Meetingselect
Think about all the different things that need to happen to host a successful meeting or event: Booking the right venue, sending invites, arranging catering, and choosing the perfect audio-visual equipment can be challenging! But don’t worry. We’ve put together this handy checklist to ensure your next meeting or event is accessible and fabulous. So read on, and get planning!
4. Accessible promotion and registration material
Accessible venues, check. Accessible meetings, check. Anything else? Yes. Promotion and registration materials are fundamental when communicating the accessibility of your meeting or event.
In any case, make sure you check the following:
- Ensure that you have a fully accessible event website
- Include a statement that your meeting/event is accessible
- Identify any barriers that cannot be eliminated
- Provide alternative registration options (online, phone, text, email)
- Offer meeting material in alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, or electronic files.
5. Accessible meetings
You want to make sure that everyone can easily participate and contribute to your meeting. Don't just think about potential barriers for your participants. For events, you might also want to consider accessibility issues for speakers and presenters.
If you want to organize accessible meetings, definitely check for:
- Signs with tactile and easily readable, large fonts (sans serif or simple serif) with good contrast that direct attendees to all rooms
- Wide seating aisles that are at least 90cm wide to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters
- Well-lit rooms for participants with visual impairments
- Audio-visual equipment located in a place that doesn’t block pathways
- Multiple sets of outlets for laptops and other electronic aids
- Well secured cables, wires, cords, and microphones outside paths of travel
- Speaker podium at ground level or accessible via ramp/lift
- Tables for materials, food and beverages at a height that is reachable by wheelchairs/scooters and in an accessible location
- Rooms large enough to allow all persons to move freely
- Accessible bathrooms in close proximity to meeting rooms
- Toileting space and water for service animals
- Proper air circulation with temperature controls
- Quiet break space in close proximity to the rooms
6. Training your staff
Staff (both from the meeting organization and venue) are critical when planning accessible meetings and events. Here are a few items to tick off when training your internal or external staff:
- Appoint a dedicated person (often yourself) for accessibility issues
- Make your staff aware of emergency procedures and accessibility features of the meeting venue
- Hold orientations/trainings for staff on types of disabilities and etiquette
- Do a walk-through of the venue at the day of the meeting
- Hold orientation for attendees with disabilities to review accessibility features, locations, and/or accommodations
Find accessible venues near you
There seems to be many areas to consider when planning accessible meetings and events. We hope that this checklist will be useful when managing your on-site visits.
While this list might be extensible, it might also be worthwhile reaching out to your local disability association for further tips.
If you're on the lookout for amazing accessible meeting venues, make sure to also check out Meetingselect, our online platform to easily find, book, and manage your meetings online. We inspect all our venues, based on European guidelines. Accessible venues often receive a seal of approval, such as the well-known Integral Accessibility Standard (ITS).
Moreover, you’ll be able to filter your search results when looking for accessible venues. This way, you’ll know if a venue is accessible for wheelchair users, if it’s located on the ground floor, whether it has audio guidance and much more. This makes finding accessible venues a lot easier.
Good luck organizing your accessible meetings and events!
