tests with the help of almost thirty volunteers in advance of the venue opening in the future. The tests were carried out with observation and support from the Environmental Health Officer, Paramedics, two Covid Compliance Officers and the Metropolitan police and all were carried out under Covid safe regulations. None of those taking part were allowed into the venue until they had been temperature checked and filled out an online health questionnaire.
The tests focused on five main areas, ingress, triage for those failing temperature tests, circulation inside the venue, bar service and egress. The tests slowly built up from controls and simple elements to quite complex delivery including differing types of customer challenges where those providing these challenges had lanyards with the issues on them. The team constantly stopped and reviewed processes to ensure that any questions in regard to any test were completed. The Showsec team added that bit of reality with their staff providing the security, stewarding and crowd management base. In all tests for ingress, the average flow rate was ten people per minute which helped the team to understand how and what promoted and disrupted the flow.
It was worthwhile testing protocols that the team knew would never be utilised and it was great to see Showsec, The Roundhouse and Mind over Matter not only questioning tests and protocols but coming up with new ideas as the tests progressed. The volunteers were also brilliant as they were able to give their opinions about how the testing protocols and systems worked adding to the knowledge of the team and providing some key conclusion at the end of this ongoing process.