Know before you go
Here’s what we've put in place to ensure the safety of our visitors and staff.
Techniquest has implemented enhanced health and safety measures to protect its staff and visitors.
The centre has implemented new procedures, including opening with staggered arrival times, limited attendance and required advanced ticketing and reservations.
Techniquest has changed its layout to accommodate social distancing in queues and other facilities throughout the exhibition.
Enhanced cleaning measures have also been implemented by our cleaning contractor and on-site staff.
Face coverings
Under Welsh Government law in relation to indoor spaces, it is still mandatory to wear a face covering when visiting Techniquest unless you are exempt.
If you arrive for a pre-booked session without a face covering and you are not exempt from wearing one, you will be required to purchase a face mask from Techniquest before you will be admitted into the exhibition.
Please read the Welsh Government guidance for further information.
Please do not travel to us if:
- You or anyone you have recently been in contact with are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, or
- You or any of your party are feeling unwell, or
- You have been told to self-isolate by the NHS app
If any of the above applies to anyone in your group, please email us in advance of your visit — otherwise, you may be turned away without a refund.
Read on for more detail about all of these measures and more.
Ticketing
Ticket sales are available through our website, with a limited number of tickets available each day. Capacities are being reviewed on an ongoing basis. Guests are required to purchase dated admission tickets prior to their arrival — Annual Pass holders must make a reservation for their visit date and time through the Techniquest website.
The validity period of a Techniquest Annual Pass will be extended for the number of lost days since March 2020 — you can use our expiry date calculator to see what date your pass is valid until.
During this limited capacity period public events, certain ticket types (including new annual passes) are unavailable. We are currently limiting group sizes to 6 people per group, following Welsh Government rules.
At the point of purchase, visitors will be asked to provide basic personal information including their name and email address, plus the names of all visitors in their party, for contact tracing purposes. By agreeing to our T&Cs you are allowing us to process your data for this purpose.
Styluses to interact with our new exhibits will be available upon request.
Operations
At the beginning of each time slot, guests will be asked to queue using the Main Entrance and exterior of the building. A queuing system is clearly marked with indicators on the floor to advise social distancing spacing between groups.
A number of sanitation points are positioned around the exhibition and next to major touchpoints for guests to use during their visit.
The Lab is currently closed. Specific high-risk exhibits are also not in operation. These exhibits are:
- The Shadow Box
- Resonant Bowl
Other operational changes include:
- The Planetarium is open until Monday 2 January 2022, but we are limiting it to one group per show;
- Guests have the option of requesting a complimentary personal stylus to operate screens on new exhibits;
- The introduction of a one-way system for guests using the Water Area;
- Arrow markers on the floor where guests should follow a particular path;
- Two groups will be permitted to use the toilet facilities at any one time;
- Guests may be expected to queue for the toilets during busy periods; floor markers and Tensa barriers will indicate the queuing system. Staff will be made available to manage the queues if appropriate;
- Exhibition windows will remain ‘open’ where possible so the exhibition can be well ventilated. It is advised to bring warm clothing in colder weather conditions;
- Adequate staff at till points will allow the queue to be served quickly;
- Perspex screens/till guards are in place at front desk and retail areas;
- Masks/visors will be provided for all front of house teams;
The Shop
The shop is also in operation; signage throughout the shop and markings on the floor will signify the two-metre spacing customers must adhere to when using this area.
Card transactions will be the preferred option of payment; the PDQ machine will be sanitised after each use.
Cleaning procedures
External cleaning contractor carries out an early morning and evening cleaning routine which includes the use of ULV fogging, Electrostatic Misting and Compression Misting.
Enhanced on-site cleaning also takes place via a professional third party cleaning company on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am–5pm. Exhibits, touchpoints and toilets are regularly cleaned.
We have identified a number of exhibits that require additional cleaning supplies or use of disposable gloves for visitors to use before interacting with them:
- Vacuum Power
- Launch Couch
- Pull Yourself Up!
- Hang Around
- Calorie Bicycle
- Electrocardiogram
- Low Light Area
- Interactive Sandbox
Other cleaning measures include:
- On-site first aid area has its own enhanced clean down process;
- Open bins will be used where possible to avoid creating further touchpoints;
- All cleaning fluids used in public areas are touch safe;
- Constant reviews of cleaning regime are undertaken, and appropriate changes are made.