Development & research
Crowd barrier research
and development at Mojo Barriers
Mojo Barriers BV develops its barrier systems, measures how crowds load them at live events and has them independently tested.
Research programme
What is the Mojo Barriers
research programme?
The Mojo Barriers research programme is a crowd barrier research project that Mojo Barriers BV began with Bucks New University (UK) at Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 2007. It gathered data from events across the globe to learn which barrier formations suit which venues and situations, and its results were used to shape barrier configurations at later events. The measurements came from the Barrier Load Monitor System (BLMS).
Development in figures
Since 1988, from steel to aluminium
Development started in 1988 within Mojo Concerts in the Netherlands, with steel barriers. Ten years later the barrier moved to aluminium, and in the same year Mojo Barriers opened its UK office.
Field measurement
How the Barrier Load Monitor System
measures crowd pressure
The Barrier Load Monitor System (BLMS) measures the pressure a crowd puts on a barrier line. Pressure sensors sit in the braces of each sensor barrier and are linked to on-site computers running proprietary Mojo Barriers software, so crowd management teams can spot pressure hotspots as they develop.
- The sensors are integrated into the straight section, so no extra barrier elements are needed.
- Sensor barriers can sit side by side for continuous coverage or be spread as single modules along the whole line.
- BLMS has been used at festivals including Lowlands, Roskilde, Leeds, Reading and Rock Werchter.
Crowd science
What crowd dynamics research
looks at
Crowd dynamics research studies how pressure and movement spread through a dense crowd, for example when an audience pushes towards the stage at a concert. Mojo Barriers approaches crowd safety research from the barrier side: how crowd pressure reaches the front-of-stage line.
In 2006 Mojo Barriers began to correlate the measured pressures with factors such as the band on stage, the gradient of the site and the barrier design.
Development milestones
Milestones from decades
of barrier development
1998
Aluminium barrier
In 1998 the barrier moved from steel to aluminium. In 2005 the aluminium Mojo Barrier® was shown in the MoMA exhibition “SAFE: Design Takes On Risk”.
2005
Barrier Load Monitor System
Developed in 2005 to measure the pressure a crowd puts on sensor-equipped barrier sections at the front of stage.
2009
Gatekeeper
Mojo Barriers introduced the Gatekeeper entrance system in 2009 and followed it with Gatekeeper 2.0 in 2013.
Development process
From field data
to a tested barrier
Design, field measurement and independent testing feed into each other at Mojo Barriers BV; our company background explains how the company grew. Our sustainable development approach covers how the barriers are packed and transported.
Develop
Mojo Barriers BV develops its systems in aluminium, from Straight Sections and corners to gates and entrances.
Pack
Straight Sections travel on carts of ten or twelve sections.
Measure
Field data come from real audiences at concerts and festivals, measured on the barrier line itself.
Test
Samples go to independent test bodies, which apply defined loads to the top rail and check strength, overturning and sliding.
Independent testing
Independent load and strength tests
by TNO
TNO Building and Construction Research, part of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, documented two load tests on Mojo barriers in the 1990s.
Report 96-CON-R0748, dated 11 May 1996, covers Mojo barriers dating from 1990 and 1992, tested for strength, overturning resistance and sliding behaviour. Report 98-CON-R0777, dated 12 April 1998, is a strength test of a prototype aluminium Mojo barrier from the year the aluminium system was developed; its sliding behaviour did not differ significantly from that of the original steel barriers.
In the field
Where Mojo barrier systems
have been used
Mojo barrier systems have worked at festivals, sporting events and summits, from front-of-stage lines to perimeter fencing.
- Carling Leeds and Reading Festivals, 2006: more than 1,000 m of barrier across both sites, including a new secondary barrier line between the front-of-house mixer and the stage
- London 2012 Olympics
- G20 summit, Brisbane, 2014: 2,500 m of Mojo High Fence in three months, developed to a specification from police and government officials
- Roskilde Festival, 2016: a three-year contract with Mojo Barriers
- Glastonbury Festival, 2017
- Sydney Opera House, 2017, with Mojo High Fence
FAQ
Questions about
crowd barrier research
Mojo Barriers BV develops the barrier range shown on the Mojo Barriers BV homepage and, like MOJO Rental, belongs to the MOJO Holding Group. For questions about a specific event or product, contact the team.
Crowd barrier research measures the loads that real audiences put on a barrier line during an event, using the sensor barriers of the Barrier Load Monitor System. A barrier test applies defined loads to a sample in a test set-up and records whether it holds. Mojo Barriers uses both: field data from events and independent tests.
Two TÜV certificates state the tested load for Mojo barriers:
| Certificate | Barriers and tested load |
|---|---|
| TÜV Nederland Q.A., 2013-A-168, 12 December 2013 | earlier aluminium Straight Sections, corners, Snake Runner and Snake Gate: 5000 N/m without deformation (strength, overturning, sliding) |
| TÜV NORD Nederland, TÜV-NL-2410-D-228, 16 June 2025, valid until 16 June 2028 | current black Straight Section, Vario Corner, Flex Corner and Cable Gate: 5 kN/m to the ISE guidance for temporary demountable structures |
- live readings as data and graphics in real time
- an additional information channel for security staff, police and promoters
- recorded readings for later analysis and research
- detailed reports after data analysis, as an option
- straight front-of-stage runs, where the audience presses towards the stage
- corners, where the line changes direction
- exits and gates within the line
- secondary barrier lines further back on the site
No. Mojo Barriers BV develops its barrier systems; certification is carried out by independent bodies such as TÜV NORD, and the earlier load tests came from TNO Building and Construction Research. Each certificate applies only to the tested test specimens, so ask the rental partner which document covers the barriers supplied for your event.
Next step
Plan your next event
with Mojo Barriers
Mojo barriers are rented through MOJO Rental and other group companies, so start with the rental partner for your country.