Staff briefing.
Everything you need to work the stand: what we sell, what to say, how to run the hang challenge, and the answers to the questions you will get asked twenty times a day.
What we sell at Malverns.
Six finger-prick tests at event prices, plus the Performance Baseline. Everything below is a kit the customer takes away and completes at home. Nobody gives a sample at the stand.
Free Testosterone
Men asking about strength, drive, recovery or energy. The most requested hormone test at events.
Morning sample, before 10am.
Ferritin
Anyone training hard who feels flat. Iron stores are the most common hidden cause of poor endurance.
Vitamin D
The easiest first yes on the stand. Most people in the UK run low for half the year.
Perimenopause
Women wanting insight into hormonal changes. Handle the conversation privately and without assumptions about age.
Regular cycle: sample on days 2 to 5, day 3 is best.
Vitamin B-12 Active
Low energy, plant based eaters, and anyone already supplementing who wants to know if it is working.
Tiredness and Fatigue
The broadest finger-prick option. Best value on the stand and the natural step up from a single marker.
Performance Baseline.
Our flagship blood test for athletes. Over 60 biomarkers looking at all major systems in the body, read through a performance lens. This is the product that turns a curious rider into a customer, so mention it in every conversation.
The Baseline needs a venous blood draw, so there is a separate fee on top of the £199.00, and it is not paid to us. Never let someone find this out afterwards.
£35 at a Superdrug health clinic
£59 mobile nurse visit at home
Own their own healthcare professional (we charge nothing)
If they know a nurse, doctor or phlebotomist who will take the sample, that works and may cost them nothing, or whatever that person charges. Nothing to do with us either way.
Save £50 with MALVERNS20. Order at the stand or online with the code.
Product pageThe tests in detail.
The same information customers can read on the event page, so you are never contradicting the screen in their hand. Tap a test to open it.
Where the products live
All seven event products sit in the MALVERNS collection in Shopify. In the POS app on the iPad, open that collection and pick the test from there.
Those products already carry the event price and the test code. Selling from anywhere else in the store charges the full price and can attach the wrong code, so always start from MALVERNS.
The products are set to no index, so they will not turn up in a Google search or in the normal shop. That is deliberate. These prices are stand only.
Two places the flyer and the till disagree
Performance Baseline. The flyer says £199.99 from £249.99. The till charges £199.00 from £249.00. The saving is £50 either way. Charge what the till says, and do not correct the flyer in front of the customer.
Vitamin B-12 Active. The flyer says £25 from £39. The product page shows £25 from £59, so the saving is larger than the flyer claims. Quote the flyer, since that is what is in their hand.
What the test code is for
Each test has a short code: FTEST, FERR, VITD, VB12, PERI, TIRED, PBASE. It is the reference that ties one customer to one test all the way through the process.
You use it twice on every sale. Once in the Shopify app when you take payment, and once written on the lab form that goes in the bag. If the code is missing or wrong in either place, the laboratory cannot match the sample to the person, and the test cannot be assigned.
Free Testosterone
Testosterone, SHBG, Albumin, Calculated Free Testosterone
About this testTotal testosterone on its own can be misleading. Most of it is bound to SHBG and albumin and is not available to the tissues. This panel measures all three so a free testosterone figure can be calculated, which is the portion actually able to act.
Who it suitsMen wanting to understand low energy, poor recovery, reduced strength, low mood or reduced sex drive. Also used by anyone tracking the effect of training load, sleep or body composition over time.
When to take the sampleMorning sample, before 10am. Testosterone follows a daily rhythm and is highest earlier in the day, so an afternoon sample can read low in someone whose levels are fine.
On the standTotal testosterone can look fine while the usable portion is low. This measures both.
Ferritin
Ferritin
About this testFerritin reflects how much iron is in storage. It falls before haemoglobin does, so iron can be running low well before a standard blood count would flag anything.
Who it suitsAnyone training regularly who feels flat, is slow to recover, or is short of breath on efforts that used to feel manageable. Common in endurance athletes, in women with heavy periods, and in people eating little or no red meat.
When to take the sampleFerritin rises with inflammation and after hard training, so not within 48 hours of a hard session or while unwell. Otherwise any day.
