How can I make my event more accessible?
Accessibility is one of the most important considerations when planning an event, and it’s a concern being raised consistently by audiences. There are several ways you can make the event more accessible to everyone that would ease most of the audience’s concerns before the event even starts.
At Inclusive Digital, we offer several services that help boost the accessibility of our clients’ events. We offer AI-enhanced closed captions for in-person audiences as well as on video content. Our event app enables online networking for people who find approaching others in person to be difficult. It also allows flexibility in how people interact with the event, such as being able to ask questions online or reading the questions on the app that are being read aloud in the room. AI summaries paired with event apps allow people to better understand and engage. One of our clients used the event app on an iPad to allow someone who was visually impaired to more easily watch the content while still being in the room.
Additionally, audiences now expect events to be hybrid. Hybridising your event opens it up for people who can’t make it in person and allows on demand viewing for people to watch in their own time. All this immediately makes the event more accessible for people with various needs and abilities, while also benefitting event organisers; hybridisation also means more audience members and a longer lasting impact. If you would like to learn more, please read our previous article about how to make a good hybrid event.
Consider your venue. Is it easy to get to? Are there lifts and/or ramps as well as stairs? Is there plenty of room in walkways? Do they offer hearing loops, or can you discuss this with your AV supplier (which will definitely be us)? Can you offer a prayer room for religious audience members, and a parent and baby room with a livestream to the event so that parents can continue to engage while caring for their children, as one of our recent clients did?
Polling in advance clears up so much guesswork and allows you to plan with careful and thoughtful consideration that will be much appreciated by audiences. People want to tell you what they need. You can ask about food allergies and intolerances and any other accommodations that they will need to access your event. More events are hiring BSL translators to stand alongside their speakers and interpret live. Accessibility is key for modern events, so let’s work together to make your event accessible to all.
