Ninety-three per cent of disabled delegates continue to encounter barriers when attending events, according to landmark research by The Business of Events and ICC Wales, supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Events.
Launched recently at IBTM World, the report – Access All Areas: Closing the Accessibility Gap in Events – exposes a striking disparity between how venues perceive their accessibility provision and how delegates truly experience it.
Drawing on insights from 1,000 delegates who have attended an event within the last six months, the research discovered that nearly one in three identified as having a visible or non-visible disability, and of those, 93 per cent reported encountering barriers to participation.
These included inaccessible layouts (28 per cent); lack of accessible toilets (24 per cent); untrained staff (25 per cent); overstimulating environments (27 per cent); and missing accessibility information (17 per cent).
Over 100 venues were also surveyed. While 82 per cent said they provide step-free access, 91 per cent reported having accessible toilets, and 75 per cent claimed their staff have disability awareness training, the findings suggest a disconnect between venue confidence and delegate experience. More than half (57 per cent) of venues said they have a formal accessibility or inclusion policy in place.
However, cost remains a major point of contention. Nearly half (46 per cent) of venues admitted they sometimes charge for accessibility adjustments such as gender-neutral toilets or ramped stages – a practice delegates overwhelmingly reject as discriminatory. Attendees regard accessibility as a fundamental right not an optional, paid-for extra.