Accessibility is often discussed when an attendee submits a specific request.

But by that point, many important decisions about the venue, programme, communication and event technology may already have been made.

In a recent article for M&IT, Freya Foster, Project Manager at Principal Global Events, explains why Gen Z increasingly sees accessibility as a baseline expectation. Her central argument is that event professionals should consider accessibility from the outset, rather than treating it as an addition later in the planning process.

For us at Soundshape, this raises one practical question:

Can everyone follow what is being said?

An attendee can be present in the room and still struggle to follow a fast speaker, a technical presentation, an audience discussion or a language they do not fully understand.

When that happens, they do not simply miss a few words. They can miss important information, context and opportunities to participate.

Live captions and translation provide attendees with another way to follow the programme. Soundshape offers AI-powered live captions and live translation in 100+ languages, displayed on event screens, smartphones, tablets, laptops and livestreams. It is designed to fit into existing AV workflows.

Of course, communication access is only one part of accessible event design.

Freya Foster’s original article explores the subject from a much broader event perspective, including why attendee expectations are changing and why accessibility needs to be considered across the complete event experience.

Read the full article: Accessibility by design: why Gen Z expects more from events