Queuing system

A method of managing a queuing system for controlling access by a plurality of user accounts to one or more resources, the plurality of user accounts having a plurality of access keys, each access key being associated with at least one user from the plurality of user accounts, wherein the at least one user account is allocated to one of a plurality of groups, wherein the plurality of groups comprises a first group and a second group, the method comprising:

• receiving, by an electronic queue management server and via a communications network, electronic requests for resource access, each request relating to a respective access key and being for the at least one user account associated with the access key to access resource from the one or more resources;
• managing, by the electronic queue management server, the one or more virtual queues in respect of the one or more resources, each of the at least one virtual queue being associated with a respective resource of the one or more resources;
• for each request received, determining, by the electronic queue management server, a waiting time associated with the resource for the respective at least one user account, and:
• if the at least one user account is allocated to the first group:
• adding, by the electronic queue management server, the respective at least one user account to a virtual queue associated with the respective resource,
• sending, via the communications network, an electronic message comprising the waiting time indicating a time at which the respective at least one user account in respect of each request reaches a front of the respective virtual queue and can access the resource associated with the respective virtual queue on presentation of the respective access key at a sensor of an access control device in communication with the electronic queue management server, where the access control barrier is controlled to open on presentation of the respective access key at the access control device at or after the indicated time,
• if the at least one user is allocated to the second group:
• sending, by the electronic queue management server and via the communications network, an electronic message communicating that the at least one user account can access the resource immediately after a request to access the resource has been received by the electronic queue management server instead of allocating the at least one user account to the virtual queue associated with the resource, thereby allowing access to the resource by the at least one user account immediately after a request to access the resource has been received by the electronic queue management server on presentation of the respective access key at the sensor of the access control device, where the access control barrier is controlled to open on presentation of the respective access key at the access control device after the request has been received by the electronic queue management server, and
• preventing, by the electronic queue management server, the at least one user account from requesting to access further resources during a cool down period after access to the resource has been provided;
• and
• sending, from the electronic queue management server to the access control device and via the communications network, an electronic message comprising instructions to control access through an access control barrier of the access control device to the resource such that access to the resource is only allowed if one of the following conditions are met, no other access to the resource being permitted:
• the user account is allocated to the first group and an access key associated with the user account is presented at the sensor of the access control device at the determined time for accessing the resource, or
• the user account is allocated to the second group and an access key associated with the user account is presented at the sensor of the access control device after a request to access the resource has been received by the electronic queue management server, wherein the user account is allowed access immediately after the request has been received by the electronic queue management server.