How to Make Your Events More Accessible and Inclusive

When planning an event, we can all agree that there’s one universal goal — to ensure everyone has a fantastic time.

More often than not, accommodating accessibility is often an afterthought in event marketing (or not even a thought at all). As event marketers, it’s on us to make sure every component of the our events is accessible to every single participant — no matter ability.

So before you fall into ADA-rule fatigue, let's talk about some simple accessibility tips for  your next event — everything from venue accessibility to communications.

First things first: Any event venue must meet required ADA guidelines. Here are a few things to always double check when it comes to the accessibility of your events:

1. Does your venue provide elevator or ramp access?

Some venues will cover accessibility on their website, usually somewhere in the FAQs. However, for those that don’t, just send a quick email to the venue asking about accessibility.

2. What do accessible transportation routes to and from your venue look like?

If you’re in a metro area, it’s good to check if nearby subway or train stations are accessible. To save guests some time, it’s also a good idea to provide instructions around what the most accessible routes are.

Pro Tip

If you’re in a major metro area, Google has recently added wheelchair accessible routes to Google Maps on both desktop and mobile. This should make your research into routes around your venue a total breeze.

3. Is there accessible parking available?

Is there parking nearby the event that’s accessible to wheelchairs, canes, and walkers? Can a person with mobility challenges or fatigue get from the parking section to the event venue easily?

4. Is there enough seating and personal space?

If you have seating, do you have space for persons living with disabilities? Are you making sure that it’s communicated in your event space that persons living with disabilities get priority seating in a designated area? Is there enough personal space to accommodate those with wheelchairs, canes, walkers, and service animals?

5. Did you confirm access days before your event?

Even if you’ve done all of your research, it’s important to call your chosen venue a few days before the event to check that all accommodations are up and running. This way, if an elevator is broken or a nearby accessible parking lot is closed, you have time to figure out alternatives or communicate these changes to attendees.

The other part of accessibility is making sure your attendees know about all the details so they can prepare ahead of time. There is so much room for up-front communications when it comes to the inclusion and accessibility of your events. Consider doing the following:

1. Put accessibility information in your event page footer.

Take a look at the example below of an event page that looks great, feels great, and is displaying helpful accessibility information at the footer of the page.

2. Use your RSVP form to gather attendee needs ahead of time.

Your RSVP or ticket order form is the perfect opportunity to better prepare your team, while assuring your attendees you’re thinking about their needs. Here are some custom questions you can include in your forms:

• Dietary restrictions

• Requests for interpreting services or assistive listening devices

• Requests for accessible parking or seating

• An open text area asking about other accommodations that will help ensure full guest participation

• Preferred pronouns so you can display them on badges

Should you ever receive a request that you’re unfamiliar with, you can simply collaborate with the requesting attendee. There is no shame in asking questions. If anything, it shows you take accessibility seriously and want your event to be as enjoyable as possible for all.

3. Send an email about accessible transportation options.

In the weeks before your event, send an email that lets all of your guests know how they can best travel to your event. Take time to lay out accessible route options. Take a look at this example:

4. Disclose any specifics in your pre-event communications.
In terms of accessibility, it’s better to over-communicate. It's extremely important to note the following in your pre-event communications to your attendees:

• Use of flash photography

• Any sort of strobe lights or flashing images that may cause seizures

• Distinctly amplified sounds/music

• The use of fog machines/any other chemicals or smells that may make your space inaccessible to individuals with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) or Idiopathic Environmental Intolerances (IEI)

• Whether or not interpreting services will be provided for various speakers, panels, talks, etc.

• Whether or not you will be providing assistive listening devices for hard of hearing attendees. (Fact: These are fairly inexpensive!)

• All optional parts of your event, including off-site social activities, that may not be fully accessible

5. Let your speakers know about any special accommodations beforehand.

The speakers at your event should know about any special accommodations so they can be prepared. Some accessibility notes to provide speakers may include:

• Speak clearly (ideally facing forward without covering your mouth)

• Avoid acronyms and colloquialisms as much as possible

• When addressing someone specifically, ask for his/her/their name and pronouns to confirm

• Specify when you’re finished speaking

• For interpreters, always look at and address the participating attendee

Making your event more accessible and inclusive opens up a space to begin a much-needed conversation around accessible event marketing and becoming an advocate. This may require some thought and work, as it will force you to rethink how you typically host events.

Part of this rethinking might also include reaching out to your attendees both during and after the event to see how things went and if they were comfortable, informed, and able to fully participate. Always get event feedback and continue to improve your planning practices around accessibility.

Once you’ve hosted some events with these accessibility tips put to the test, we also encourage you to educate others within your business and within the event marketing community. It’s up to us all to create a conversation around accessibility in order to spread best practices and host events that are that much more inclusive and, in turn, that much more extraordinary.