On the standLow iron stores are one of the most common reasons riders feel flat, and you cannot see it without testing.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D (25-OH)
About this testMade in the skin from sunlight, involved in bone strength, muscle function and immune function. At UK latitudes there is not enough sunlight to make it from around October to March, so levels fall over winter regardless of time spent outdoors.
Who it suitsAnyone wanting to know where they stand before winter, anyone already supplementing who wants to see whether the dose is doing anything, and anyone training indoors or covered up outdoors.
When to take the sampleAny day, any time. If they are taking a supplement, tell them not to stop. The point is to see what their current routine produces.
On the standThe easiest first yes on the stand at £25. Most people in the UK run low for half the year.
Vitamin B-12 Active
Vitamin B12
About this testNeeded for red blood cell production and nerve function. The body cannot make it and it comes almost entirely from animal foods, so intake matters.
Who it suitsPeople eating plant based or largely plant based diets, anyone with unexplained fatigue or pins and needles, and anyone supplementing who wants to know whether it is being absorbed.
When to take the sampleAny day. Recent supplement doses raise the reading. Do not advise anyone to pause something they have been prescribed, tell them to ask their doctor.
On the standIf you are already taking B12, this tells you whether it is actually getting in.
Perimenopause
FSH, LH, Oestradiol, Free Thyroxine (FT4), TSH
About this testFSH and LH are released by the pituitary to stimulate the ovaries and tend to rise as the ovaries become less responsive. Oestradiol falls over time but fluctuates considerably during perimenopause. TSH and free thyroxine are included because thyroid problems are common in midlife and cause many of the same symptoms.
Who it suitsWomen noticing hot flushes, night sweats, irregular periods, broken sleep, low mood, anxiety, difficulty concentrating or persistent fatigue. Also worth considering under 45, or where there is a family history of early menopause.
When to take the sampleWith a reasonably regular cycle, days 2 to 5, counting the first day of proper bleeding as day 1. Day 3 is best. If irregular or stopped, any day. Morning preferred.
On the standHandle this conversation quietly and never assume anything about someone's age. If she raises it, help. Do not offer it to a woman because of how old she looks.
Must sayThis test does not diagnose perimenopause and you must not say that it does. Hormones swing considerably at this stage, so one set of results can look unremarkable in someone who is clearly perimenopausal. Over 45 it is usually recognised from symptoms and cycle changes rather than bloods.
Tiredness and Fatigue
Vitamin D, hs-CRP, TSH, Free Thyroxine (FT4), Iron, Ferritin, TIBC, Transferrin Saturation
About this testThe broadest finger-prick panel of the six. Covers the four things most commonly behind persistent tiredness that rest does not fix: iron status, thyroid function, vitamin D and background inflammation.
Who it suitsAnyone whose energy has dropped without an obvious explanation, or who is training but no longer recovering between sessions. The right answer when they do not yet know which direction to look in.
When to take the sampleMorning where possible. Not within 48 hours of a hard session or while unwell, since both raise hs-CRP and ferritin and make the picture harder to read.
On the standBest value on the stand. Eight markers for £65 against £99, and the natural step up from a single marker.
Performance Baseline
Over 60 biomarkers across blood health, white cells, iron status, hormones, thyroid, vitamins and minerals, metabolic, heart health, liver, kidney, inflammation and muscle.
About this testOur flagship blood test for athletes. One panel covering all major systems, read through a performance lens rather than against the wide ranges built to flag illness.
Who it suitsAnyone who wants the full picture rather than one answer. Mention it in every conversation.
When to take the sampleNo kit to hand over. Venous sample arranged after the event through the link in their confirmation email.
Must sayThere is a phlebotomy fee on top that we do not take. £35 at a Superdrug health clinic, £59 for a mobile nurse at home, or their own healthcare professional at whatever that person charges. Say this before they pay, every time.
The seven MALVERNS products
All seven are live in the MALVERNS collection. These open the product pages, so you can check a price or a marker list on your phone at the stand.
The whole collection
FTEST Free Testosterone +
FERR Ferritin
VITD Vitamin D
VB12 Vitamin B-12 Active
PERI Perimenopause
TIRED Tiredness and Fatigue
PBASE Performance Baseline
Taking an order, step by step.
Same flow every time. If you follow this you will not create a support problem for later in the week.
