When Meet Cambridge’s Deputy Marketing Manager, Anita Macdonald, joined a collaborative taskforce to create the Neurodiversity in Events Toolkit, she knew it had the potential to make a real difference. Shortlisted for Best Partnership at the ABPCO Excellence Awards, the initiative is already helping to shape more inclusive events.
In this blog, Anita shares why neurodiversity in events matters, the challenges still facing the industry, and what more can be done to create welcoming experiences for everyone.
Being a mixed-race woman, my identity has shaped how I see equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). I know first-hand the value of creating safe spaces where everyone feels they can contribute, be heard, and be appreciated. This has been the foundation of my drive to increase EDI in events.
The Spark that Started It
It was an ABPCO EDI Teams call that really set my journey in motion. I don’t remember every detail of that meeting but one moment stood out: Carron Webster from the EICC talking about neurodiversity. Something clicked for me, that was the spark. I wanted to be part of the change, to actively help others feel included when attending events. And I wasn’t alone. Carron, Gayle McGuinn also from the EICC, Jessica Letters from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Clare Beach from Azura Events felt the same and so the Neurodiversity in Events Taskforce was created. As our conversations developed, it became clear we needed guidance from someone already working with the neurodiverse community. That’s when Andy Williamson, founder of Welcome Brain, joined us. Together we all shared the same goal: to create a guide that event professionals could use to make their events truly neuroinclusive.
The Reason
We’d all read the brilliant work of The Neu Project which had already made an impact around ADHD and autism but we wanted to take the conversation wider. Neurodiversity covers a broad spectrum so we wanted to include as many conditions as possible from sensitivity to sound and touch, to anxiety, dyspraxia, and dyslexia. Our aim was not only to respond to the needs we see now, but also to help future-proof events for the whole neurodiverse community.
Andy shared a striking statistic: one in five people identify as neurodivergent, and many avoid events entirely because they find them overwhelming or plain “too scary.” I suspect the real number is even higher as many people don’t identify publicly as neurodiverse but still struggle. This genuinely saddens me because so many of my own professional highlights have come from attending events. I’ve made incredible connections some of whom I’m still in touch with decades later. Those relationships have been a source of advice, shared expertise and collaboration. On top of that, the sessions I’ve attended have been invaluable for my own learning and development and that knowledge has helped me grow in my professional life as well as supporting my employer. Knowing some people miss out on these opportunities because they find events inaccessible made this work all the more urgent for me.
Building the Guide
From the start, we knew the guide couldn’t be static — it had to evolve alongside our industry and society. Carron, Gayle and Andy led much of the early work but as a group we all contributed ideas, stories and research to ensure it was practical and relevant. We partnered with Welcome Brain to provide extra support for the events community; they offer training and accreditation around neurodiversity. This was important because the guide wasn’t just about inspiration. It was about giving event professionals the tools and confidence to make change and gain recognition for their efforts.
At its heart, our message was simple: making events more neuroinclusive doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Small changes like a quiet room, varied drink options, or consideration for sensory sensitivities can make a big difference. And it’s not just those who are neurodivergent who benefit; everyone does.
Challenges and Gains
One of our biggest challenges was the sheer complexity of neurodiversity. It covers a vast array of conditions with many people experiencing more than one. We knew we had to strike a balance between offering enough advice and support to be useful whilst not overwhelming event professionals, especially those who might be new to the topic. Our goal was to give them the confidence to start, to try new things and to want to keep on improving their events.
Launch and Impact
We launched the guide at the ICCA UK Conference and, to our delight, it was considered one of the standout topics of the programme. In the first five days after going live — including a weekend — the website received over 500 hits and 60 downloads, many originating from Cambridge. Seven months on, the site has had over 3,000 hits and more than 1,000 downloads. These numbers show there’s both a real appetite and a real need among event planners who want to host neuroinclusive events and are looking for support and guidance.
Calling People In
Andy and his team summed up neurodiversity in events perfectly for me:
We want attendees to create their own event, their own adventure. Instead of calling people out, let’s call them in.
That’s what inclusion is all about — giving people choices, making them feel safe and enabling them to fully engage. When we weave inclusivity into everything we do, we naturally create a more open, collaborative atmosphere - a catalyst that helps us tackle challenges not just in our own industry, but for humanity and the planet.
What’s Next
From the outset, we all agreed that the checklist was a living, breathing document. To fully support the neurodiverse community and event professionals, it would need to evolve. As a result, we’re now creating a best-practice guide focused on networking — helping make it an enjoyable experience, especially for those who may struggle with social interactions. Furthermore, a new taskforce has been created to explore the management of dietary requirements at events. Because, let’s face it, food and drink are a basic human right, and for some attendees, getting dietary needs right can be life-saving.
For me, the takeaway is clear, and it was summed up perfectly by Stuart Websdale, Domestic Bursar at Jesus College, at the Meet Cambridge Shaping Sustainable Events meeting:
Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in all aspects is the right thing to do and requires no further justification.
Embedding neuroinclusion into everyday event planning may seem tricky at times, but step by step, it brings us closer to making truly inclusive events the norm.