ACCESS FOR ALL

How big is the accessibility team at DF Concerts and how many events have you worked on/been responsible for this year?

Our accessible team is small but mighty and consists of myself and Nina Kranewitter, access assistant. This summer we had the support of freelancers such as Holly Milloy on the shows that clashed on the same dates such as Harry Styles in Glasgow, Noel Gallagher in Dundee, and James in Edinburgh.

I have been responsible for the accessible design, planning, and operational management of nine stadium shows, including The Killers, Harry Styles, Liam Gallagher, Calvin Harris, Gerry Cinnamon, and Coldplay, as well as our festivals TRNSMT, Dundee and Edinburgh Summer Sessions, the inaugural Connect festival, and The Big Top.

Please explain the different access requirements that you implement and how they differ from site to site?

Our biggest event is TRNSMT in Glasgow Green. In 2021, we were awarded Gold status by Attitude is Everything and were the first Scottish festival to achieve this, which I am incredibly proud of! For each site that we go to, be it a large-scale event in Glasgow Green or Bellahouston Park, or a smaller capacity show at Edinburgh Summer Sessions, I always try to follow the targets set out by the Gold award to keep a level of consistency across each of our outdoor shows.

For each show, we have an accessible facilities survey that asks customers a range of questions about their requirements for attending, such as an accessible viewing platform, accessible toilets, Blue Badge parking, assistance dogs, medication stored in a fridge, British Sign Language (BSL) performance interpreting, wheelchair charging, or a free Personal Assistant Ticket.

We have a great working relationship with PAMIS and their changing places van, Pamiloo, which allows us to provide a suitable toilet for those with the most complex needs. This year at TRNSMT, we were fortunate enough to have both Pamiloo and Mobiloo in attendance allowing both general admission and VIP customers access to the most accessible toilet on site.

At TRNSMT, we have a wellbeing area that is situated close to the first aid and medical tent. This allows customers the opportunity to break away from the main festival crowd if they are overwhelmed or overstimulated. On smaller sites, we work with our welfare teams to create a quiet area that would be most suitable. We also ensure that we have first aiders and welfare team members who are Mental Health First Aid trained.

We implement an accessible customer service team that acts as runners for our accessible customers on the accessible platform – getting food, soft drinks, tea and coffee, and merchandise. At TRNSMT, we also have a bar situated at the accessible platform that will only serve those on the platform.

Is demand for accessible facilities increasing?

Yes, demand for the use of accessible facilities is most definitely increasing. Across this summer, I have spoken to many people who have been surprised that they were eligible to apply for the accessible facilities on-site and surprised that festivals can provide a level of support to ensure that they feel confident and comfortable attending an event with a disability. This ultimately results in those customers having a newfound knowledge of support available and then attending more live music events in the future. You learn as you go and need to be adaptable to go above and beyond for customers who may have more complex requirements.

How have you increased or improved access provision on events this year?

After achieving Gold status in 2021 for TRNSMT, 2022 was more about maintaining and developing ideas from the previous year. Working on the Coldplay show at Hampden was an eyeopener on what is possible to create a more inclusive and accessible event.

It was great to hear feedback from customers on the tour’s inclusivity initiatives and their use of the Subpac suits, BSL performance interpreters, sensory backpacks, and a touch tour for those who are blind or have low vision. It certainly set a high standard and demonstrated to accessible customers that events can be truly accessible to all. This year, we improved our Accessible Information Guide that goes out to all our accessible customers, which is a detailed 12-page PDF that breaks down accessibility across the whole site. We also captured more photo and video footage of the site, expanded signage and briefings for staff on invisible disabilities and included this within our staff training handbook.

How have you evolved your access provision?

We are consistently listening to and learning from customers on ways in which we can improve accessibility at our events. This year, I wanted to get more feedback and shared experiences from disabled customers and have been working with organisations that represent different disabilities to create information documents and engaging videos for our website. As well as this, we have been working with Gig Buddies for a couple of years. We are working to create an exciting piece of footage that will be tailored for those with learning difficulties who want to attend TRNSMT to set their expectations, alongside tailoring information to those who have a mental health condition.

What stands out about your job?

My job is incredibly rewarding. It takes a lot of planning to ensure you’re getting things right, especially so those who are the most vulnerable members of society can experience live music to its fullest. Standing back and watching everyone enjoy themselves at the end of the night is a very special moment.

What lessons have you learned this season and how do you plan to improve access facilities for 2023?

Information is key. The more information you can provide to accessible customers to help them make the decision to attend an event is crucial – photos, maps, and video footage are different formats of access information. In addition, listen to customers with disabilities about what would make things easier for them to attend. A simple conversation can make a huge difference to a customer’s experience.

Looking to 2023, we are planning to have more photo and video footage available online for the venues that we regularly put shows in. This will assist those who have never attended events there before. We will do this alongside working with different disability charities to improve accessible customer experiences.

ASSISTANCE DOGS

01183 805 590 www.StunningTents.co.uk

01183 805 570 www.SailTentCompany.co.uk 01183 805 580 www.10x15.com

DIVERSITY, EQUALITY, AND INCLUSION

Demystifying DEI

Ben Whur, director of Proud Events, and Event Buyers Live’s diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) advisor, addresses why DEI is important and poses some questions that every event business should ask itself

Event Buyers Live (EBL) will focus on some key themes this year – diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI), staff welfare, mental health, and sustainability.

