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Tourism for All's CEO, Raymond Veal joined the Land, Leisure and Tourism Show at the NEC recently to talk all things accessibility as part of Pitchup's How to Join the Accessibility Revolution Panel.
I was at the NEC last Wednesday for the Land, Leisure and Tourism Show, where I took part in a panel discussion on “How to Join the Accessibility Revolution”, which was organised by Pitchup (who were exhibiting).
The show was made up of three separate shows – Farm Innovations, Holiday Park Innovations and the Family Attraction Expo - and there was a huge range of exhibitors. There was everything from big ride-on lawnmowers, glamping pods and adventure play areas, through fruit machines and dinosaurs roaming the hall, to software, products and services of all types to support campsites and holiday parks and ensure they offer a memorable experience to their visitors. The stand next door to where the panel discussion took place was displaying a comprehensive range of septic tanks and drainage solutions (I tried not to take that as an omen)!
I was on the panel with Ross Calladine of VisitEngland, Claire Ives of Flowerdew Farm in Dorset and James Hetherington of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. It was great to catch up with Ross and to meet Claire and James and learn more about the great work they are doing.
The panel was chaired - brilliantly - by Holly Bland of Pitchup. We discussed the importance of providing comprehensive information, to allow visitors with access needs to decide for themselves if sites will be suitable for their needs, and of customer service. We all agreed that, for most disabled people, the warmth of the welcome and the service they receive are just as important as any specific facilities that may be in place.
When Holly asked the panel what practical tips or “quick wins” we could give the audience, for simple changes to improve accessibility that they could implement “from tomorrow”, I took the opportunity to reinforce this.
My tips were:
- Book some accessibility focused customer service training for you and your team with Tourism for All here. It won’t be expensive and it will help ensure that you give a warm welcome and great service.
- Check the signs on your site showing where the facilities are, and make sure they are clean, clear, accurate and comprehensive. That will make things easier for everyone who visits your site.
- Kick off the process of creating an Accessibility Guide. That will let potential visitors who have access needs decide for themselves if your site would be suitable for them.
When Holly asked the panel what advice we would give to sites who are nervous about engaging with disabled visitors and worried about getting it wrong, I referred to the 3 Golden Rules we recommend when interacting with visitors with access needs:
- Just be yourself and don’t worry about trying to behave or communicate in a way that you think the visitor might expect.
- Think about what the visitor might need to help them enjoy your site and how you might provide it.
- Make it as easy as you can for the visitor to use and enjoy your site and services.
And if in doubt, ask the visitor!
It was a really fascinating session and it ended all too quickly. They say time flies when you are enjoying yourself!
Post from Raymond Veal, Tourism for All's CEO.
