Virtual queues for the SPF Police Community Roadshow

A public roadshow behaves nothing like a seated event. People wander in and out, families turn up together, and the popular activities all draw a crowd at the same moment. So for the Singapore Police Force's Police Community Roadshow, at Woodlands on 29 and 30 November and at Heartbeat@Bedok on 6 and 7 December, we ran the activity queues virtually. Nobody had to stand in a physical line to take part.

Every activity had its own screen with a QR code. Visitors scanned to join the queue for the Mini Road Safety Park, the cycling and driving simulators, or the reaction and balance challenges, whatever caught their eye, then wandered off to enjoy the rest of the roadshow while their spot held. When their turn came up, they got called back. No corner of the venue roped off for a line, no kids losing interest while they waited.

The organisers got two things out of it. Families spend the afternoon at the roadshow instead of in a string of queues, and the team gets a live read on which activities are busy and how the crowd is moving across the site. At a community event that's meant to feel open and friendly, pulling the physical lines out goes a long way toward making it feel that way.