At Fitwise we understand the importance of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Access. We have therefore created EDIA guidance to help you, as the Conference Organising Group, plan your upcoming event:

Organising Group & Speakers

When organizing an event, it’s important to consider the diversity of your speakers, having a range of speakers that represent a variety of nationalities, sexualities, disabilities, socio-economic backgrounds, religions, etc. If there are important speakers who are unable to attend in person their session could be present virtually. By having a diverse programme you will attract a wide range of delegates to your event.

As an organizing group you should also reflect on the diversity within your group, having a diverse organizing group will in turn allow for a more diverse viewpoint when creating your programme.

Registration Categories
In order to make your event accessible you should consider offering a range of different registration categories. For example:

• Day registration when hosting a multi-day event

• Student registration at discounted rate and a certain amount of bursary places

• Carer/Companion registration free of charge

• Registration fees based on World Bank Country Classification

• Hybrid registration

Date of event

When planning your event you should take public holidays, academic term times, and religious and cultural holidays into consideration. This will ensure that you will get maximum attendance at your event. At Fitwise, your dedicated Event Manager will be able to provide you with a list of these dates.

Accessibility

When selecting a venue, it is important to ensure the venue is accessible to all delegates. This can range from having step-free access to hearing loops available in the conference rooms. AccessAble is a free online tool that provides accessibility information on venues and public spaces, this may be useful to refer to when selecting venues.

As well as ensuring the venue is accessible, you could also offer Interpreting services along with signing for the deaf services which could attract a wider audience.

A further Equality, Diversity and Inclusion consideration could be to provide an on-site creche or family room to enable those with young children to attend. The family room could incorporate a live stream from the main session room.

Your dedicated Event Manager will liaise with venues to ensure accessibility requirements are met where possible.

Sponsors & Partners

When partnering or gaining sponsorship with other organisations, it is important to ensure that they align with your own organisation’s values. This will show your audience that your values are at the core of your event.

What we’ve done at Fitwise to ensure our events are more inclusive

Since undertaking this project, we have implemented the following:

•              Updated ‘accessibility requirements’ question on Delegate & Speaker Registration Sites

•              Added in a caveat about delivering inclusive & accessible event and text to contact events@fitwise.co.uk regarding Carer/Companion Registrations to Delegate & Speaker Registration Sites

•              Added in option for accessible bedroom to Speaker Registration Sites

•              Added ‘Accessibility’ section onto ‘Venue & Travel’ page on Event Websites

•              Added in bullet point on venue providing accessibility information to Venue Specification Template

•              Added section on inclusive language into Chairs Notes Template

In conclusion, our commitment at Fitwise to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion is not just a statement, but a fundamental part of how we operate. Through thoughtful planning and a keen awareness of the diverse needs of our delegates and speakers, we strive to create events that are inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to all. Our ongoing project on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity demonstrates our dedication to continuous improvement and innovation in this area. We believe that by embedding these principles into every aspect of our event planning, from venue selection to registration processes, we can offer an experience that truly reflects the varied and vibrant communities we serve. At Fitwise, inclusivity is not just an option; it is the essence of every event we organise.