Trained by Keith Still in the art of Crowd Science, Roderick has applied this mathematical approach to many events and with great success.

The core of the Keith Still approach is that crowd management is based on the principle of creating an environment with a natural and logical flow that enhances the experience.

Good crowd management, as opposed to crowd control, is based on understanding the demographics of the crowd, including their group composition (family, friends, work related, relationship), their F&B consumption, their mode of travel and the reason for their visit.

The understanding of the expectations of the crowd and their composition will guide the calculations, lay-out and way-finding signage for an event. Following these principles it becomes clear how the same venue may need a different approach between a kids show and an Andre Rieux concert.

A clear, mathematical approach will also assist in pinpointing risk areas where crowd densities may reach tipping point. Understanding risk areas and how they change during an event will guide the deployment of security and crowd management staff at the various times throughout the event.

In the past few years Roderick has written and spoken about crowd management on many occasions.
In 2017 / 2018 he contributed to the AIDR “Safe and Healthy Crowded Places Handbook” and wrote the “Crowd Dynamics” chapter for the Australian Entertainment Safety Resource Guide.