I spent two days at The Meetings Show this year watching something rather interesting happen.
Nipperbout wasn't just providing the show's first onsite crèche, we were exhibiting too, which meant I was there throughout the event and had the chance to see the difference that having childcare made from all perspectives.
Parents who might otherwise have had to juggle childcare arrangements were able to come to the show. They could spend time on the exhibition floor, attend sessions, have conversations and network, knowing their children were being looked after nearby.
It made me think about the word ‘accessibility’.
We talk about accessibility a lot in the events industry. We think about physical access, hearing, vision, neurodiversity and more.
How often do event organisers ask; "Could this event be inaccessible to working parents?"
Accessibility is about being able to participate
I think sometimes we think about accessibility as getting someone ‘through the door’ and able to ‘navigate the show.’
• Can they get into the building?
• Can they get around?
• Can they hear the presentations?
• Can they see the information?
All of those things are important of course.
What about the person who can't attend in the first place because they have a child at home?
Or the parent who is travelling to a three-day conference and has to bring their child(ren).
Or the breastfeeding mum who doesn't want to stop breastfeeding because she has to attend an event.
Or the parent of a child with SEND who can't simply leave them with a babysitter.
Or the carer who has to bring their charge with them?
Or the parent who will miss most of the event because they have to get back to their usual nursery for 4pm.
These aren't hypothetical challenges. These are real-life situations that we hear daily in our event crèches.
When we talk about making events accessible, these are the sort of barriers we need to think about too.
This is why I was so pleased that The Meetings Show introduced its first onsite crèche this year.
The industry saw not only the creche in action but they saw;
- families arrive
- parents use it
- babes in arms milling around the show
- children having fun while their parents took part in the event
They saw inclusivity in action.
It’s a story I’ve seen time and again across huge events like Shoptalk Europe, Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity, the NEU Annual Conference and numerous medical conferences across Europe. To see it happening within the events industry itself felt like an important, and long awaited, turning point.
Of course, providing a crèche doesn't automatically make an event inclusive or accessible.
You have to think about the whole experience.
• How do parents register?
• Where will the childcare be located?
• What happens if their child needs one to one support?
• What happens in an emergency?
• Local authority registration and adherence to safeguarding protocols
And perhaps most importantly,
• Will the children want to stay?
Because good event childcare isn't simply about keeping children safe while their parents attend the event, it’s about creating an environment where children are safe, happy, engaged and properly cared for.
The right childcare provider will look after all of this as standard.
It sounds simple doesn’t it… it can, however, make all the difference to how a visitor talks about and remembers your event.
We see this particularly clearly with long-standing clients such as NASUWT, where childcare has been part of their conferences for decades.
The children become part of the event.
They make friends. They try new things. They gain confidence.
And they remember it for a very long time.
We've had former Nipperbout children come back to visit us as adults, some even come and work with us.
We always ask children for feedback and can guarantee that comments such as “This is the best day EVER.” And “Can we go back?” Will make sure their parents also remember your event for the right reasons and want to return.
That is quite a legacy for a few days of event childcare.
For me, the answer will always be yes.
For you, it depends on your event, your audience, your research. Can you confidently say not one of your delegates is a parent? I highly doubt it.
The good news is that there are options for every event.
It might be a full mobile crèche… a Stay & Play… chaperones for older children… a Nipperbout lite service, a part-time crèche.
All of these are possible and, in the right circumstances an make your event more inclusive.
Ask yourself - could caring responsibilities stop someone from attending our event?
And if the answer is yes: What can we do about it?
If childcare is a possible solution, I’d love to explore the options with you and help you shape an updated accessibility strategy.
