Accessibility in Events And Attractions Ticketing
There is a well-known saying that goes, ‘If you build it, they will come.’ Unfortunately, sometimes it’s not so simple.
I’d been enjoying a fascinating discussion with Craig Pryde, accessibility advocate and founder of ticketing platform, Different Breed, for over an hour. Yet, it was one of his last remarks I knew would most stay with me – “I wish we didn’t have to build it at all, because our company wouldn’t need to exist if things were better for the disabled community.”
I know many owners of solution-based companies and I’ve heard none of them reflect on their businesses in this way. Usually, being able to solve a problem within a profitable industry is the stuff of dreams. It is entrepreneurism and innovation and, when successful, has the power to enhance people’s lives and break down barriers. Craig Pryde has done this by launching Different Breed, a ticketing platform focused on accessible event ticketing and tailoring the online ticketing process to meet the needs of disabled and neurodiverse users. Yet, it was realising just how inaccessible most ticketing sites were that drove Craig to build Different Breed.
Here is a little of what I learned through our discussion with Craig and my research into accessibility in attractions and events ticketing.
Website Accessibility In the Attractions And Events Industry
In terms of digital accessibility, event organisers and visitor attraction teams must focus on both their ticketing/booking system(s) and their website.
“In reality, most websites are not accessible for many disabled and neurodivergent people,” Craig tells me. “Most attractions and event organisers want them to be. They’ll include this in the brief, but the website build typically gets outsourced and compromises are made during the build that ultimately render the site less accessible than originally planned.”
The internationally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outline the various requirements needed to meet various accessibility standards. There are three levels of compliance defined by the WCAG. The very basic will fall under level A, most organisations (especially in the public sector) aim to meet level AA requirements and achieving level AAA signifies that a website is highly accessible.
Having spent many years working as a software engineer in the events industry, Craig knows that making a website accessible to those with disabilities is often a priority initially. Yet during the design stage, it’s common to lose this focus as the visual experience for the majority of users becomes centerstage. Sometimes the client will accept these compromises and filter down their accessibility requirements, often in order to meet launch deadlines and keep costs down. Sometimes though, the client will be unaware that the expected level of accessibility compliance has not been met. Since website testing does not typically focus on accessibility this is often not picked up during this process either. Unfortunately, it is often the users who will experience and report issues after the launch and these can be costly and time-consuming for event organisers and attractions to fix.
Adjusting an existing website to meet the needs of disabled and neurodivergent users is a little like using PVA glue and sticky tape to fix a broken structure. It may make the construction a little more stable but it will never deliver the integrity it should have been built with in the first place. Many websites, including those in the attractions and events industry, are operating in this way. It’s also a solution that usually makes the total sum of the project greater than it would have been if accessibility had remained a priority throughout the process.
Another factor is that guidance over digital accessibility in the public sector is more strongly upheld than in the private sector, where it is generally considered more optional.
Of course, failures in accessibility aren’t usually a conscious disregard of the disabled or neurodivergent community but rather due to a lack of knowledge and exposure. This explains why many charities and schemes spearheaded by the community, have had success in helping organisations become more accessible.
Accessibility Of Accessibility Information
Making a ticketing/booking website accessible is about creating an inclusive digital experience but it’s also about ensuring information regarding accessibility onsite is easy to locate and is simple to understand.
Accessibility information is often buried and this means that deciphering how a venue can accommodate you and whether they even can is too often a complex research process.
A 2022 access survey conducted by Euan’s Guide, found that 54% of those with access requirements would avoid visiting new places/attractions if they cannot find accessibility information. Generally, specific needs visitors are loyal to attractions that cater for their needs and become returning visitors. They may also be more likely to visit during less busy times and have been found to spend an average of 10% more on domestic trips than those without accessibility requirements. So, accessibility information must be prioritised on attraction and events websites.
“The word accessible is often used as a blanket term for events and attractions,” Craig explains. “But most people need more details so they can prepare physically and emotionally for any processes and provisions that may be in place to accommodate them. For example, some physically challenged people find hoists and stair lifts a difficult experience but too often this is not declared upfront because the venue can still call itself accessible if it has these measures in place. For the individual who has to go through this though, it’s potentially a very different experience from using lifts or ramps.”
The Euan’s Guide Access Survey also found that 72% of disabled people have found accessibility information on a venue’s website to be misleading, confusing or inaccurate.
Neglecting to provide full information may result in a negative visitor experience. With platforms and apps, such as Sociability, enabling disabled and neurodiverse visitors to share their experiences of accessing live events and attractions, failing to be upfront about onsite accessibility could seriously damage a venue/attraction’s reputation.
If finding and assessing accessibility information becomes a prolonged mission, this can also impact a user’s ability to purchase tickets before they sell out. Especially for limited ticket sales where platform users are racing to join online ticket queues.
