Most event planners choose a venue for how it looks. The most inclusive planners choose it for how it works.

Venue selection is the single biggest factor in whether your event includes or excludes a large part of your audience. Get it wrong and no amount of good content or warm staff will fix it. Get it right and you give every attendee the best possible chance to participate fully.

Here is what to check, before you sign anything.

Getting There Matters As Much As Being There

The attendee experience starts before they arrive. Check every transport link to the venue. Many London Underground stations for example are not step-free. The route from the station to the venue matters just as much as the station itself.

Check accessible parking spaces. They must be at least 2.4m wide by 4.8m long. Make sure they sit close to the entrance, not further away than general parking, which is a surprisingly common oversight. If parking is limited, organise accessible taxi drop-off points and share a clear map with attendees in advance.

Getting Around the Venue

Narrow hallways and permanent seating are two of the biggest barriers for wheelchair users. Check both. Ramps must be no steeper than a 1:12 rise-to-run ratio and must accommodate both manual and electric wheelchairs.

Request lift measurements from the venue directly. Standard lifts are often too small for motorised wheelchairs. Confirm lifts are operational before your event. Make sure your contract covers the cost of a solution if they fail on the day.

Toilets, Facilities, and Hidden Needs

Accessible toilets must not require a key. Check for paddle flush handles, enough space to manoeuvre, and no obstructions near the door. 70–80% of disabilities are hidden. Design for needs you cannot see.

Look for induction loops, braille signage, and visual flashing fire alarms. Ask whether venue staff have disability awareness training. A venue where staff go out of their way to help makes an enormous difference to someone who is struggling.

What You Can Always Bring Yourself

Even when a venue falls short, you can close many gaps:

• Sign language interpreters via specialist providers
• Real-time captioning services
• A Calm Nest Space, a fully designed, sensory-friendly quiet room that Calm Nest Collective brings directly to your event
• Large format directional signage for toilets, exits, catering, and quiet zones
• Sunflower lanyards for attendees with hidden disabilities.

At Calm Nest Collective, we help event organisers audit venues before booking and design the inclusive elements that venues cannot provide. Because inclusion must start the moment someone decides to attend.

Planning your next event? [Talk to us before you book the venue →]