First Access: The Journey to the Seat

Heading out to an event is full of hurdles before you even reach the door. There's the ticket price, confusing and inconsistent websites and then the feeling that the venue wasn't built for you in the first place.

For event organisers to improve that journey, we need to stop acting like venue management and security, and start practicing real warmth and hospitality. Pretty close to how it should look if you're going to someone's house.

Once in the venue, the vibe changes everything. Rather than a feeling of surveillance, where you reckon you might get told off if you do anything wrong, we recommend staffing your venues with a light touch. Blak staff and intersectional teams mean audiences are met with faces that understand their context, holding cultural safety and accessibility together.

There are ways that orgs, venues and everyone involved in events can help fix these hurdles.

Here's a non-exhaustive list of how we're approaching this issue to make it easier for our community before the event starts.

– Free or low-cost tickets as a standard
– Clear and punchy marketing communication so everyone knows what to expect.
– Working with venues that put accessibility as a priority, with barrier free access for physical mobility, trained staff and purpose-built plans to accommodate Disabled people.
– Care over surveillance: Blak staff and intersectional teams out front instead of 'security'
– Transport vouchers for Elders where possible to help cover the trip

Removing friction is making sure the front-of-house experience is an extension of the creativity on stage. Accessibility is what happens when you prioritise care over everything else.