For neurodivergent and disabled users the online ticket queuing process can already trigger anxiety, but the added complication of having to research the ticket type they require and how they can be accommodated at the event/experience can cause additional pressure. One reason this is often complex is that users may be taken offsite, where the accessibility information usually is, to a ticketing platform to complete the transaction. So the information they need to access is not part of the booking process.
Thankfully, it’s not all so negative. Craig Pryde hastens to emphasise that accessibility information online has improved significantly in the past few years and is continuing to do so. However, many live music events, sports events and attractions might still want to review how long it takes users to find accessibility information on their website and assess how accurate the information is.
Ticketing System Accessibility
Whilst website accessibility is becoming more inclusive, Craig believes the bigger challenge is the ticketing software.
“There are still major obstacles when it comes to organising tickets for concession and special needs purchasers. So much so that many booking sites become overwhelmed and bypass selling these types of tickets online. Instead, they ask disabled and neurodivergent visitors to book their tickets by contacting the venue or organisation by phone or email.”
This is not, Craig explains, a feasible solution for many people faced with specific challenges. Craig himself has struggled with a stammer for most of his life and finds phone conversations particularly difficult, meaning that booking tickets on the phone is not a reasonable option for him.
Yet, the criteria and combinations of concession or special access tickets can be vast and difficult for ticketing apps and platforms to organise. Whilst it’s not feasible to have a large number of ticket-type options to choose from online, if an event or attraction has reserve stock specifically allocated to those with additional needs, they have to be categorised so they are properly managed and, critically, not oversold.
Many ticketing platforms find themselves unable to administer this and so refer those with access requirements to offline booking options which, as Craig emphasises, is not a solution.
I was quite shocked to find that a major para-sporting event website states that it’s unable to handle accessible seating bookings through its online ticketing system.
Craig does concede that joining up allocation criteria for reserved stock in the back end with how these tickets are sold/presented at the front end is a major challenge, but it is one that his platform has overcome. In adding a business layer on top of concession types Different Breed has managed to fix stock issues in managing access requirements. Not only does this simplify things online but it also allows venues and attractions to better prepare for accommodating disabled and neurodivergent visitors.
The Verification Issue In Accessibility Ticketing
One major obstacle in selling special access tickets is that some venues need proof of eligibility. This can prevent those who don’t have accessibility requirements from purchasing these tickets and taking the place of someone who needs them. Unfortunately, this has been known to happen. Particularly as essential companion tickets are often free or discounted. This can prompt a person to attend an event as an essential companion when there is not a real requirement for this.
Smaller venues tend not to verify because they simply don’t have the resources, but larger events and attractions may do so. This verification process, however, is not typically managed by the ticketing platform. So again, the visitor is referred back to the venue/attraction/event organiser to prove eligibility after having purchased tickets.
Although eligibility partners are a good option for managing this process, Craig believes that failing to integrate this check as part of the booking process is putting up additional barriers and, again, making booking tickets far more complex for the disabled/neurodiverse community than it is for other visitors.
“Ticketing platforms need to be working with eligibility partners and the venues/attractions/event organisers to streamline this process so that it’s not taking a ridiculously long time to book accessibility tickets. Disabled users shouldn’t have to jump through so many websites and platforms to do something that, for most people, is relatively simple.”
The Future Of Ticketing Accessibility
If an attraction or venue is accessible, and the website is accessible, but the booking system is not, then it all comes undone. Whilst not all neurodivergent or disabled people opt to book online, those who do should be able to do so.
“The eternal problem when it comes to accessibility is that it’s always an afterthought.” This is one of the first things Craig told me as we began our discussion. “Also, when we do consider accessibility and disability we tend to default to wheelchair users and the hearing or vision impaired. We forget about neurodiversity and disabilities that are less visible but still present specific challenges. But this is improving.”
The attractions and events industry has started to tailor experiences to audiences who may struggle with sensory issues. From a digital point of view, websites may allow users to make adjustments including turning off videos and animations.
Seating maps have also made it easier, in some cases, for users with accessibility needs to experience the view from a particular seat so they can be sure it’s appropriate. Again though, this accommodates wheelchair users well but many interactive seating maps don’t include information such as whether the seat is appropriate for those needing to see audio descriptions or sign language translation. It also may not declare whether the seat is close to a speaker which can be debilitating for sound-sensitive visitors.
Different Breed is making ticketing a more accessible experience and connecting disabled and neurodiverse users with more accessible events. There are also many others supporting the events and attractions industry to better serve accessible needs visitors through the booking process and onsite. All In, for example, is a new scheme being piloted to improve the experience of disabled people attending theatres, concerts and festivals. Craig also believes that AI is going to have a positive influence on digital experiences, including ticketing, for disabled and neurodiverse people.
Unfortunately, accessibility has long been considered an expensive and time-consuming endeavour. Often though, this is only because it’s approached as an add-on solution rather than being built in and prioritised to begin with. Whilst some sectors struggle to adapt to meet the needs of the few, the events and attractions industry is realising that when you prioritise the needs of the many, a few will always be left out. Whereas, when you prioritise the needs of the few, you can provide a truly inclusive experience for all.
