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Congress Venue
The Hilton Birmingham Metropole are dedicated to providing “Best in Class” service. Please click here for their accessibility pack which details all aspects of the venue that have been implemented to ensure accessibility and inclusion. These include:
- Blue badge and assisted parking
- 20 accessible bedrooms with wheel-in showers, grab rails around the toilet, and an emergency pull cords
- Lifts to all bedrooms with an announcement system and tactile buttons at regulation height
- Accessible public toilets on the ground floor
- Carpeted flooring in all event rooms
- Dietary adviser at each food station during events to provide information on ingredients and allergens
- Table service and availability of large print menus in public catering areas
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans offered on check-in
In addition, for Congress 2024 we have ensured that:
- All event rooms are on the ground floor and there is wheelchair access to all rooms
- Registration and Information desks are of a suitable height
- Lunchtime food is fork-friendly
Please note that any requirements that have been provided by our attendees will be passed on and implemented by the venue.
Congress Facilities
The following will be made available for attendee use at Congress 2024 as required:
- Provision of quiet room available to all attendees throughout the event
- Space at the front of each lecture room for wheelchairs
- Reserved seating for anyone with support assistants / carers
- Sensory ear plugs (available at Registration and Information Desks)
- Charging points for electronic equipment (available at Registration and Information Desks)
Attendees are asked when registering online of they have any additional needs. However, if you require any additional items not noted at registration, e.g. hearing induction loop, please email spvs-events@keystone-group.co.uk with your request. We will do our best to help provide you with a solution.
Congress Programme and Sessions
The Congress programme has been developed to ensure inclusivity for all who may be attending. Considerations include:
- Ensuring sufficient breaks throughout the day
- Early arrival allowance for those who prefer early seating
We have also asked all our speakers and facilitators to consider all needs when developing their slides and presenting to the audience.
All presenters will speak via a microphone, and we will ensure that anyone who asks questions during sessions will also be provided with a microphone, or have their question repeated by the session facilitator.
We will be making recordings of all sessions, with the addition of closed captions on the recordings, and will also share the speakers presentations after the event where possible.
We will provide a copy of the event programme and venue map in advance of the event so attendees can familiarise themselves with the layout and what they’d like to achieve in advance of arrival. The programme will indicate whether a session is a lecture or an interactive workshop. We will also confirm the layout for each room.
Congress Communication
The SPVS Congress team will aim to provide all attendee communication in the most accessible way:
- Using plain English
- Using short sentences and paragraphs
- Checking colour contrast between text and background
- Using fonts that are more readable
- Ensure font sizing is suitable for all material, from emails to signage
- Avoiding italics, underlining and relying on colour to relay information
- Providing key information as web links to aid those that use screen readers
We also offer more than one method of contact for the Congress team with any queries or requests. You can contact us by both telephone (01453 872731) and email (spvs-events@keystone-group.co.uk).
Congress Team
The SPVS Congress team have taken part in accessibility training. The team manning our Registration and Information Desks will be able to provide details on all adjustments made for the event and help you access anything you may need.
Moving forward
We would welcome your thoughts on how we can make SPVS Congress more accessible and inclusive. We will include a question on this in our feedback form after the event, but please email spvs-events@keystone-group.co.uk with any queries or suggestions in the advance of the event.