Do you know how to make your event accessible?

Event planning tips.

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A good event can be ruined by a lack of accessibility.

Murmours spread around fast and we know bad news travels faster than good news.

As we are in the planning stage for The All 4 Inclusion Awards 2026, I wanted to share some of the considerations we make. It's more than just putting a ramp down and crossing your fingers. This article is far from making it completely accessible, but hopefully it will start you thinking.

One of the first things we consider is can people get to the room and move around comfortably. If there are any difficulties with this you need to make people aware before they arrive.

Is there a seperate networking area beforehand? The key to this is that it's a seperate area to consider with space, but also there needs to be seating in the networking area as well as the main event space. Everyone has the right to network, but not everyone can stand up for long periods of time.

As someone comes in to the networking area there is normally drinks on offer. There is a lot more variety now with alcohol free drinks making it vital that you have an alcohol and alcohol free option to welcome your guests.

Whilst it's good to get allergies and dietery requirements in advance, don't take what people put here as what they will eat or drink on the night. Someone who eats meat may fancy the vegetarian food, and if you only cater for the exact numbers of vegetarians someone will go hungry.

This leads me nicely to communication and signs. Clearly marking the food with allergy signs is important to avoid someone not eating something that their body doesn't agree with. Equally important is signage telling people where the Quiet Zones and toilets are.

I think at events someone at some point will need support from event staff or volunteers. Are your volunteers recognisable? Hidden Disability Sunflower have two types of lanyard, one of which is for people who need assistance and the other is for people who are able to provide the assistance. Our teams normally use the latter of these and we do our best to point them out or have them stationed in certain areas.

I think of access being able to go wrong in 5 key areas:

• Mobility

• Visual

• Hearing

• Smell

• Touch
  

Go through your event in your head and try to recognise what could go wrong in each of these five areas. Think of it a little like hazard perception on the driving theory.

I will give you an example in each area, but you can get some more tips on our free pdf.

Mobility - the event provides a ramp but the wheelchair user cannot get up the ramp. This could be because the ramp is on too steep a gradient.

This can be resolved by practice attempts prior to needing the person to come on stage or using a longer ramp.

Visual - Setting the mood with the right lighting is more than making people comfortable. Do you want the lights bright like a supermarket? Probably not as this can be triggering for some people but like wise too dark can cause trip hazards. Do you utilise up or down lighting around key hazards?

Speak to the venue in advance as they will likely be able to point you in the right direction.

Hearing - What is important for people to hear? This will change during the night. But when people are eating and networking the power is in the conversations being had, so music should be low and purely a background noise to create atmosphere and privacy.

When the stage is being used everyone needs to be able to hear comfortably and the volume on the microphones should be set so everyone can hear comfortably.

Smell - Ensure smells from any air fresheners are fairly neutral and avoid "smelly foods". Communicate smoking and vaping areas, because if you don't people will assume it's straight outside the front door giving people a first and last impression of this smell.

Touch - Some chairs may have edges that can be felt through clothing. If possible have a range of different chairs available. Remember any seam or detail on a chair has the potential to be a trigger for someone.

Most important of all, be flexible. If someone asks if you can do something give it some real consideration and don't be defensive. They are asking because they want to have a good time at your event.

If you want any individual support please email scott@all4inclusion.org