Ramp it up

Two UK events companies started a campaign this year to provide ramps to staging as standard at all events across the UK. Sean Brierley MD, emap Publishing Ltd, here reveals why the campaign started, and indicates why it is important that it needs to roll-out world-wide:   It happened one November night in 2022. We’d spent all year preparing for the motor industry’s biggest awards night at The Grosvenor in London’s Park Lane. We had games, blimps, a killer sting. The works. The sell-out event was all set to celebrate a return to live events after the devastation caused by pandemic restrictions. But one incident turned everything upside down, and sparked a campaign that has been causing ripples throughout the UK events industry. A young woman had won the Rising Star award. When she emerged from the side of the event it was apparent that she had prosthetic arms and legs and there was no way that she could climb the three steps onto the stage. The host took the initiative and presented her award at the side of the stage. There was music, cheers, and applause. However, it was clear that her night in the spotlight had been marred: by us. As managing director, I went over to her to offer fulsome apologies, and promised that we would put measures in place to ensure that this would not happen again. Our protocols were all wrong. We expected those with disabilities to inform us of their requirements and then a ramp would be built, with an additional charge coming from the AV company or venue (big hotel chains – with inclusion and diversity policies – can charge anywhere between £600-£2,500 a night for disabled access to be provided); essentially a tax on inclusion. But why should they? The truth is, that for years people with limited mobility, with conditions such as arthritis, have been struggling to get up on stage and we have collectively done nothing about it. According to Statista, 43% of working age adults in the UK have some form of mobility issue, rising to 64% for retirees. As populations age in developing countries this issue is going to become more acute. Also, as more and more companies are taking a strong potion on inclusion and trying to encourage people with disabilities into their workforces, incidents like the one that we experienced last year are likely to become more commonplace. So, we set about to change our own company protocols and start up a campaign, along with Faversham House – the Ramp it Up! Campaign – to provide ramps as standard at all our conferences and awards ceremonies. And, that they should be provided for free by the venue or AV company. Though the campaign has only been going for a few months (we only have a LinkedIn page and a logo that you can use if you support the campaign) we have already had a major UK AV company, Corporate Events, sign up and start providing ramps as standard. The good news is that not only are people with disabilities using the ramps, but those without disabilities are using them as well, as they help avoid any awkward tripping moments that can sometimes happen. Ramps are a simple, very cheap, and a highly symbolic addition to an awards evening or conference: they breakdown assumptions and barriers. If you would like to support the campaign, there is a LinkedIn page, and any event, hotel, or AV company is free to use the logo if they provide ramp access at the events as standard, without any additional unnecessary cost.