How to extend and transform events to happen online, in parts or entirely, and provide a maximum of accessibility to attendees, online and on-site? This repo is intended as a knowledge base to help organisers make their events more accessible. It was started in times of COVID-19/coronavirus (March 2020), when many events were struggling with in-person participation and got cancelled due to the risk of infection and further spread of the virus. Nevertheless, this time of crisis is also an opportunity to make in-person events more accessible to remote attendees (digitally live) and post-event consumption (digitally on-demand) of content.
Many events lack accessibility in one way or the other. Some of these lackings are intentional, others are collateral and many are unintentional and due to unknowingness. This collection of tips and guidance aims to provide insights, show paths to avoid unintentional exclusion, and increase readiness and willingness among organisers to allow many forms of participation and contribution. This collection should ideally show you what it takes to extend in-person events to the digital space and vice versa, and why it's worth the effort.
If you are the owner, a contributor, member of staff or attendee (in-person or remote) of an event, please contribute by opening an ISSUE with the idea for increased accessibility. This ISSUE will then go into the RAW COLLECTION OF IDEAS of the categorized event(s). When these ideas have been tried out by event organizers, staff and/or attendees, they are being validated and rated in the IN TESTING collection. After a successful proof of concept (>x attendees/staff members/orgas attest positive feedback), the idea becomes a best practice and is listed in ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE of an event category.
As stated before, this repo was created in times of the coronavirus crisis, and is per definition work in progress. Please consider making this a greater help to people by not only contributing ideas for accessible events. Make this a better repo and improve its structure. If you have ideas for restructuring or otherwise improving this repo, feel free to open an ISSUE or directly get in contact with the owner of this repo.
Classic regional niche meetups. Classic broader-interest meetups on evenings. Smaller one or two day conferences. Conferences, single and multi-track. Fairs, fair-like conferences, conventions.
Characteristics: Typically 2-3, sometimes 4 in-person speakers. Speaking slots are between 20 minutes and 1h. Venues are often chosen by availability. Presentation / live demos / video playback through laptop of presenter on projection wall or large display(s). Audio and display connectors vary, as room equipment allows. Seating options vary between theater style to workshop tables. Seldom grouped tables.
For meetups, typically 2-3, sometimes 4 in-person speakers. For single track conferences 5-7 per day. Multi-track confeences vary with speakers. Speaking slots on conferences are typically between 45 min and 75 min. Speaking slots on meetups are 20 min to 45 min. Venues are often chosen by availability, but tend to be recurring. Presentation / live demos / video playback through laptop of presenter on projection wall. Audio and display connectors vary, as room equipment allows. Seating options are theater style and seldom other than that.
One or more keynotes or general sessions (multi-track conferences). Speaking slots are typically between 45 and 75 minutes. Venues are often multi-year contracted, thus giving attendees a recurring experience.
Keynotes: Presence of an (elevated) stage. Presentations are often complex and rehearsed. Speakers can move freely on stage and control slides individually through a remote control or have coordinated and rehearsed support.
Breakout Sessions: Rooms for breakout sessions limit the maximum occupancy, typically to max 200. Other characteristics are similar to medium-sized in-person events.
Registration: Registration is done via a 3rd party service, or own software with integrated payment solution. Maybe registration is free, like with many meetups.
Breaks: For evening events, there is often one break between sessions and a larger networking slot after the sessions. Find features for accessibility in the corresponding section of this categories ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE.
Food & Beverages: Supply of food varies a lot between 'no food' and 'full meal', where a meal can be shared pizza, fingerfood and similar. Find features for accessibility in the corresponding section of this categories ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE.
Swag/Give-Aways/Conference bags: There's a whole culture around conference goodies. They could be from the conference itself, or from exhibitors or sponsors.
Networking/Social Interaction: One of the main selling points of in-person events is the opportunity to meet with like-minded people, make connections, re-establish one's network and make friends. Some events even go as far as calling their (annual) events a family re-union.
👉🏽ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE (needs content, please vote for Issues.)
👉🏽IN TESTING (submit witnessed practices through Issues.)
👉🏽RAW COLLECTION OF IDEAS (Brainstorming area. Feel free to PR to drop ideas here.)
Webinars, Online Meetups. Digital Learning Days. Digital conferences.
Characteristics:
Keynotes:
Breakout Sessions:
Registration: Registration is done via a 3rd party service, or own software with integrated payment solution. Often, registration will unlock the content for you, or you will receive an email with the link to use on the day of the event. Maybe registration is free, like with many meetups.
Breaks: During online events breaks are sometimes ommited, sometimes purposedly left to allow for a tech check with the next speaker, during which one or more hosts take Q&A, thank the speaker, and announce the next talk. Break slides can be used for event and sponsor comms. ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE.
Swag/Give-Aways/Conference bags: There's typically no Swag for digital attendees as of current.
Networking/Social Interaction: One of the biggest downsides of digital events compared to in-person events is the missing opportunity to have social interaction between attendees.
👉🏽ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE (needs content, please vote for Issues.)
👉🏽IN TESTING (submit witnessed practices through Issues.)
👉🏽RAW COLLECTION OF IDEAS (Brainstorming area. Feel free to PR to drop ideas here.)
All events that facilitate both online and offline speakers and attendees in a mix.
Characteristics: We haven't seen enough of these events yet to find characteristics that are typical. But these events have live online participants as well as on-site participants. Ideally these two groups should be able to interact and mingle. Or at least both parties should be able to interact with the speakers equally during e.g. Q&A.
Keynotes: Speakers could partake in the event in-person, or remotely. Sometimes their talks are pre-recorded and they take Q&A live (and during the recording plays). A conference organizer will sometimes direct a camera at the audience so that the remote speaker can gauge the audience's feedback and energy level.
Breakout Sessions:
Registration: Registration is done via a 3rd party service, or own software with integrated payment solution. Maybe registration is free, like with many meetups.
Breaks: During hybrid events breaks for the live audience and the remote audience will no doubt be very different. ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE.
Swag/Give-Aways/Conference bags: There's a gap between digital and in person participation when it comes to swag, as this is normally exclusive to in-person attendees.
Networking/Social Interaction: There's a gap between digital and in person participation when it comes to social interaction, as this is much easier and more natural at in-person events.
👉🏽ACCESSIBILITY GUIDANCE (needs content, please vote for Issues.)
👉🏽IN TESTING (submit witnessed practices through Issues.)
👉🏽RAW COLLECTION OF IDEAS (Brainstorming area. Feel free to PR to drop ideas here.)
This collection of practices focuses mainly on tech community events, like conferences, user group meetings, sprints, meetups et al. When using the term "event", we refer to this type of events that are most common in the tech industry.
Removing barriers for each and every individual to participate without the need to ask for support.
Happening in the digital space. For content, online can be both live and on-demand.
Being physically present on the venue and during the event.
Opposite to On-Site, remote is everyone who is not physically present.
Content can be a talk or a session, a slidedeck, a recording or video, audio, a transcript. A conversation between attendees or speakers / staff and attendees is generally not considered content, although it can contain meaningful things. <3
Some of the content has been inspired by this link collection: https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/remote
The initiator of this repo (jansche) is employed at Microsoft and working there as a Program Manager in Developer Relations. This doesn't imply the listings and practices are representative of what Microsoft pursues in their events. Nor is this repo approved by or the responsibility of Microsoft.