Find out why they stopped
One question does it: what made you walk over. Tired, not recovering, curious about hormones, or just following the hang challenge. Their answer picks the test for you.
Match them to a test
Tired and training hard, go to Tiredness and Fatigue or Ferritin. Man asking about strength or drive, Free Testosterone. Woman in her forties, Perimenopause. Nobody sure, Vitamin D is the easy first yes at £29. Anyone who wants the full picture, Performance Baseline.
Say the price properly
Always say both numbers. Ferritin is £49 at the event, normally £69. It is the contrast that sells, not the price on its own.
Take payment, and capture the details exactly
Card only, taken on the Shopify POS app on the iPad. In the app, open the MALVERNS collection and select the test from there. Those products already carry the correct event price and the correct test code, so you do not have to type either.
Do not add a discount code on top, and do not sell these from any other collection. The prices elsewhere in the store are the full ones.
Passcode 468522 unlocks both the iPad and the POS app. It is IMULAB on a phone keypad, so you can work it out if you forget: I4 M6 U8 L5 A2 B2.
Every sale needs all seven of these
Entered into the Shopify app at the point of payment. If any one of them is missing, the test cannot be assigned to the customer after they post their sample.
- Full name
- Sex
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Test code, tagged on the order
- Test code again in the notes field, with the date of birth, sex and mobile number
Check the screen before you take payment, not after. If you are rushed and something is missing, stop and get it. A sample that cannot be matched to a person is a wasted test, a refund, and a customer who will not come back.
The codes, exactly as written:
FTEST Free Testosterone
FERR Ferritin
VITD Vitamin D
VB12 Vitamin B-12 Active
PERI Perimenopause
TIRED Tiredness and Fatigue
PBASE Performance Baseline
Fill in the lab form and put it in the bag
Every kit goes out with a lab form. Before you hand the bag over, write the customer's name and the test code on that form, then put it in the bag with the kit.
Then tell them, out loud
The lab form must be filled in at the time they take their sample, and posted to the laboratory together with the sample. Not before, not separately, not left in a drawer.
A sample that arrives without its completed form cannot be processed. Say this every single time, even when there is a queue.
Hand over the kit and say the one thing that matters
Point at the activation instructions and say it out loud: activate the kit at imulab.co/activate before you post it, otherwise the lab cannot match the sample to you. This is the single biggest cause of failed samples, so say it every time.
Reassure them that everything they need is in the kit, including the lab form, the return envelope and the postage. There is nothing for them to buy, print or pay for.
Every product asks how they want to give their sample. Collect your own sample at home is free and is the right answer for all six finger-prick tests. A Superdrug clinic adds £35 and a nurse at home adds £59, so only pick those if the customer asks for a venous sample.
Baseline orders are different
There is no kit to hand over, and there is a phlebotomy fee on top that we do not take. Say the numbers out loud before they pay: £35 at a Superdrug health clinic, £59 for a mobile nurse at home, or nothing extra from us if they have their own healthcare professional who will draw it.
Take the order, tag it PBASE, and they book the draw after the event through the link in their confirmation email. Make sure the email address is right at the point of sale.
Capture the ones who do not buy
Get them on the mailing list or into the hang challenge sign-up. A name and an email today is worth more than a lost conversation.
Onsite wifi
Network MC Expo
Password MCI4551c!!
iPad unlock 468522
Shopify POS 468522
Hang challenge staff PIN 2026
Same code unlocks the iPad and the till app: 468522, which is IMULAB on a phone keypad. The hang challenge scoring screen is the odd one out at 2026, so do not sit there typing 468522 into it.
- It is there for one job: keeping the Shopify app connected so you can take payment. Reconnect it if the app drops.
- Calls and texts are fine. Plain text only.
- The hang challenge app does not need wifi. It runs offline all weekend, so do not go looking for a connection to make it work.
What the wifi is not for
- No streaming. No YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, or anything else that plays video or music.
- No uploads or downloads. Nothing at all, in either direction.
- No sending images or video over messages. Text only.
- It is a shared event connection. If it gets saturated the card payments stop working, and then we cannot sell anything.
What to say.
Learn the first block by heart. The rest is just answering what they ask.
