Event accessibility is a recurring topic nowadays, whether your event is a small meeting or a large gathering. When planning your event, you must ensure that all guests can easily participate and engage fully. Here we will look at how to make your event more accessible and a better way to boost its accessibility.
There are many factors you have to consider to make your event accessible to everyone. A few of these factors are highlighted below:
To make your event more accessible, avoid laying down overly strict rules during planning. Think about all the people that are going to attend your event. Then lay down rules that ensure they have a pleasant experience at your event.
Occasionally, equipment might stop working during an event. Having standby equipment is a good option to avoid a lengthy disruption that may lead to panic. This way, if anything malfunctions, you can have it changed immediately, and the event will continue smoothly. This way, attendees don't lose out on anything.
When choosing your event venue, consider those with physical disabilities. Is there a ramp for people with wheelchairs, canes, or walkers? Can people easily locate and get to the event without much difficulty? These are questions you need to ask yourself as an event planner before choosing a venue.
As an event planner, you must be safety conscious. Always ensure safety and exit plans in case of a fire or other unplanned event. Check every venue you consider picking for an exit door. Ensure they have working safety equipment like a fire alarm, sprinklers, and a first aid box. Be aware of safety precautions.
There will always be special needs and requests from event attendees. As a good event planner, you must ensure that each need is met to the best of your ability. You have to consider those that are physically challenged, visually impaired, and even those that have dietary concerns. Everyone with a need should be considered when planning an event. Even the event's lighting should be considered for those who react to certain types of lighting. By doing this, you increase your chances of impressing a diverse audience.
Staff training is essential to making your event accessible. Every team member should be prepared to cater to the needs of your attendees. They should know how to handle emergencies, communicate clearly with people, and treat people respectfully. Make sure to have people on your team who can help special guests, like PWDs and the visually impaired. Everyone should be clear about their duties.
When planning your event, you should consider people with communication issues. People with poor vision and hearing problems should be taken into consideration so that they can have a good experience at your event. Make sure presenters are informed on how to make their speeches so that these people can get the full experience. Also, employing lip-readers and interpreters is a good way to make your event accessible to them. Services like AIRA or Right Hear can help the blind and people with poor vision to navigate the venue.
Much time is spent on logistics, venues, and other aspects of in-person events. But with virtual events, you can save time, delight your sponsors, and get more attendees. These are just a few of the benefits. Below we look at some more:
The number of guests attending your event is a key metric for success. With virtual or hybrid events, you can have a wider reach and attendance at your event. Guests register online and partake in the event from anywhere in the world. They do not have to worry about how to get to the venue and the lodging costs. Virtual events make attendance easy and stress-free.
Having a virtual or hybrid event platform helps with flexibility. Natural disasters, pandemics, or anything else can cause a drastic disruption in physical events. With a virtual or hybrid structure integration, event planners don't have to worry about how they can conduct their events. These platforms ensure that events can still take place seamlessly in most unforeseen circumstances.
Virtual events allow you to provide captions for people of other cultures. If foreigners are attending your event, you would need to hire interpreters. With Performedia, virtual events have instant access to twenty-six languages, both in audio and text. This way, attendees from other nationalities can feel included in the event.
Including ASL streaming for people with hearing challenges is a good way to make your event accessible. The feature is structured so those who do not need it can switch it off, and those who do can turn it on. This way, everyone has an experience of the event.
With virtual or hybrid events, it offers you a way to customize certain features for your attendees. That way, people can determine how they want to attend the event. Such custom features can be a way of pre-recording the event so they can watch it later. Custom features for visually impaired persons are also an option. Custom features put attendees at ease.
Blog posts, short video clips, articles, and so on can be gotten from virtual events. This way, people who weren't present can get an idea of what was discussed.
Virtual and hybrid events are suitable replacements for in-person events. They are flexible and have a wider reach. They are stress-free and boost the accessibility of an event. With these two formats, event planners don't have to stress over certain aspects of planning.
