17 October 2024
Excel London and The Disability Taskforce have today announced a collaboration designed to set new standards in venue accessibility and become the first of its kind across UK venues.
Using a specialist team of consultants, all of whom have disabilities themselves, the Taskforce will provide in depth insights across the entire Excel visitor journey – from marketing and ticketing through to venue navigating and signage legibility – to ensure that access improvements are holistically inclusive.
The two will then work closely to produce a new accessibility strategy and roadmap for Excel, with a commitment to improvements in the coming months and years, and a long-term goal for the venue to be truly accessible for all visitors, organisers, exhibitors and employees alike.
Kerrie Kemp, Excel’s Director of Venue Operations, said: “Excel hosts around 400 events a year, with around 40,000 exhibitors and more than four million visitors. This presents a fantastic opportunity for us to raise the bar for inclusivity and ensure our world-leading events are also world leaders for accessibility.
“While it is important to be ambitious, we also recognise that change doesn’t occur overnight and that before we can make any impactful adjustments, we must first better understand where any potentials barriers may lie, and that’s where the brilliant team at The Disability Taskforce come in.”
Will Pike, a consultant for The Disability Taskforce, said: “More often than not, when booking tickets and attending events, disabled people can feel like an ‘after-thought’. That’s why The Disability Taskforce is delighted to be working with Excel London on this forward-thinking initiative. As one of the UK’s premier destinations for events and exhibitions, we believe there is a fantastic opportunity here to raise the standard of access and inclusion for disabled people across the entire industry. Our goal, as a pan-disability consultancy team, is to create truly aspirational systems and touchpoints that benefit a range of lived experiences, because when it comes to disability ‘one size does not fit all’.”
Consultations begin this month via a comprehensive audit and onsite inspections, with works continuing throughout the year and into 2025.
For more information on Excel and its accessibility click here, or for further details on The Disability Taskforce click here