We do blood testing for people who train. A normal blood test is built to spot illness, so the ranges are wide and you get told you are fine at levels that would leave you flat on a climb.
We read the same markers through a performance lens, against the levels associated with recovering and performing well. A doctor reviews every result, and you get charts and a plain English comment, not a wall of numbers.
Normal does not mean you are at your best. That is the whole idea.
Lines that work
- To a tired rider: low iron stores are one of the most common reasons people feel flat, and you cannot see it without testing.
- To a sceptic: accredited UK lab, doctor reviewed, same markers your GP would run, read differently.
- To a price objection: Vitamin D is £29 and it is the marker most people in the UK are low in for half the year.
- To someone who says they feel fine: that is the point, you test to keep it that way and to see it before it costs you a season.
Words we do not use
- Never say diagnose, cure, treat, or that a result means somebody has a condition.
- Never say optimise or optimal. Say performance range, or where you sit.
- Never promise a specific outcome from a supplement or a change in training.
- Never say it replaces your GP. It sits alongside them.
- Do not guess. If you do not know, say you will check and take their email.
The hang challenge.
Free to enter, runs all weekend, and it is the reason most people will walk into the stand. Treat every entrant as a conversation, not just a name on a board.
The rules, as you explain them
- Free to enter, no purchase needed.
- Adults, 18 and over: register once on the iPad, then one official timed attempt per day.
- Under 18s: one go each, that is all. They are not on the adult board and they are not competing for the adult prizes.
- Dead hang from the bar. Time starts when the feet leave the ground and stops the moment they drop.
- Best time across the weekend counts.
- Separate boards for women and men.
What they win
- Overall, end of the weekend: top woman and top man each win a full Performance Blood Test, a supplement plan and a supplement stack, worth over £750. Adults 18 and over only.
- Best on the day: a £100 voucher. Adults 18 and over only.
- Under 18s: a sticker and a sweet, one each. They compete against each other for fun, not for the adult prizes. Be warm about it, this is most of the queue and it is what gets the parents talking to you.
- Winners are contacted using the email given at sign-up, so check it is right.
Running the iPad
- The app works with no wifi. Do not close Safari and do not clear history on that iPad all weekend.
- Sign-up screen: hand the iPad to the rider. Name, email, category, consent tick.
- Scoring screen: PIN 2026, not 468522. Search their name, Start when the feet leave, Stop when they drop, Save. Or type the time in manually.
- Best time per rider is kept automatically. A slower re-run does not overwrite a faster one.
- Every night: scoring screen, export everything as CSV. This is the only backup.
- Keep the iPad on mains power.
Safety and fair play
- A member of staff watches every attempt. Nobody hangs unsupervised.
- Check the area under the bar is clear and the landing is safe before each attempt.
- Tell them to step or drop down under control, not to jump off backwards.
- Stop an attempt if the grip is clearly going or anyone looks unwell.
- No straps, no chalk pots left on the ground, no boosting off the frame.
- Under 16s need a parent or guardian present at sign-up and during the attempt.
- Anyone who has been drinking does not go on the bar.
Staff FAQ.
The questions you will actually get. Answers are written the way you can say them.
What is IMULAB?
A UK performance blood testing company. We run the same markers a GP might run, but we read them against the levels associated with performing and recovering well, not just the wide ranges built to flag illness. Every result is reviewed by a doctor.
How is this different from a blood test at my GP?
A GP test is designed to spot disease, so the reference ranges are deliberately wide. You can sit near the bottom of one and be told you are fine while feeling flat.
We show you exactly where you sit, with charts and a doctor comment in plain language, so you can act on it rather than just be reassured by it.
Is it a proper lab?
Yes. Samples are processed in an accredited UK laboratory.
How accurate is a finger-prick test?
The markers we offer as finger-prick tests are validated for that sample type. The main thing that affects accuracy is collection, which is why the instructions matter: warm hands, good blood flow, fill the tube properly, and post it back the same day.
Why does the Performance Baseline need a needle?
Over sixty markers need more blood than a finger prick can give. The draw is arranged after the event.
How much is the blood draw for the Baseline?
It is a separate fee on top of the £199.00 and it does not come to us. £35 at a Superdrug health clinic, or £59 for a mobile nurse to come to their home.
