12 Ways to Make Your Online Event More Inclusive

With the shift to online events, workshops, and gatherings, COVID-19 is transforming how we learn. Even though everyone appears to be participating equally on screen, there are a number of institutional and individual barriers that keep some people from accessing, taking part in, and profiting equally from online events. That's why One of the most popular subjects of 2024 will be inclusivity. Ensuring a safe atmosphere for all attendees is essential to creating an inclusive event.

If you have already selected an event ticketing app and now planning on making your event inclusive this article has got your back. Here you will find 12 most effective tricks to make your next online event more inclusive. But before an event planner can design an event that is really inclusive, they must comprehend what inclusivity in events means and why it matters. So, lets learn about that first.

What is an inclusive event?

An event that is planned and produced with the goal of making it friendly, easy to get to, and entertaining for individuals with a variety of needs, identities, and backgrounds is considered inclusive. Ensuring that everyone feels appreciated, respected, and allowed to participate completely is the aim of an inclusive event, irrespective of characteristics such as gender, age, race, handicap, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or cultural background.

Why is it essential to make your online event inclusive?

Including everyone in your online event is a crucial matter. Everybody who attends an inclusive event feels appreciated and respected, which contributes to a sense of belonging. By drawing a more varied crowd, this not only improves the overall experience for attendees but also expands the event's reach and influence. Furthermore, inclusion promotes constructive interaction, welcomes dissenting viewpoints, and aids in developing a friendly and encouraging community.

Aspects to consider if you want a more inclusive online event- 12 Important Tips

1. Recognize Your Audience

A better understanding of your audience's needs, capabilities, and constraints will enable you to plan and create an online session that is more effective. In order to provide online training, needs assessments must now take a number of technology-related factors into account, such as participants' internet connectivity and degrees of digital literacy.

Consider an intersectional analysis of the ways in which your participants' abilities to participate and meaningfully contribute will be shaped and limited by criteria like gender, age, location, family status, ability, etc.

2. Understand the Levels of Technological Literacy

It is important to keep in mind that participants will possess differing degrees of proficiency and familiarity with various forms of technology when creating sessions and selecting the technological instruments and platforms for any given event. Make sure the technology is required and that it improves rather than deters the learning process.

Sometimes, the most practical and efficient solutions are the simple ones that don't take a lot of bandwidth. Ensure that those who are unable to use sophisticated technology do not feel inferior or excluded because they are unable to manage it.

3. Make Your Prices More Reasonable

Online events offer the potential for a larger attendance, although cost is occasionally still a barrier. You can incorporate strategies to make it simpler for people with lower income levels to attend your event.

Try to choose an event ticketing software that doesn't cost you a fortune and lets you set your price flexibly. Find the app that provides all the features and also prices reasonably so that you don't have to set the ticket price higher. Even renowned software can work as free online event registration platforms for free events, which can help you make the tickets free for such events and work as a great initiative to make your event inclusive for everyone.

4. Consider Environmental Restrictions

When determining agendas and schedules, keep in mind about the participants' home limitations and availability, as well as potential strategies to allow for flexibility.

Some individuals are surrounded by uncontrollable, unpredictable circumstances, like family, kids, or construction work. If such things somewhat interfere with your session, please be understanding and patient. Bear in mind about the participants' time zones and make sure that the time you select won't make it harder for some people to attend your event.

5. Language Shouldn't Be A Barrier

Don't forget to individuals with varying degrees of language ability as well as non-native speakers. Consider ways to support them, such as with written documentation. If you would like people to express themselves in a language that they feel comfortable speaking, think about utilizing simultaneous interpretation.

Talk in a clear, understandable voice and at a reasonable pace for all. Use language that is easy to understand and not overly technical. Be mindful of cultural differences and refrain from speaking in a way that promotes discrimination.

6. Focus on Visual Imagery

When individuals in visual imagery are solely portrayed in stereotypical ways, the imagery may be discriminatory. Make sure that any pictures you use for your communication materials, whether they are used prior to, during, or following an event, do not contribute to stereotypes and false narratives.

Examine from several angles to determine whether your content includes other identities and cultures. Be succinct in your visuals. Eliminate everything unnecessary that could cause cognitive overload.

7. Make Communication Inclusive to All

To promote more inclusive communication in which people can converse with one another without speaking, think about introducing tools. Make sure participants are aware that they have the option to write directly to facilitators rather than only using the public chat area.

Instead of asking people to share one-on-one, anonymous voting and polling tools and activities can be used to gather opinions and ideas from the group.

8. Don't Forget About the Holidays

It's a good idea to check the calendar for any religious or cultural holidays or celebrations that might conflict with your suggested event dates when you first start arranging your inclusive events. Some of the people you invited could find this problematic, or they might decide not to come at all.

For instance, your Muslim visitors might not feel great about attending during their Eid holidays, which might be a usual working day for others. So, in this case, plan the event dates wisely to make them accessible to all.

9. Plan for People with Hearing Problems

According to WHO, almost 5% of people have a devastating hearing loss. The addition of subtitles to your event is an essential step towards making it more accessible for those with hearing loss or disabilities.

Additionally, if you have the means, you can arrange to have a sign language interpreter displayed on the screen. However, since not all disabled individuals can understand sign language, you should still maintain closed captioning.

10. Beware of Gender Biases

Although the number of attendees at an event can increase when it moves online, it is still possible to exclude groups of individuals who have historically been excluded from conferences.

One well-known and increasingly criticized tendency is the all-male panels. Women still make up half of the population, although they are underrepresented in a lot of fields. Ensure that you only host activities with a fair representation of both genders.

11. Provide Accessible Resources

You can distribute materials or guide, to assist guests in becoming acquainted with the online platform where your event will take place in addition to details on its format. These resources will not only introduce audience to the event but also make them feel included. It might be helpful to host an orientation session prior to the event to help them learn about the fundamentals.

12. Deal Everyone's Problem Equally

Prior to the online event, get yourself ready to handle possibly difficult circumstances. List potential problematic circumstance scenarios, such as offensive or impolite remarks, stereotypes based on gender or ethnicity, hostile or uncooperative participants, etc. Establish your red line in advance, such as the boundary between when and how you will step in to allow people to express their own thoughts.

Make sure no participant feels uncomfortable and take possible action immediately if something goes wrong. As an event planner it’s your responsibility to ensure everyone is welcomed and respected in the event.

Conclusion

The industry of event planning is extremely intricate and involves uncountable steps. In this case, making an event inclusive is even more challenging. So, at the end of this article we suggest that you take every step a bit more carefully to make your event more engaging and successful. Finally, we hope that the tips described below will help you plan an inclusive event efficiently and professionally.