Sustainability and resource use
Digital materials with access alternatives
You want to cut printing by moving programmes and speaker materials online, without leaving some attendees unable to use them.
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The short answer
Going digital only works if each material has a way for every attendee to reach it. For each item, decide the digital version, who might not be able to use it, and the alternative you will offer, such as printed copies on request or a shared screen.
Whether a format is accessible is a question for a competent accessibility adviser, and how attendee data is handled is a question for your privacy owner. Record what you decided and why in the trade-off review, and the printing you avoided in the evidence tracker.
List each material and who might struggle
Start with the materials attendees actually use: programme, speaker slides, delegate list, venue map, exhibitor information, feedback form.
For each, ask who may find the digital version hard: people without a device or battery, with weak connectivity, with a different language need or with a disability. Ask your attendees where you can, instead of assuming.
Match each material to an alternative
| Material | Digital version | Possible alternative | Decision owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programme | Web page or PDF sent before the event | Small printed run on request; programme shown on screens | Secretariat |
| Speaker slides | Download link after sessions | Printed handout for selected sessions on request | Programme chair |
| Venue map and room list | Mobile page | Signage at entrance; printed card at the desk | Operations lead |
| Feedback form | Online form | Paper form at the desk, entered afterwards | Secretariat |
| Exhibitor information | Online listing | Exhibitors may bring their own printed material | Sponsor liaison |
Question pack for the competent parties
- To an accessibility adviser: which formats, file types and layouts should we use so that assistive technology can read them, and what should we test before the event?
- To the privacy owner: if we use an event app, QR codes or sign-ins, what personal data is collected, who sees it and how long is it kept?
- To the venue: is wireless connectivity available in every room, who can confirm it in writing and what happens if it fails?
- To the printer: what is the lead time and cost for a small on-request print run?
Sequence
- List the materials and mark who might not be served by the digital version.
- Pick the alternative for each and name the owner who will deliver it.
- Ask the questions above and record the answers.
- Tell attendees before the event how to reach each material and how to ask for another format.
- Count what was printed on request and report it, not an assumed saving.
Worked example · Fictional example
A paper-light annual meeting
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional professional association moves its programme and slides online for about 220 attendees. The registration form asks if anyone wants a printed programme or another format, and 18 people say yes.
The secretariat prints 25 programmes, shows the day's schedule on screens, and keeps a paper feedback form at the desk. After the event it reports 25 printed against 220 in the previous year's print run, and marks other effects as not measured.
Use this yourself
Access alternatives question list
Copy this list and answer each item before you remove any printed material.
- Which materials are moving to digital, and which stay on paper?
- Who might not be able to use each digital version, and how do we know?
- What alternative will each person be offered, and who delivers it?
- How will attendees ask for another format, and by when?
- Has a competent accessibility adviser reviewed the formats we will use? Name them and the date.
- What attendee data does each digital tool collect, and has the privacy owner agreed it?
- Is connectivity confirmed in writing for every room, and what is the fallback?
- How many printed copies were made on request, and where is that count recorded?
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The attendee group is small and well known, and requests for alternatives can be handled by one person.
- You already use a registration system that records format requests.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Attendees include many groups with different access needs and you are unsure what to offer.
- A mobile app or QR system will collect personal data across several suppliers.
- Several suppliers and rooms need aligned requirements for digital and printed materials.
Want a materials plan that covers digital and print?
An Event Blueprint can map each material to its digital version, alternative, owner and supplier requirement, and list the questions for your accessibility and privacy advisers. The advisers' conclusions stay with them. Share your material list and how attendees register.
Questions organisers ask
Can we remove printed materials entirely?
Only if every attendee has a way to reach each material. Ask attendees about needs at registration, and keep an on-request option unless you have good reason to remove it.
Is a PDF accessible?
That depends on how it was made. Ask a competent accessibility adviser to check the formats you plan to use rather than assuming.
Do QR codes raise privacy questions?
They can, if scanning is linked to a person or an app. Ask your privacy owner what data is collected and how it is kept before you use them.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.