When an international research agency or a global brand needs to run qualitative research in Italy, the logistics of the facility matter more than most people expect. Finding a room is easy. Finding a facility that is designed for the specific workflows of professional market research — observation, translation, streaming, recording — in a city where the real estate stock was not built with these needs in mind, is considerably harder.
We built our research facility in Rome specifically to serve international clients who need to conduct focus groups, product tests, usability tests, and in-depth interviews on the Italian market without compromising on infrastructure. The facility operates under its own dedicated brand, Roma Focus Lab, where you can find the full floor plan, gallery, and request a quote for your project.
The facility
The space covers 460 square metres on a single floor and includes fourteen rooms plus reception and waiting areas, with three one-way mirrors and two independent entrances. The core setup is designed around the standard international model for qualitative research facilities, with adaptations for how research actually works when the observers speak a different language from the participants.
The focus room (21 sqm) seats up to 12 people in a rectangular configuration or up to 30 in theatre style. It is equipped with full HD streaming cameras, radio microphones with noise and echo suppression, direct video recording to file, video projection, and a Zoom/Skype for Business conferencing system. The room faces a 3-metre one-way mirror connecting to the viewing room.
The viewing room (20 sqm) is designed for comfort during long observation sessions. It includes a 65-inch monitor, a meeting table, a sofa, a Nespresso corner, and a minibar. Lunch can be ordered directly from a tablet with a daily menu from local restaurants. The room is equipped with a liaison and messaging system that allows observers to communicate with the moderator in the focus room without interrupting the session.
The translation room is the element that most distinguishes this facility. It is set up for simultaneous dual-language translation, delivered either through headphones in the viewing room or through the hi-fi system. This means an English-speaking client team can follow an Italian-language focus group in real time, without delays, without summaries — hearing exactly what participants say as they say it.
Remote observation via live streaming
Not every stakeholder can travel to Rome for every session. Our automatic focus streaming system broadcasts the session over a secure internet connection. Clients can watch from their office via VPN, with the same video and audio quality as in the viewing room, including the simultaneous translation feed. The system also supports Focus Vision integration for clients whose agencies use that platform.
The video stream is recorded to file automatically, providing a permanent archive of every session that can be reviewed, clipped, and shared internally.
Practical details that matter
The facility has a 1 Gbps fibre connection with a fixed public IP address. Wi-Fi is available in every room with secure guest access. There is a dedicated product-test kitchen, four bathrooms, handicap-accessible entrance with ramp and elevator, a safe for valuables, and storage for client materials between sessions. Our secretariat speaks English and Spanish. Staff is on site from 9:00 to 18:30, with extended hours and weekend openings available on request.
We are located in Rome's Pigneto district at Via L'Aquila 23m, five minutes on foot from the Pigneto metro and rail station, outside the restricted traffic zone (ZTL) and the paid parking area. The building has an internal garage for clients and staff, and our partner Hotel Roma Aeterna (140 rooms, with bar, gym, and parking) is 100 metres away with special rates for project teams. Fiumicino airport is easily reachable by direct train. For international clients planning a visit we can coordinate logistics, hotel bookings, and transport arrangements end to end.
Who uses this facility
Our focus group room is used by international market research companies conducting qualitative studies on Italian consumers, multinational brands running product tests or concept evaluations for the Italian market, consulting firms gathering insight from Italian stakeholders, and our own mystery shopping clients who want to debrief shoppers or present findings to their international teams.
The facility is available for rental independently from our mystery shopping services. Whether you need it for a single afternoon session or a week-long research sprint, we can configure the space and support services to match your project requirements.
To book the facility or discuss your research needs, visit romafocuslab.com for the full brochure and instant quote request, or contact us through MysteryClient.it for an integrated proposal covering facility rental, respondent recruitment, and complementary research services.