Good HR practice within the meetings and events industry – navigating today’s challenges
Next in our series of guest editors, we'd like to introduce HR expert Kate Goodman, a member of the CIPD and a Mental Health First...
Some disabilities are obvious and some not. When choosing a venue for a conference or meeting, we can check whether the building has wheelchair access to all meeting rooms, catering and social areas, has purpose-built accessible toilets, a hearing loop system and allows guide dogs.
But not all meeting attendees’ issues are obvious. People with sensory issues, such as to light and noise will find large events difficult because of the volume of people in the room, loud music and flashing lights when the keynote speaker arrives. This can include people with ADHD, autism, Downs syndrome, early-onset dementia and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Here are some ideas that you can implement to help event attendees who might find the environment challenging:
All these items can be cleaned with disinfectant and used at multiple events. Some venues are putting together a bag which includes the items above, or an organsier can put the tools together themselves and take them onsite.
The American organisation Kulturecity runs training courses for staff at venues to understand the problems and help organisers run events which include attendees who find it difficult to participate because of sensory challenges.