If they have their own healthcare professional who will take it, that is fine. It may cost them nothing, or whatever that person charges.
Say this before they pay, every time. Someone discovering an extra £59 afterwards is a refund and a bad review.
What is in the kit?
Everything needed to take the sample and send it back, including the lab form and the return envelope with postage already paid. They do not have to buy, print or pay for anything.
What is the lab form and what do I do with it?
It is the sheet that tells the laboratory whose sample this is and which test to run. You write the customer's name and the test code on it at the point of sale, then put it in the bag with the kit.
Tell the customer it must be completed at the time they take their sample and posted to the lab together with the sample. A sample arriving without its completed form cannot be processed.
What details do you need from me?
Full name, sex, date of birth, email address and telephone number, along with the test code.
It is not paperwork for its own sake. Without those details the laboratory cannot assign the result to the right person once the sample arrives.
Can I do the test here at the stand?
No. We hand over the kit and they complete it at home. It takes about ten minutes.
How do I activate my kit?
Online at imulab.co/activate, before posting the sample. Say this out loud on every single handover. An unactivated sample cannot be matched to a person and the lab cannot process it.
Do I need to fast?
Not for these panels. Full instructions come in the kit and should be followed.
When should I take the sample?
Take it Monday to Thursday and post it the same day. That is the single most important instruction, because a sample posted on a Friday sits in the postal system over the weekend.
For Free Testosterone, take it in the morning, before 10am, because testosterone is highest earlier in the day.
For the perimenopause panel, a woman with a regular cycle should sample between days 2 and 5 of her cycle, and day 3 is best. Day 1 is the first day of proper bleeding. If her cycle is irregular or has stopped, she can sample any day.
How long do results take?
Sample taken Monday to Thursday, posted the same day, and it reaches the lab within 24 hours. Once the lab has it, most results come back within two to four working days, doctor review included.
Say it as working days from when the lab receives it. Never promise a specific date.
Is return postage included?
Yes. The kit contains everything needed to take and return the sample, including the return postage label.
I take blood thinners, or I am on medication. Can I still test?
Yes, people on medication can test. Do not advise anyone to change or stop anything they are taking. If they seem unsure, tell them to check with whoever prescribes it.
I am pregnant. Can I test?
Do not sell hormone panels to someone who tells you they are pregnant, and do not advise on it. Suggest they speak to their midwife or GP first. Take their email and follow up after the event if they want.
Can I buy one for my partner, or as a gift?
Yes. The person taking the test has to activate the kit in their own name, and they must be 18 or over.
Can my teenager do one?
No. We do not sell to under 18s.
Who looks at my results?
A doctor reviews every result before it is released, and adds a comment in plain language.
Will this tell me what is wrong with me?
No, and be clear about it. This is not a diagnostic service. If something looks clinically concerning it is flagged and they are advised to see their GP.
Can you tell me what my last blood test meant?
No. Staff do not interpret results, ever, however confident you feel. Take their email and pass it to Christy, or point them at ordering a test so a doctor can look properly.
Can I take the results to my GP?
Yes. The report is theirs and plenty of people do exactly that.
What do I do with the results afterwards?
The report shows where each marker sits against performance ranges, with a doctor comment. From there people usually make changes to diet, training load, sleep or supplementation, then retest the specific markers they are working on to see whether it moved.
Can I just retest one marker later?
Yes, single markers can be retested on their own. That is the cheaper way to check whether a change is working.
What is MALVERNS20?
Twenty per cent off the Performance Baseline at imulab.co, taking it from £249.99 to £199.99. It applies to the Baseline only.
The six finger-prick tests have their own exclusive event prices and those are only available here at the stand. Do not tell anyone they can get the £25 Vitamin D price online, because they cannot.
Can I think about it and order online later?
The Baseline, yes. Give them a leaflet, point them at the QR code, and tell them the code has an end date so it is worth doing this week.
The finger-prick event prices are stand only, so if they want one of those it has to be today.
Why is it cheaper here than on the website?
These are event prices for Malverns only. The full price is on the card so they can see the difference.
Do you do anything other than these six tests?
Over a hundred tests and panels. If somebody wants something specific, take the request and their email rather than guessing at price or availability.
Can I get a refund?
