Message.MessageKey key = Message.MessageKey.of(chatMessageTo.getUser(), chatMessageTo.getId());
     Message message = new Message(key, offset, timestamp, chatMessageTo.getText());
 
-    ChatRoomData chatRoomData = this
-        .chatRoomData[partition]
-        .computeIfAbsent(chatRoomId, this::computeChatRoomData);
+    ChatRoomData chatRoomData = computeChatRoomData(chatRoomId, partition);
     KafkaChatMessageService kafkaChatRoomService =
         (KafkaChatMessageService) chatRoomData.getChatRoomService();
 
         .toArray();
   }
 
+  void createChatRoomData(ChatRoomInfo chatRoomInfo)
+  {
+    computeChatRoomData(chatRoomInfo.getId(), chatRoomInfo.getShard());
+  }
+
   Mono<ChatRoomData> getChatRoomData(int shard, UUID id)
   {
     if (loadInProgress)
       return Mono.error(new ShardNotOwnedException(instanceId, shard));
     }
 
-    return channelMediator
-        .getChatRoomInfo(id)
-        .map(chatRoomInfo ->
-            chatRoomData[shard].computeIfAbsent(id, this::computeChatRoomData));
+    return Mono.justOrEmpty(chatRoomData[shard].get(id));
   }
 
-  private ChatRoomData computeChatRoomData(UUID chatRoomId)
+  private ChatRoomData computeChatRoomData(UUID chatRoomId, int shard)
   {
-    log.info("Creating ChatRoom {} with buffer-size {}", chatRoomId, bufferSize);
-    KafkaChatMessageService service = new KafkaChatMessageService(this, chatRoomId);
-    return new ChatRoomData(clock, service, bufferSize);
+    ChatRoomData chatRoomData = this.chatRoomData[shard].get(chatRoomId);
+
+    if (chatRoomData != null)
+    {
+      log.info(
+          "Ignoring request to create already existing ChatRoomData for {}",
+          chatRoomId);
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      log.info("Creating ChatRoomData {} with buffer-size {}", chatRoomId, bufferSize);
+      KafkaChatMessageService service = new KafkaChatMessageService(this, chatRoomId);
+      chatRoomData = new ChatRoomData(clock, service, bufferSize);
+      this.chatRoomData[shard].put(chatRoomId, chatRoomData);
+    }
+
+    return chatRoomData;
   }
 
   ConsumerGroupMetadata getConsumerGroupMetadata()
 
   private final long[] nextOffset;
   private final Map<UUID, ChatRoomInfo> chatRoomInfo;
   private final String instanceUri;
+  private final ChannelMediator channelMediator;
 
   private boolean running;
   @Getter
     Consumer<String, AbstractMessageTo> infoChannelConsumer,
     Duration pollingInterval,
     int numShards,
-    URI instanceUri)
+    URI instanceUri,
+    ChannelMediator channelMediator)
   {
     log.debug(
         "Creating InfoChannel for topic {}",
         .forEach(partition -> this.nextOffset[partition] = -1l);
 
     this.instanceUri = instanceUri.toASCIIString();
+
+    this.channelMediator = channelMediator;
   }
 
 
           chatRoomId);
 
       this.chatRoomInfo.put(chatRoomId, chatRoomInfo);
+      this.channelMediator.chatRoomCreated(chatRoomInfo);
     }
   }
 
 
         infoChannelConsumer,
         properties.getKafka().getPollingInterval(),
         properties.getKafka().getNumPartitions(),
-        properties.getKafka().getInstanceUri());
+        properties.getKafka().getInstanceUri(),
+        channelMediator);
     channelMediator.setInfoChannel(infoChannel);
     return infoChannel;
   }
       ChannelMediator channelMediator,
       ShardingPublisherStrategy shardingPublisherStrategy)
   {
-    return new DataChannel(
+    DataChannel dataChannel = new DataChannel(
         properties.getInstanceId(),
         properties.getKafka().getDataChannelTopic(),
         producer,
         clock,
         channelMediator,
         shardingPublisherStrategy);
+    channelMediator.setDataChannel(dataChannel);
+    return dataChannel;
   }
 
   @Bean