At a time when our industry is still rebuilding itself after the pandemic, suffering acute staff shortages, tackling daily supply chain challenges, facing exponential price rises, and the prospect of a looming recession, why are any of these topics important?

These themes are important because they hold some of the answers to how we survive and thrive as an industry.

The UK has hosted some incredible events in recent weeks. The Commonwealth Games, hosted so brilliantly by Birmingham, was a fully integrated event. The organising team committed to ensuring that every athlete, regardless of their ability, had the same experience on and off the field. The volunteers demonstrated the diversity of the city.

The UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 catapulted women’s football into the limelight and the triumphant final for England’s team was viewed by one of the largest ever Wembley audiences for any sporting event. But with these great achievements, there remain challenges.

SEE IT TO BE IT

British diver Tom Daley carried the Queen’s Baton into Alexander Stadium to highlight the fact that in some Commonwealth countries, it is illegal to be LGTBQ+ and in two countries, it carries the death penalty. Furthermore, the jubilant England women’s football team recognised the lack of diversity among the players. It’s not a new term but one of the presenters commentating on the competition said: “You’ve got to see it to be it”.

Diverse and inclusive teams and workplaces attract the best people. They retain their people longer. They are more productive. They are more innovative, more profitable, and more resilient.

The business case for inclusion and diversity is stronger than ever. For diverse companies, the likelihood of outperforming industry peers on profitability has increased over time. In fact, recent research indicates that diverse and inclusive workplaces can be three times more profitable.

Our industry has a problem with diversity. We lack it. In a world of staff shortages, tight margins, and a need to be highly innovative, it’s a big problem that will only get worse.

But while economic drivers may force us to make changes, DEI needs to be driven by a recognition that it simply cannot continue as it is. We need to educate ourselves and make real change because society has moved on and we lag.

HOW DIVERSE IS YOUR TEAM?

Proud Events is a small production agency. We work on big and complex projects all over the world. We are far from perfect, but we have created a diverse business and we are increasingly inclusive. It can be done. So, what do all these terms mean and what’s their impact?

At its simplest, “diversity” is all the ways in which people differ. Some of these differences have legal protections. For example, race, gender, age, physical and mental ability, and other characteristics have laws protecting people in work, and other settings, from being discriminated against.

These characteristics and parts of our identity interrelate. So, for example, I identify as a man, have white heritage, am gay, am married, have both physical and mental health conditions, and I’m a part-time carer. At different times and in different settings, these characteristics interrelate differently.

But what do you know about your team? How diverse do they look? How diverse are their lives? How diversely do they identify themselves? If your team lacks diversity, why do you think that is? As a leader in your business, you are likely to shape the culture.

The events industry relies heavily on networks to find employees, freelancers, and contractors. Those networks tend to be based on historic connections and relationships. In a sector where there is limited diversity, it is likely that a lack of diversity will perpetuate.

There’s a simple test you can undertake. Look at your largest work-related network. This might be LinkedIn or another online platform, or it could be your phone contacts. If you were looking to fill a role, who would you contact? How diverse is this pool of people?

A LITTLE ADJUSTMENT

In 2020, Proud Events was looking to appoint a new employee. We contacted organisations outside our usual network for help in sharing the vacancy. That opened a whole new pool of talent. It gave us access to applicants whom we would never have found and opportunities for them they would never have known about.

Addressing the diversity of your team will have little value unless you also tackle inclusiveness in your workplace. Inclusiveness is that sense of belonging. That your differences do not set you apart from others in the business. They are recognised and valued and have no influence on your ability to contribute, succeed, or progress.

We often hear people say: “I treat everyone equally”. But equality and equity are not the same.

A simple example of equity in a workplace might be adjusting work hours for an employee who has childcare or caring responsibilities. This might be the ability to start later, leave earlier, or undertake some work from home outside core hours. The sense of belonging is creating a culture where this is seen as normal, and that parents or carers are not being “set apart” from other colleagues.

The pandemic changed much of the way we think about our work and workplace. Employers are learning to value the contributions employees make to the business rather than the hours they work.

Again, I hear people say that “the events industry is different”, “we must be on-site”, or “we can’t flex our hours”. It simply isn’t true. Within Proud’s core team of six people, we have three parents and one carer. We make it work. Yes, it requires planning, adjustment and thought. Yes, parents get priority for leave during school holidays. Yes, we adjust hours so people can do school runs, parent days, and hospital appointments. That’s how we started the business and we’re successful at what we do.

DEI JOURNEY

As an industry, we need to start to effect change, tackle the lack of diversity, and start to become a more inclusive space to attract and retain the best people.

For 2022, Event Buyers Live wants to highlight the importance of educating ourselves so that we become a more diverse and inclusive industry to be a part of. The Event Buyers Live team has been working hard to educate itself and has been thinking about the changes it can make.

This year, as part of the event’s education programme, DEI will be given a high profile, alongside welfare and sustainability. A team of brilliant industry ambassadors will be there to support that process, and alongside the EBL team, will aim to make EBL22 the most inclusive place to do business.

The event will be fully accessible, and information on the website provides details of the environment, nature, and flow of the event to help people achieve the best outcome for themselves and their businesses. Additional support is being offered to help people tailor their programmes around their personal needs and provide additional support.

In addition to this, the panels, roundtables, and informal discussions will challenge and provide a safe space to learn, develop, and grow. DEI is not simply a focus for 2022. It is an ongoing journey and one that I am happy to support.

BEN WHUR

As an industry, we need to start to effect change, tackle the lack of diversity, and start to become a more inclusive space to attract and retain the best people