Unopened and unactivated kits can be returned. Once a kit is activated or used it cannot be refunded, because it is a medical sample device.
Do not argue at the stand. Take their details and pass it to Christy.
How do I pay?
Card only, taken on the Shopify POS app on the iPad. No cash. 468522 unlocks both the iPad and the app, and it is IMULAB on a phone keypad.
Capture all seven: full name, sex, date of birth, email, telephone, the test code tagged on the order, and the code again in the notes field. Miss any of them and the test cannot be assigned.
Every sale needs the customer name, email address, the test tagged, and then in the notes field their date of birth, sex, mobile number and the test purchased again. Miss any of that and the sample loses its traceability.
What is the wifi?
Network MC Expo, password MCI4551c!!
It is for keeping the Shopify app connected so we can take payment. Calls and texts are fine, text only.
No streaming, no uploads or downloads, no sending images or video. It is a shared event connection and if it gets saturated the card payments stop working.
The card app has stopped working.
Check the wifi first. Reconnect to MC Expo and let the app resync before you try the payment again.
If it still fails, do not take the money and promise to sort it later. Take their name and email, tell them you will send a payment link, and pass it to Christy.
Does it cost anything to enter?
No, it is free and there is nothing to buy.
How many goes do I get?
Adults get one official timed attempt per day, so they can come back each day of the event. The best time across the weekend is the one that counts.
Under 18s get one go each across the whole weekend.
What can I win?
A £100 voucher for the best hang on the day, and at the end of the weekend the top woman and top man each win a full blood test, supplement plan and stack worth over £750.
Both prizes are for adults, 18 and over.
Can my kids have a go?
Yes, and most of the queue will be children. One go each, and they compete against each other rather than against the adults.
They get a sticker and a sweet. Be clear and cheerful that the vouchers and the blood test prizes are adults only, so no child is waiting on a prize that is not coming.
Can I use chalk or straps?
No straps. Keep it consistent for everyone, and make sure the bar is wiped down between attempts.
Why do you need my email?
To run the competition and contact the winners. If they tick the box we also send performance testing offers, and they can unsubscribe at any time. If they do not want marketing, do not tick it for them.
Someone disputes a time. What do I do?
The staff member who timed it makes the call and it stands. If someone is unhappy, offer them their attempt for the following day and move on. Do not get drawn into an argument in front of a queue.
The iPad has frozen or the app has gone.
Do not clear Safari history and do not delete anything. Reload the page, and if that fails record times on paper with name, email and time, then get Christy. Paper is always an acceptable fallback.
What do you do with my details?
Stored to run the competition and to fulfil orders, and for marketing only if they consented. UK GDPR applies and they can unsubscribe or ask for deletion at any time.
Handling details at the stand
Do not read email addresses or phone numbers out loud. Do not photograph the screen or any paper list. Turn the iPad away from the queue while somebody types.
Red lines.
These are not guidelines. Get one of these wrong and it becomes a complaint, or worse.
Never do
- Never interpret anybody's existing blood results, even if they show you a printout and even if you are sure.
- Never tell somebody they have, or do not have, a condition.
- Never recommend they stop or start a medication.
- Never take a blood sample at the stand. We hand over kits only.
- Never sell a test to someone under 18.
- Never read an email address or phone number out loud, and never photograph a screen with someone's details on it.
- Never guess at a clinical question. Take the email and pass it to Christy.
- Never complete a sale without full name, sex, date of birth, email, telephone and test code. Without them the test cannot be assigned to anyone.
- Never hand over a bag without the lab form inside it, with the name and test code written on.
- Never sell a Performance Baseline without saying the phlebotomy fee first. It is £35 or £59 and it is not included.
If someone tells you they feel unwell
- Chest pain, breathlessness, fainting or anything that looks like an emergency: get event medical, do not manage it yourself.
- Someone describing worrying symptoms and asking whether a test will tell them what it is: say a blood test is not a diagnosis, and they should speak to their GP. Do not sell into it.
- Someone visibly distressed about their health: be kind, keep it short, point them to their GP.
- Escalate to Christy: anything clinical, anything about a previous IMULAB order, any complaint, any press or partnership enquiry.
Daily checklist.
Tick as you go. Ticks are not saved, so print it or run through it on screen each morning.