An accessibility request reveals a gap in the booked venue
A registered delegate has asked what access arrangements are in place, and the answer you can find does not match the booking.
The short answer
Treat the request as a prompt to check facts, not as a judgement on the venue. Confirm in writing with the venue what is and is not available, ask the delegate what would work for them, and record who decided what.
Whether a space or arrangement is adequate is for a qualified accessibility adviser and the venue, not for the events team to conclude.
What is known and what is not
Fictional scenario: a delegate of the Persatuan Fiktif Perancang Bandar writes that they use a wheelchair and asks how to reach the afternoon workshop room. The programme lists it on an upper level, and the team is unsure whether a step-free route exists.
Separate what was seen from what was assumed.
- Known: the request wording, the rooms and routes in the programme, what the venue originally told you.
- Unknown: what is actually available, in which rooms and routes, and at what times. A venue brochure or website alone does not confirm it for your event.
- Unknown: what the delegate needs, in their own words. Ask them rather than assuming.
- Unknown: whether other delegates have needs not yet disclosed. Offer a route for them to tell you.
Who has authority to decide
The delegate knows their own needs. The venue knows its premises and what it can change. A qualified accessibility adviser can say whether an arrangement is suitable.
The event owner decides which changes the organiser will request, fund or accept, and keeps the delegate informed.
- Delegate: what they need and which arrangement they accept.
- Venue manager: facts, permitted changes and written confirmation.
- Accessibility adviser (if engaged): whether an arrangement is suitable. This is a question for them.
- Event owner: relocation, programme changes and budget approval for any change.
Realistic options and consequences
| Option | What it involves | Consequence to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Move the session or workshop | Relocate to a room the venue confirms in writing is reachable by the route the delegate needs. | Solves the case; may affect capacity, timing or other bookings. |
| Ask the venue to adjust | The venue proposes a change to the route or setup, in writing. | Benefits others too; depends on venue agreement and lead time. |
| Agree an alternative with the delegate | Offer a specific arrangement and check it with them in advance. | Respects their choice; they may decline. |
| Offer remote participation for that session | Where the format allows, provide a way to join without travelling to that room. | Keeps them in the programme; changes the experience and needs technical planning. |
| Reconsider the space | If the gap is wider than one session, review the venue and contract with your adviser. | Addresses the root problem; may involve cost and contractual questions. |
Communications
Be respectful, specific and open. Ask before suggesting. Do not promise an arrangement until the venue has confirmed it in writing.
- To the delegate: "Thank you for telling us. We are checking arrangements for [session and route] with the venue. Could you tell us what would work best for you? We will confirm what is possible by [date]."
- To the venue: "Please confirm in writing the step-free route, lifts, doors, toilets and any restrictions for [rooms], and the times they are available on [dates]. Please state anything that is not available."
- To the accessibility adviser, if engaged: "Please review the venue's written answers and tell us whether the arrangement meets the delegate's stated needs."
- To the team: "Do not tell the delegate an arrangement is confirmed until the event owner says so."
Follow-up and prevention
- Record each requirement, who confirmed it, how and when in a site-visit evidence log. A current-looking web page alone does not prove that a requirement is met.
- Ask all delegates, at registration, how you can support their participation, and tell them who will read the answer.
- Add access questions to the venue brief and check them during the site visit.
- Record decisions in a decision log.
- See related pages on accessibility needs arriving after plans are approved and the venue changing available rooms.
Worked example · Fictional example
One workshop room on the upper level
Fictional organisation and figures, illustrative only.
The event owner asks the venue manager for written confirmation of the route and the room, and asks the delegate what would work. The venue confirms the workshop can move to a ground-floor room on the same afternoon.
The delegate agrees. The event owner records the change, informs the other participants, and adds the access questions to the checklist for the next site visit.
Use this yourself
Venue access questions to confirm in writing
Send to the venue and keep the answers with the booking. These are questions for the venue and a qualified adviser, not conclusions.
- Which entrance, route and lift would delegates use to reach each room we have booked?
- Are there any steps, thresholds or restrictions on that route, and at what times?
- Which toilets are available to delegates, and where are they?
- What seating, circulation and stage arrangements exist in each room?
- What can the venue change on request, and what notice does it need?
- Who is the venue contact on the day for access matters?
- Is there anything the venue cannot provide that we should plan around?
- Would the venue support a visit by a qualified accessibility adviser?
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The gap is one room or route and the venue can confirm a fix in writing.
- The delegate is happy with a clear alternative.
- The programme can be adjusted without wider change.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- The gap affects several rooms or delegates, or the venue cannot confirm facts.
- A formal assessment is needed and no one owns that step.
- The programme, venue contract and delegate communications must all change together.
Need the access gap coordinated?
A conference project lead can coordinate the agreed recovery tasks: gathering the venue's written answers, managing the change with your event owner and delegate, and keeping the evidence log. A planning diagnostic can review venue requirements before the next event. Access and suitability decisions stay with the delegate, the venue and a qualified adviser.
Questions organisers ask
Should we promise the delegate a solution straight away?
Acknowledge the request and say what you are checking. Confirm an arrangement only after the venue has confirmed it in writing.
Does the venue's website tell us what is available?
Use it as a starting point only. Ask the venue to confirm in writing for your rooms, dates and set-up.
Who decides whether the arrangement is acceptable?
The delegate's view on their own needs matters most. Whether a space meets formal requirements is a question for a qualified accessibility adviser.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.