Events programming

Do visitors need a ticket?

If your venue has a specific capacity or you want to manage the flow of visitors, you might be considering ticketing your event. This might also be a useful way to help track audience figures for any reporting you might have to do for funding. Here are a few tips on managing capacity with access in mind:

• If your private view is ticketed or guest list only, make it clear that if someone needs to bring an access assistant or support worker they can do so, free of charge
  
  
• Test out the booking system in advance to check for accessibility features
  
  
• Make sure there is a clear way to get in touch with you if a visitor needs to book their ticket in another way, such as via email or phone
  
  
• Everyone wants their private view to be busy, but it’s important to manage capacity – be aware of any maximum capacity figures and how to avoid overcrowded areas or bottlenecks throughout the space
  
  
• Staggering entry times or offering a 'quieter private view' with lowered capacity before the busier event can make your event more inclusive

I want to document my event, how best can I do this?

Photography can be a great way to capture and document your work. Whether you have hired a photographer or you're documenting an event yourself, make sure you have considered ways to keep this accessible and welcoming for visitors.

• If you're using flash photography, clearly signpost that you will do so - as well as publishing warnings about this on any marketing and comms. Visitors who are photosensitive need to be made aware that there might be flash in the space
  
  
• You might want to consider a sticker system for visitors who do not want to be photographed. Visitors can wear stickers to flag to photographers that they do not want to be captured in photographs - this can also be useful when editing any images after the event!

Do I need more seating?

Having additional seats and stools on hand during a live event is great for ensuring your visitors can relax and enjoy the programme. Even if you are organising just a casual opening, we recommend having some seats available for people to use if they need it.

• High / ‘poseur’ tables and bar stools aren’t accessible for many disabled people – opt for regular height tables and chairs instead
  
  
• If you’re holding an event with a seated audience, also remember to leave plenty of space for wheelchair users

Serving refreshments at your event

You might be considering serving drinks or food at your event. Be mindful of who you are catering for and what options you could put in place to be more inclusive.

• Have ingredients and allergens available to relay to visitors should they ask. If you are serving nuts, ensure visitors are aware of this
  
  
• Have multiple options available for glasses / drinking receptacles, and make sure you have straws available for anyone who requires one
  
  
• Remember to offer non-alcoholic drinks (not just tap water!)
  
  
• The bar needs to be accessible too. Make sure it’s not too high for wheelchair users or people of short stature (as many bars are) – no higher than 80cm

Printed text and captions at events

Will there be introductory speeches or a panel discussion? It's worth considering offering multiple formats for events and announcements, particularly if you already have a script ready of what is going to be said.

Large Print: We recommend printing out speeches, lyrics/scripts (if you have music or performances) and any useful exhibition information that can be handed out if needed. Printing in 18pt or above is recommended for large print publications. Have a few printed and ready to hand out - make sure to avoid laminating them as a shiny surface can be inaccessible.

Live Palantypist: Ideally if you have the budget we recommend booking in a palantypist to live-caption your event. They type out what is spoken on a specialised keyboard which is then presented on a screen for audience members. This service is much more accurate that auto-generated AI captions and provided by a trained individual.

Captioning: Offering auto-generated captions for a spoken event can be beneficial for hearing impaired audiences. Services such as Otter.ai or built in zoom captioning can be used when you don't have access to live captioning. They useful for testing out access tools for expanding accessibility and can be used as a starting transcript for any recordings you might want to publish online. Be aware that these online digital tools have a lower level of accuracy than live palantypists.

Considering planning an exhibition tour?

Exhibitions tours are a great way to explore the work in another way and offer alternative accessible ways to access the show. You might be considering offering a curator's tour or a guided walk through the exhibition - consider what types of tours you could offer and how to reach more audiences with your work. Some tours you might be interested in organising are:

Audio Description Tours: this is usually a guided tour of the exhibition led by a curator or organiser, including live Audio Description of the works provided by an organisation such as VocalEyes, specifically for visually impaired audiences

Meet and greets: Offering a more intimate setting for visitors, meet and greets usually have a lower capacity and an opportunity to speak directly with the team involved in the exhibition. Through this format, visitors can ask questions, learn more insight into the exhibition and perhaps meet some of the artists and creatives featured in the show.

Tactile Tours: Tailored specifically for visually impaired audiences, tactile tours offer an opportunity to explore the exhibition with tactile objects. There might be elements of the show that are already allowed to be touched and handled, but you might also create replicas and tactile versions specifically designed with visually impaired people in mind. This might also be paired with live audio descriptions.

BSL Tours: We've already mentioned BSL tours in this resource, but offering a BSL tour as part of your programme is a great way to be inclusive for D/deaf audiences. Be mindful you might need to book more than one BSL interpreter. Its also very useful to share exhibition information with the interpreters in good time ahead of the tour so that any specific terminology or important names can be double checked.

Digital Tours: If you are considering creating an online tour that people can access from their home, think about how to document the space and the artworks for digital viewing. Consider how you will share this online and what access provisions might be in place such as captions and audio description.

Can you provide a quiet space?

Private views can get overwhelming and stressful. If you have access to a quiet space or separate area with comfortable seating, consider using it as a rest space with less noise

• Did you have a space available for this during the entire exhibition? Make sure this is available for people during events too - you might need to check it can be opened outside of standard opening hours
  
  
• If you don't have access to a quiet space, consider moving some seating or even the bar outside if this is a possibility so that guests can congregate there

Who will staff the event?

Having staff or volunteers on hand to support your event is incredibly helpful when there is a lot to manage! Welcoming people to the space is especially important when it might be more busy and people are looking for navigation. We've gathered some useful tips on what to remember for your next event:

• Is there a clear way to identify staff? This is useful for anyone wanting to ask a question or find something specific. It doesn't have to be a formal uniform, but perhaps a badge or bright t-shirt
  
  
• Ensuring staff have DET training or awareness, and that they know of basic emergency procedures. You can learn more about DET training on our website.
  
  
• Remind your team to check the toilets throughout the event, particularly red emergency cords in disabled toilets. In the Euan's Guide Annual Servay 2024, 73% of respondents have come across an accessible toilet that they’ve been unable to use
  
  
• Have on hand a couple of local taxi numbers, particularly those who offer wheelchair accessible taxis - you could also share this information ahead of the event in case anyone wants to book ahead

Organising a hybrid event?

Are any of the planned events able to be live-streamed or recorded for watching after the event? Make sure you can embed access into any content you will be sharing online. 

• Plan in access for this, such as live (captioning, BSL) or during post production for online sharing - and make sure you advertise this!
  
  
• If you’re organising any artist talks, discussions or ‘in conversation’ events, remember to provide access at these too – book BSL interpreters and a palantypist / live captioning (which also gives you the added bonus of being able to get a transcript of what was said afterwards). Stagetext provide a palantypist / live captioning service
  
  
• Online AI captioning services can be useful to have, especially if you can't afford a palantypist this time around. We have produced a resource on AI tools to support your work which include services such as Otter.ai for live captions. They aren't as accurate but can be a useful starting point when considering access at events and sharing online.