Accessibility is hospitality
Lori Becker, CEO of the Starcroft Disability Institute and a legally blind speaker, challenged IMEX attendees to rethink accessibility as an essential part of hospitality rather than a separate consideration.
She opened Accessibility is Hospitality: The Joy of Designing Events Where Everyone Belongs, at the Inspiration Hub’s People and Planet Theater on Tuesday at IMEX with a personal story that highlighted the difference between being invited and being truly included. Despite receiving an invitation to a networking event, she was unable to access the venue after organizers changed the entrance arrangements and shared directions in a JPEG format that was incompatible with her screen reader. After struggling to navigate the situation in extreme heat, she left feeling excluded.
For Lori, the experience demonstrated that accessibility barriers are often created not by obvious obstacles, but by a series of small decisions made without considering different needs.
Lori introduced a framework built around three levels of accessibility: compliance, accommodation and hospitality. Compliance represents the legal requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Accommodation involves responding to individual requests such as ASL interpreters, orientation assistance or dietary requirements.
Hospitality, she explained, goes further by anticipating diverse needs from the beginning and designing events so everyone can participate fully without having to ask.
Using the analogy of a battery, Lori illustrated how accessibility barriers gradually drain an attendee's energy. From difficult-to-find venues and unstaffed registration desks to inaccessible restrooms and presentations without captions, each friction point reduces a guest's ability to participate. By the end of an event, attendees facing these barriers can feel exhausted, particularly when they see others engaging with ease. By contrast, accessible design helps people conserve their energy, connect more fully and leave with positive memories.
Lori walked attendees through the event journey, sharing practical ways to build accessibility into every stage of planning. Her recommendations included using readable fonts, providing website links alongside QR codes, creating entrances that all guests can use together, training registration staff to confidently welcome attendees with disabilities and ensuring venues offer a range of seating options and adequate lighting. She also emphasized the importance of captions, ASL interpretation and other communication supports during presentations.
A key message throughout the session was that accessibility improvements benefit everyone, not only people with disabilities. Lori encouraged planners to view accessibility as a strategic hospitality decision that improves the attendee experience overall. Better planning can lead to smoother events, stronger word-of-mouth recommendations and more positive feedback.
Closing the session, Lori urged attendees to consider accessibility across the entire guest journey and to involve people with disabilities in the planning process. By listening to their experiences and designing inclusively from the outset, organizers can create what she described as an "afterglow": a lasting positive impression that benefits attendees, communities and events alike.
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The report was produced with the help of Snapsight.
