Event accessibility assistance desk
Some of your guests will need help getting in, finding a seat or reaching a session, and they should not have to explain it to a queue.
The short answer
An accessibility assistance desk is a named place and a named person where guests can ask for help at arrival. Your team coordinates it: who staffs it, what they can arrange, and who they call.
What counts as accessible, safe or compliant at your venue is for the venue and a qualified accessibility adviser to answer. Your job is to ask the right questions early and write the answers down.
What the desk is for, and what it is not
The desk is a coordination point. Staff greet guests who ask for help, note what is needed, contact the right colleague or the venue, and follow up.
It is not where anyone gives a conclusion on whether the building or a route meets a standard. Those answers come from the venue and a competent specialist, in writing.
Collect needs before the event, lightly
- Add one optional question to registration: whether the guest would like to tell the organiser about any access needs.
- Keep the answers limited to what the team needs to act on, and keep them with as few people as possible. Ask your organisation's privacy contact how the answers should be stored and for how long.
- Tell guests who to contact before the event and where the desk is on the day, using the delegate arrival instructions.
Staffing and placement
Place the desk where guests arrive, close to the main registration area but not inside the busiest queue. Ask the venue to confirm in writing the step-free routes, lifts and any areas that are not open to guests, and mark them on the guest map.
Brief the staff on how to offer help without assuming it is wanted. Keep a named contact for the venue's own team and for the lead who can authorise a change.
Questions to put to the venue and specialists
| Topic | Question to ask | Who answers |
|---|---|---|
| Routes | Which entrances, lifts and routes between the registration area and each room are open to guests who need step-free access? | Venue, in writing |
| Seating | Where can reserved or flexible seating be placed in each room, and who confirms it? | Venue and organiser |
| Assistive support | What equipment or support does the venue provide, and what must the organiser arrange separately? | Venue and AV supplier |
| Emergency arrangements | What are the venue's arrangements for guests who need assistance to leave the building? | Venue safety contact |
| Standards | Is a review by a qualified accessibility adviser needed for this layout? | Organiser decides, adviser answers |
On the day
- Open the desk before the first arrivals and test that staff have the contact list.
- Record each request on the log sheet, with the action taken and who took it.
- Pass requests that need the venue to the venue contact at once.
- Review the log after the first peak and adjust staffing.
- Record lessons for next year.
Worked example · Fictional example
An assistance desk for a one-day professional seminar
Fictional organisation and figures, illustrative only.
A fictional professional-learning team expects about 200 guests. Registration includes one optional question on access needs, and 9 guests answer it.
The team sends the venue a written list of questions on routes, seating and assistive support and records the replies. It places the desk beside registration, assigns one trained staff member and a deputy, and prints a one-page contact sheet. The team asks an accessibility adviser to review the room layout before the event.
Use this yourself
Assistance desk coordination sheet
Copy the table, and add a row for each request on the day.
- Desk location and hours are in the arrival instructions.
- Venue answers are held in writing with the date.
- Registration answers are visible only to named staff.
| Time | Request (as the guest described it) | Action taken | Who acted | Venue contact needed? (Y/N) | Follow-up done |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The venue is familiar, the guest list is small and requests are few.
- A named staff member can own the desk and the venue contact list.
- You have already had the venue's written answers.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- The venue is new to you or the layout spans several floors or rooms.
- Several committees or suppliers each own part of the guest experience.
- You want a project lead to collect the venue answers, brief staff and keep the log, with a specialist reviewing the points that need one.
Want the assistance desk planned with your team?
A conference project lead can put the question pack to the venue, collect and record the written answers, brief desk staff and keep the contact sheet and log with you. Specialist advice on accessibility stays with the venue and a qualified adviser.
Questions organisers ask
Do we need an accessibility specialist?
That is for you and the venue to decide after the venue answers in writing. Put the question to the venue and ask whether an adviser review is advisable for your layout.
Should we ask guests about access needs at registration?
An optional, short question is common. Check with your privacy contact how the answers are collected, stored and shared before you add it.
Can the desk promise a seat or a route?
Only if the venue has confirmed it. Staff should offer what has been agreed and pass the rest to the named contact.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.