As we mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week (w/c 17th March), Meet Cambridge, the official conference and events bureau for Cambridge, has played an instrumental role in the development of a first-of-its-kind Neurodiversity in Events Toolkit.
Designed to support the estimated 1 in 5 people who identify as neurodivergent - including those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia - the toolkit provides essential guidance for making events more accessible and welcoming.
As a member of Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO), Meet Cambridge joined the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) and Welcome Brain Consulting to set out a bold new standard for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in events, launching it at the ICCA UK & Ireland conference held in February.
Meet Cambridge’s Marketing Manager, Anita Macdonald, was an integral member of the ABPCO working group behind the toolkit. She emphasised the urgent need for greater inclusivity in the industry.
We believe events should be inclusive, but there is still a long way to go to make that a reality. At Meet Cambridge, we’re committed to starting important conversations and encouraging change. With 20% of the population being neurodivergent (the actual number, including those who are undiagnosed, could even be higher), many potential attendees will face barriers to participation. By supporting event planners to make small changes, as an industry, we can create meetings and events where everyone feels valued and included.
The Neurodiversity in Events Toolkit provides a practical checklist for businesses and event planners, helping them implement neuroinclusive strategies with simple yet impactful adjustments.
Using a tiered system, the toolkit provides a variety of inclusive suggestions for all, ranging from low cost and small considerations, right through to advanced, integrated systems. Most importantly, planning your event with input from a neurodiverse team can be highly beneficial.
Meet Cambridge is championing this great initiative to help event planners do what they can to support this under-represented area of our population. Visit the Neurodiversity in Events for more information or if you have an idea of how Meet Cambridge can make events more neuroinclusive, contact them here.
