Accessibility in events: a priority for event professionals

Accessibility in events is high on the priority list for event professionals.

It is hot a topic during trade show sessions and is the subject of in-depth industry research projects.

The subject is important enough to warrant European legislation requiring event organizers and venues to meet specific standards.

This article will dive into the following:

• Why is accessibility in events a priority now?
• The European Accessibility Act (EAA)
• Researching how to improve accessibility in events
• How speed networking is making events more inclusive

Organizers and venues are responsible for making the changes necessary to make exhibitions more inclusive.

Exhibitors and attendees who have disabilities or who are neurodiverse have the same right to benefit from events as anyone else in the industry.

The events industry must do what it can to make necessary changes now.

Why is accessibility in events a priority now?

Making events more accessible and inclusive is a priority because the events industry must meet current standards.

Awareness around inclusion and accessibility has increased over the past several years.

All industries are going to greater lengths to improve their standards in this area.

The events industry is considered to be behind compared to other sectors.

This is due to some unique challenges that not all other industries face.

Worldwide infrastructure updates are required that will impact some venues more than others.

Some venues may have less step-free access or facilities than others and will find it costly to implement the necessary changes.

The core nature of events presents another challenge – large spaces filled with crowds of people who are there to network and approach each other.

This creates a scenario that can be daunting and hard to navigate for neurodiverse people.

Organizers can find this challenge difficult to overcome as core elements need to change in order to create more accessibility in events.

Alterations also need to be made to the digital events space such as ensuring visual and audio aids are present online.

A session on industry priorities was held during the Meeting Show 2025, with a key takeaway being that accessibility in events is a concern that should be prioritized event professionals.

Around 15% of the global population has a disability or is neurodiverse. This should incentivize event companies as this is a significant audience that is not being adequately catered to.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA)

Outside of the value incentive to make events more accessible and inclusive there is also the legal requirement.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came fully into effect on June 28 2025 – legislation which primarily impacts event websites, platforms and other digital services.

All visuals need text descriptions and/or alt tags, captions or transcripts for videos and color contrasts need to be taken into account.

Online platforms must be accessible for non-mouse and non-keyboard users who use other methods to navigate the online space.

Regulatory bodies will ensure these practices are complied with on an ongoing basis.

Adherence to the specific requirements laid out by the act is crucial, but further changes are implicit.

All ships must rise with the tide and that is how this act is impacting the events industry.

What needs to be done is not only in accordance with the EAA but also to raise the standards across the board to make events more inclusive.

This includes making changes to venue infrastructure – building accessibility, navigation with clear signage, appropriately trained staff and the proper restroom facilities etc.

Organizers are also responsible for ensuring the transport to the venue is appropriate for people with disabilities.

With this act the events industry understands that the approach to accessibility in events must be proactive rather than reactive going forward.

Researching how to improve accessibility in events

Event professionals need to know precisely what needs to change now that inclusion and accessibility are priorities.

Some of the inclusionary issues the events industry faces are long-standing.

Other challenges could be less obvious and therefore need a light shining on them to overcome them.

The most important question is – what actions do we need to take to create long-lasting change?

ICC Wales recently teamed up with the Business of Events to conduct a nationwide research project across the UK to help answer that question.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events is backing the project to identify key obstacles and possible solutions.

Data gathered from venues and organizers will inform a report containing actionable insights.

These findings will help event companies implement meaningful change and raise industry standards to the expected level.

Event companies should also conduct internal and external research of their own outside of this report.

A key element of accessibility and inclusion is acknowledging that one size does not fit all.

Some individual venues and organizers will have challenges subjective to them and will need to find their own solution to meet raised industry standards.

How existing solutions can help to create more inclusive events

There are several existing solutions and technologies that can help to make events more inclusive.

Customizable Floor Plans

A fundamental way for organizers to provide more accessibility it to consider how people with disabilities can navigate their event.

They can tailor their floor plan with inclusive considerations.

Organizers can customize their plan to provide easy wheelchair access and clear guidance and signage for attendees with visual impairments.

Crafting a floor plan with these as core considerations creates a good foundation for a more accessible event.

Developing better inclusivity within events starts from the floor up.

AI-Matchmaking

The purpose of events is to create valuable in-person connections.

Attendees often approach at random and engagements can last anything from a few seconds to several minutes.

These scenarios can hinder neurodiverse people – large crowds, people approaching randomly and engaging without structure.

AI tech in event is making this more manageable by creating more structure pre-event

Through AI-matchmaking attendees are presented with exhibitors that are directly relevant to them.

This creates a less disarming environment as professionals know ahead of time the engagement will be with someone who is more likely to understand what topics will be discussed without the need for deep explanations.

Random encounters throughout the event are reduced, attendees do not have as much pressure on them to find out if the connection is relevant to them and they have an idea of what the day will look like and who they need to meet ahead of time.

The structure and straightforwardness of events will continue to improve as the AI-matchmaking tech advances.

Which will create a less disarming event environment for neurodiverse people.

Speed Networking

Speed networking is another solution to make events more inclusive towards neurodiverse people.

Sessions are structured, contain a fixed number of people, are timed and topics of discussion are all but pre-determined.

Participants get straight to the point and are aware that the meeting will end in a few minutes.

Neurodiverse people can be comfortable knowing ahead of time who they are engaging with and having a clear structure.

These attributes can help people who struggle with traditional event networking to thrive in the exhibition space.

Having speed networking sessions as part of an event used to be seen as an add-on for an event.

Now it is a must-have since inclusion and accessibility in events are top priorities for the events industry.

Take a look at speed networking solutions here and take the step towards making your next event more inclusive.